Professor Ivaylo Hristov teaches acting at the university he graduated from 40 years ago. The list of roles he has played both in theatre and film is very long and he has directed nearly 40 plays. Having directed just four feature films, three of those, including his last film, have won Bulgaria’s most prominent domestic award, the Golden Rose. The audience loves Hristov’s films.

Svetla is a recently unemployed teacher in a village near the border. When hunting hares in the forest, she encounters an African. As a law-abiding citizen, she sends the illegal immigrant to the border guard station, but is told that she should manage on her own – there are so many refugees that there is nowhere to put them. Humanity overcomes fear and she takes the man in. That, however, scares the villagers – a black man is on the loose...

The comedy, written and directed by Hristov, borders on irony, as the author offers the audience to self-ironically recognise our very own inner fears. The director places his characters in an adequately distorting mirror which helps highlight the personality traits we all know. The black-and-white visual contributes to the distortion with shot compositions, creating a minimalist, yet an impressive atmosphere. The black-and-white visual also carries the substantive idea of the film, which every viewer will realise after having watched it.

Mihkel Möölman

Grand Prix for The Best Film