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    • NTC Award Ceremony
      New Talent Competition gives young filmmakers from Central, Eastern and Southern Europe the opportunity to present their outstanding debut or second film to the public. Join us on Sunday 1 December at 19h
    • Music at ENFF
      The Eastern Neighbours Film Festival welcomes special musical guests each year to enrich our program. For this 16th edition, we’re thrilled to present two talented young musicians: guitarist Antonio Peršak (CR) and violinist İdil Yunkuş (TR). Together, they will perform a traditional Balkan dance and folk song, highlighting the beauty of this music through the… Read more: Music at ENFF
    • Masterclass with Janez Burger
      This masterclass presents a unique opportunity to explore Burger's distinct storytelling style, genre use, and exploration of contemporary social issues. Join us on Saturday 30 November at 17h - Room 5
    • Panel Discussion: Exploration of individual and collective memory in cinema
      Panel Discussion: Exploration of individual and collective memory in cinema on Friday 29 November at 18h
DirectorYana Titova
ProducerAleksandar Aleksiev, Nickolay Stoichkov – NO BLINK; Reason 8 Films
WriterYana Titova
CameraMartin Balkansky
EditorBohos Topakbashian
CastValentina Karoleva, Dimitar Nikolov, Aleksandar Aleksiev
Original TitleDOZA SCHASTIE
Year2019
Length100 min
CountryBulgaria / UK
SubtitlesEnglish
SectionWOMEN’S POWER / CINEMA AS CULTURAL MEMORY

A deeply moving romantic and family drama, based on true events from the life of well-known Bulgarian journalist Vesela Toteva. Based on her own memoir ‘Fall and Salvation: Confessions of a former heroin addict’, it’s a tale of addiction, destitution, fear and redemption, as a rebellious young woman searches for happiness during the turbulent transitional 1990s in Bulgaria.

Synopsis

It’s the careless 90s in Bulgaria, a time of major political changes and economic malaise. Society is full of challenges for young people, balancing between socialist and capitalist life paths. The biopic follows beautiful Vesela, a 20-year-old young mother of a 3-year-old girl, as she gets out of an unhappy marriage. Taking a job in a nightclub, it doesn’t take long before she is in a new relationship, this time with a man twice her age. But the real troubles kick in when Vesela starts using heroin and quickly becomes an addict, putting her entire life in danger. Played brilliantly by beautiful Valentina Karoleva, who is in fact the actual daughter of Vesela Toteva, the film is a touching coming of age story. Directed by the respected actress Yana Titova, this moving true story became the big box-office success of 2019 in Bulgaria.

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