The 2026 National Festival of Bulgarian Cinema, which presented the Vasil Gendov Awards, concluded at the Ivan Vazov National Theatre on Sunday. The festival saw a high volume of submissions, with 112 films competing across various categories, including 18 feature films, 54 documentaries, 24 short features, and 16 animated films. This year marked a historical occasion for the Bulgarian film industry, as the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to two notable figures: composer Kiril Donchev and screenwriter Hristo Iliev-Charli, recognizing their significant contributions to Bulgarian cinema.
In the main categories, The Herd was honored with the Best Feature Film Award, while Lust received the jury’s Special Award for feature film. Zahari Baharov won the Best Actor Award, and Gergana Pletnyova secured the Best Actress Award. The short feature category saw Eraserhead in a Knitted Shopping Bag taking home the Best Short Film, and Chapter 6 receiving the jury’s Special Diploma.
For documentaries, In Hell with Ivowas won Best Documentary, and Welcome to Sinagovci was awarded the jury’s Special Award. Furthermore, Tonislav Hristov’s Truth or Dare received the Sofia Municipality Award for its significant social message. In the animated segments, Nevena Semova was recognized with the Best Documentary Debut Award for Jar of Time, and Sofia Sokerova and Sonya Ranova were awarded the Best Animated Debut Award for Under and Over the Bed.
Ivan Veselinov also received the jury’s Special Award for the animated film Kumir (Idol). The event celebrated Bulgarian cinematic talent across all genres.
Topics: #bulgarian #national #festival
