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    • New Talents Open Call
      Eastern Neighbours Film Festival (ENFF) began in The Netherlands in 2008 with the idea to offer Dutch and international audiences a unique glimpse into the cinema of their neighbors from Eastern and Southern Europe. This annual event presents the most recent, exciting, and thought‐provoking films, from countries with small, but often powerful film industries, that… Read more: New Talents Open Call
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Irina

DirectorNadejda Koseva
ProducerStefan Kitanov – Art Fest; Front Film, Doli Media Studio, Right Solutions
WriterSvetoslav Ovcharov, Bojan Vuletic, Nadejda Koseva
CameraKiril Prodanov
EditorNina Altaparmakova
CastMartina Apostolova, Hristo Ushev, Irini Jambonas, Kasiel Noah Asher, Krassimir Dokov, Alexander Kossev
SoundMomchil Bojkov
MusicPetar Dundakov
Year2018
Length96 min
CountryBulgaria
SubtitlesEnglish
SectionCurrent Relevant Cinema / Focus – Bulgarian New Voices
ScreeningFriday 8 November | 21:30 hours | Filmhuis Den Haag
Sunday 10 November | 18:30 hours | Filmhuis Den Haag

A moving award-winning social drama about different faces of motherhood, female strength and the power of forgiveness, directed by one of the most exiting female new voices of European cinema. Screenings will be followed by Q&A with the actress Martina Apostolova.

Synopsis

Irina lives in a small Bulgarian town and is the only financial support for her family. On the very same day that she gets fired, her husband experiences a serious accident which leaves him in a wheelchair. Irina’s family is threatened by poverty. To make ends meet, she decides to become a surrogate mother. Fights, despair, and the seed of life growing in her belly are shaking even further the rough and hopeless life she seems to be entitled to. Slowly, she discovers what it means to love and forgive. With her Madonna-like face, the young discovery of the film – actress Martina Apostolova – delivers an exceptional performance in the main role.

Festivals & Awards (selection)

Warsaw International Film Festival, 2018 – Best Actress (Martina Apostolova), Ecumenical Jury Award | Tirana International Film Festival, 2018 – Grand Prix | Cottbus Film Festival, 2018 – Best First Feature Film, Best Actress | Golden Rose Film Festival, Bulgaria – Best First Feature Film, Best Actress | Crossing Europe, Linz 2019 – Audience Award | South East European Film Festival Los Angeles, 2019 – Grand Jury Prize, Audience Award | Hong Kong International Film Festival, 2019 – Best Actress | Skip City International D-Cinema Festival, Japan 2019 – Best Director | Nominated for European Film Awards, 2019

Director’s bio

Nadejda Koseva was born in 1974 in Sofia, Bulgaria. After graduating from the Bulgarian National Film and Television Academy, she directed the short fiction novel THE RITUAL, part of the omnibus film LOST AND FOUND which premiered at Forum Berlin IFF 2005. Koseva’s next short fiction OMELETTE won a Special Mention at Sundance Film Festival 2009 among others. Her latest short film TAKE TWO travelled around the world after the premiere and winning a Special Mention at the Sarajevo FF 2011. IRINA is her first feature film.