Cinematographer Rali Ralchev, with the movie "Enemies", is the big winner of this year's Golden Eye Festival

More than 30 movies participated in the program of the IX National Cinematography Festival "The Golden Eye", which took place in the period 17 - 20 October, at the House of Culture in Popovo.

The forum, which was launched in 1998, is dedicated to the memory of the cinematographer Dimo Kolarov (1924 - 1997) who was born there, and since its inception it has been supported by PAC Doverie.

For the first time this year, there was international participation in the competition.

 
The jury consisting of Ivan Pavlov - film director and producer, chairperson of the Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers and chairperson of the jury, and members - Katerina Lambrinova - film critic; Andrei Slabakov - director, screenwriter and actor; Hristo Kovachev - cinematographer and Dimko Minov - cameraman, had the difficult task of evaluating the participants in the different categories, in which 17 feature films, nine documentaries and five student productions from Bulgarian and foreign cinema competed.

Part of the competition program of the festival were the screenings of the latest and most successful Bulgarian feature films of the last three years - "Voevoda", "Attraction", "Mantra", "The Postman", "Somewhere", "Erika's Jewel", "Tarnished Love".

 
The Grand Prize "GOLDEN EYE" for cinematography in the name of Dimo Kolarov, which is awarded by the Popovo Municipality, was awarded to Rali Ralchev for the feature film "Enemies". The other winners are:
 

• The Award of the production company MAGIC SHOP - Elena Nikolaeva - cinematographer of the student film "Dog Love", for an expressive solution adequate to the plot;
• The Award of the Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers - Plamen Gelinov, for the documentary "Deserters"; 
• The Plaque Award of Popovo Municipality - Nikolay Iliev, for the documentary film "The Churches Remain";  
• The Plaque Award of Popovo Municipality - Hristo Bakalov, for the short feature film "Snails";
  Jury Award - Ivan Tonev, for the feature film "The Motor", for plastic solutions of the dramaturgical material;
• The Plaque Award of the Popovo Municipality received Martin Dimitrov, for the poetic-plastic solution of the re-enactments for the film "Bliss for Happiness";
• Plaque Award of the Popovo Municipality - Kaloyan Bozhilov, for the short feature film "Tarnished Love";
• Plaque Award of the Popovo Municipality - Aleksandar Karaulic, Republic of Serbia, for the short feature film "Priority";
• Plaque Award of the Popovo Municipality - Naum Doxevski, Republic of Macedonia, for the short feature film "No Love";
• The Plaque Award of the Municipality of Popovo - Dragan Pakovski, Republic of Macedonia, for the documentary "With Love";
• The Special Award of the Municipality of Popovo for the Best Cinematography Debut - Emilian Atanasov, for the film "Somewhere", for expressive visual solutions;
• The Special Award of Popovo Municipality for Cinematography - Orlin Ruevski, for the documentary "The Postman", for authentic atmosphere in the film;
• The Special Award of Popovo Municipality for Cinematography - Krum Rodriguez, for the feature film "Voevoda", for recreating a specific historical time;
• First Prize of Popovo Municipality for Cinematography in a Short Film - Veselin Hristov, for the film "Clothes", for artistic interpretation in short cinema;
• First Prize of Popovo Municipality for Cinematography in a Documentary Film - Plamen Gelinov, for the film "Deserters", for perfect symbiosis between dramaturgy, direction and image;
• Award for Lifetime Achievement - Dimko Minov - a bright name in the Bulgarian school of cinematography 

At the official ceremony PAC Doverie was represented by Darina Kaleva - Regional Representative of the Company in Targovishte, who presented the Award for Lifetime Achievement to one of the doyens of the cinematography profession in Bulgaria - Dimko Minev, whose creative biography includes titles such as "Balance", "Vampires and Ghouls", "Indian Games", "I Don't Know, I Didn't Hear, I Didn't See", "False Stories", "With Love and Tenderness", "Danube Bridge", etc., over the years he has worked with directors of the rank of Ivan Andonov, Lyudmil Kirkov, Rangel Valchanov and others.

During the three days of the festival various side events were held. Among them was the meeting-talk with the legendary actor Prof. Stefan Danailov and Georgi Toshev - authors of the autobiographical book "The Novel of My Life", the presentation of a film about the 1994 World Cup in the USA, a photo exhibition by Alexander Nishkov, as well as discussions, round tables and meetings with actors, cinematographers and directors.

 
As a part of its policy of corporate social responsibility and sustainable development, PAC Doverie supports all editions of the Festival, which honours the achievements of cinematographers and their outstanding role in the creation of each television and film product.