The award is provided by Doli Media Studio
For the 24th consecutive year, the Sofia International Film Festival has a competition for best Bulgarian short film. It is a valuable tradition and supports young authors who have made their short film stories. For the seventh year in a row the award will be presented by Doli Media Studio, and the winning film will be selected by the international jury of the festival.
The members of the selection committee – directors Tonislav Hristov, Atanas Hristovskov and Elena Toncheva, last year’s winner of the Best Short Film Award, shared their impressions:
“Out of the 65 films that applied, we selected 12, distinguished by their original style and clear artistic vision. There was a wide variety of genres and styles, as well as a boldness for experimentation. Our selection was guided by the quality of the narrative and professional execution. We believe that we have created an exciting selection for the audience – our goal is for the festival program to present a strong and meaningful diversity in short cinema.”
Here are the 12 titles in this year's Bulgarain Short Film competition (arranged here in alphabetical order according to their titles):
1. Balconada, 2025, director Iva Tokmakchieva, 8 min.
2. Black Dog, 2026, director Alex Krassimirov, 22 min.
3. The Blue Angels, 2025, director Dobromir Baychev, 28 min.
4. Brazil, 2025, director Grigor Lefterov, 15 min.
5. Clay, 2026, director Kristiyan Georgiev, 24 min.
6. The Day She Will Be Born, 2025, director Emil Spahiyski, 16 min.
7. Eva, 2025, director Martin Genovski, 14 min.
8. Found at Sea, Bulgaria-Belgium, 2025, director Dimana Markovska, 20 min.
9. A Great Day, 2025, director Georgi Yovchev, 11 min.
10. Impromptu, Bulgaria-Romania, 2026, director Maya Vitkova – Kosev, 20 min.
11. Ravanera, 2025, director Teodor Ralev, 10 min.
12. Soar, 2025, director Valya Pelova, 18 min.
The award is worth 9,500 euros (1,500 euros cash prize and 8,000 euros in post-production services), provided by Doli Media Studio, given to the director of the winning film.
Over the years, many of the leading names in contemporary Bulgarian cinema have participated in the competition, including Dragomir Sholev, Andrey Paounov, Boris Despodov, Svetla Tsotsorkova, Petar Valchanov, Pavel Vesnakov. The long-term support of this program by the Irish whiskey Jameson has contributed to the successful development of short films in Bulgaria. A mission from the very beginning of the Sofia International Film Festival has been to support Bulgarian cinema in all its creative manifestations.
Good luck to the selected films and their creative teams!
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