The five-member jury at the 21st edition of Golden Rhyton Festival of Bulgarian Documentary and Animated Film presided over by Stanimir Trifonov and members Galina Lardeva, Tzvetomira Nikolova, Emil Spahiiski and Konstantin Zankov, gave awards as follows:
Golden Rhyton for Best Documentary
– to The Last Black Sea Pirates; production: Agitprop, Martichka Bojilova; writer Vanya Rainova; director Svetoslav Stoyanov; cinematography: Orlin Ruevski, Ivan Nikolov
– for the authentic, gripping and spontaneous narrative about human dream of freedom, love and tomorrow, threatened by greed;
Golden Rhyton for Best Animated Film
– to A Story from the Woollen Kingdom; production: Gala Film Ltd, Galina Toneva, Kiril Kirilov; writers Angel Manov, Teodora Manova; director Angel Manov; cinematography: Svetozar Marekov
– for a promising rebirth of Bulgarian puppet film, achieved by a sense of humour, imagination and inventiveness.
Special Jury Award for documentary
– The Book of Silence to director Anri Koulev and writer Boris Hristov
– for the unusual way of rendering the philosophical idea of an artwork into a cinematographic picture.
Best Documentary Director
– to Rosen Elezov
– for overall presentation in the competition.
The Award to Art Director, Writer, Director and Animator of a Cartoon went to Ilian Velikov for Pissed Off
– the funniest, yet the saddest at the same time animated film at the festival.
Best Debut to director Diana Ivanova for Listen
– for her gripping narrative of how freedom of expression and truth could break through the gloomiest of regimes.
Best Cinematographer to Svetla Ganeva
– for accomplished plasticity of rendition in The Book of Silence
Plovdiv Municipality Award to Citizen Cinema, production: ARS Digital, Ivan Tonev; writer/director Kosta Bikov
– by the European Capital of Culture 2019 in homage to Cinema Man
Special Mention in Documentary Film category to:
– The Enlightening Life Story of the Prošek Brothers, production: Kadiak film – Lubomir Halatchev; writer Vladi Kirov; director Lubomir Halatchev; cinematography: Emil Penev and
– The Dead Open the Eyes of the Living, production: Korund–X Ltd. – Hristo Hristov; writer/director Stanislava Kalcheva; cinematography: Krasimir Andonov
Honourable Mention in Animated Film category for:
– Puddle, production: Nagual, Nastimir Tsachev; writer/director Vera Doneva and
– The Day of the Bleeding Gums, production: Dimitar Dimitrov – Animiter; writer Dilyan Elenkov; director Dimitar Dimitrov
The following awards were also presented:
The Award by the Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers
– went to Dimitar Shishmanov: Points to Ponder, production: Geopoly Film – Pavlina Zheleva; writer Elena Mihailovska, Konstantina Gulyashka; director Ralitsa Dimitrova; cinematography: Plamen Gerasimov
The Critics Guild Award, UBF
– went to The Book of Silence, production: Atract DM Ltd; writer Boris Hristov; director Anri Koulev; cinematography: Svetla Ganeva
The Bulgarian National Film Archive Award
– went to Citizen Cinema, production: ARS Digital, Ivan Tonev; writer/director Kosta Bikov; cinematography: Ivan Tonev
The Award of Academica 21 Association of the academic Screen Arts lecturers
– went to Inside The Rock, production: BNT & MLN OOD –Valentina Fidanova-Kolarova; writers Zlatimir Kolarov, Valentina Fidanova-Kolarova; director Valentina Fidanova-Kolarova; cinematography: Martin Dimitrov.