The 2026 National Festival of Bulgarian Cinema, honoring the Vasil Gendov Awards, was held at the Ivan Vazov National Theatre on Sunday. The event saw a total of 112 submissions across various categories, including 18 feature films, 54 documentaries, 24 short features, and 16 animated films. This year marked a historical milestone for the Bulgarian cinema community.
For the first time, the Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred upon two notable figures: composer Kiril Donchev and screenwriter Hristo Iliev-Charli, recognizing their significant contributions to the art form. The award for Best Feature Film was presented to The Herd. Additionally, Lust received the jury’s Special Award in the feature film category.
Zahari Baharov was recognized as Best Actor, and Gergana Pletnyova won Best Actress. In the short feature category, Eraserhead in a Knitted Shopping Bag secured Best Short Film, while Chapter 6 received the jury’s Special Diploma. For documentaries, In Hell with Ivowas won Best Documentary, and Welcome to Sinagovci was honored with the jury’s Special Award.
Tonislav Hristov’s Truth or Dare was awarded the Sofia Municipality Award for its significant social message. Nevena Semova earned Best Documentary Debut for Jar of Time. The animated segments also saw recognition, with Under and Over the Bed winning Best Animated Debut, awarded to Sofia Sokerova and Sonya Ranova.
Ivan Veselinov received the jury’s Special Award for the animation Kumir (Idol). The National Festival celebrated a wide range of Bulgarian cinematic talent.
Topics: #bulgarian #national #festival
At the Ivan Vazov National Theatre on Sunday, the 2026 National Festival of Bulgarian Cinema, which honored the Vasil Gendov Awards, took place. The festival processed a total of 112 submissions acros