The 2026 National Festival of Bulgarian Cinema, which presented the Vasil Gendov Awards, concluded on Sunday at the Ivan Vazov National Theatre. The festival showcased a wide range of cinematic works, featuring 112 submissions across categories including 18 feature films, 54 documentaries, 24 short features, and 16 animated films. The Best Feature Film award was awarded to The Herd.
Additionally, the jury presented the Special Award for feature film to Lust. In the acting categories, Zahari Baharov secured the Best Actor Award, and Gergana Pletnyova received the Best Actress Award. The short feature category saw Eraserhead in a Knitted Shopping Bag win Best Short Film, with Chapter 6 receiving the jury’s Special Diploma.
For documentaries, In Hell with Ivowas won Best Documentary, while Welcome to Sinagovci was honored with the jury’s Special Award. The Sofia Municipality Award, recognizing the film with the most significant social message, went to Tonislav Hristov for Truth or Dare. In the animated segment, Under and Over the Bed earned the Best Animated Debut Award for Nevena Semova and Sonya Ranova.
Furthermore, Kumir (Idol) received the jury’s Special Award for animated film. The ceremony marked a historic occasion for the national festival, as the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to two notable figures: composer Kiril Donchev and screenwriter Hristo Iliev-Charli, acknowledging their significant contributions to Bulgarian cinema.
Topics: #bulgarian #national #festival
Congratulations to “The Herd” on winning Best Feature at the Bulgarian National Film Festival.