The 2026 Vasil Gendov Awards marked the culmination of the National Festival of Bulgarian Cinema, held at the Ivan Vazov National Theatre. The event honored the diverse body of Bulgarian cinematic talent, with 112 films competing across various categories, including 18 feature films, 54 documentaries, 24 short features, and 16 animated films. The festival held historic significance as the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to two distinguished figures: composer Kiril Donchev and screenwriter Hristo Iliev-Charli, recognizing their substantial contributions to Bulgarian cinema.
The awards paid tribute to Vasil Gendov (1891-1970), who was involved in the first feature film released in the country, Balgaran e galant (1915). In the main categories, The Herd secured the Best Feature Film Award, while Lust received the jury’s Special Award for feature film. Zahari Baharov won Best Actor, and Gergana Pletnyova was named Best Actress.
Genre-specific accolades recognized outstanding debuts and achievements. In the short feature category, Eraserhead in a Knitted Shopping Bag won Best Short Film. The documentary segment saw In Hell with Ivowas take Best Documentary, with Welcome to Sinagovci receiving the jury’s Special Award.
Furthermore, the Sofia Municipality Award for the most significant social message went to Tonislav Hristov for Truth or Dare. The cinematic depth of the festival was also highlighted by Nevena Semova winning Best Documentary Debut for Jar of Time, and the Best Animated Debut going to Sofia Sokerova and Sonya Ranova for Under and Over the Bed.
Topics: #bulgarian #national #festival
