The 2026 National Festival of Bulgarian Cinema concluded with the presentation of the Vasil Gendov Awards by the Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers at the Ivan Vazov National Theatre on Sunday. The festival featured a wide array of submissions, including 18 feature films, 54 documentaries, 24 short features, and 16 animated films. This year marked a significant milestone for the National Festival of Bulgarian Cinema.
For the first time, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to two notable contributors: composer Kiril Donchev and screenwriter Hristo Iliev-Charli, recognizing their substantial impact on Bulgarian cinema. In the feature film category, The Herd secured the Best Feature Film Award. Lust received the jury’s Special Award for its feature film.
Zahari Baharov was honored with the Best Actor Award, and Gergana Pletnyova won the Best Actress Award. Recognition was also given in the short feature category, where Eraserhead in a Knitted Shopping Bag won Best Short Film, and Chapter 6 received the jury’s Special Diploma. For documentaries, In Hell with Ivowas won Best Documentary, while Welcome to Sinagovci earned the jury’s Special Award.
Tonislav Hristov’s Truth or Dare was awarded the Sofia Municipality Award for its significant social message. Nevena Semova received the Best Documentary Debut Award for Jar of Time. The animated film section saw Under and Over the Bed, by Sofia Sokerova and Sonya Ranova, win the Best Animated Debut Award.
Ivan Veselinov’s Kumir (Idol) was recognized with the jury’s Special Award for animation.
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