5th INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY RHODOPE FILM FEST (RIFE) 2025
This year's fifth edition of the "Rhodope Film Fest" (RIFE), which took place in the period 10-13 July in the town of Smolyan, presented 51 films from around the world. The selection included films from Australia, Armenia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Qatar, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Uruguay.
The festival's competitive programme included 20 short, 5 medium and 12 feature-length documentaries, as well as 6 Bulgarian feature-length films. The awards were determined by two prestigious international juries, who highlighted the outstanding achievements of the winning films in the field of documentary filmmaking as a whole.
Some of the award-winning films, among other festival highlights, are available on Neterra.TV+ until August the 10th.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook
THЕ INTERNATIONAL JURY FOR BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY FILM
- Susann Schimk (producer, Germany)
- Geoffroy Grison (screenwriter and consultant, France)
- Nikolay Stefanov (director and cinematographer, Bulgaria)
BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY AWARD
sponsored by Magic Shop Ltd.
"Landshaft" (Germany, Armenia), directed by Daniel Kötter.
Jury Argumentation
"The Best Documentary award goes to a film that mesmerized us by its contemplative beauty and its innovative cinematic language. A film about a tormented land, that connects the wounds of the inhabitants, their animals and the earth itself, bringing cinema to its very essence.”
SPECIAL MENTION
"Mother Vera" (United Kingdom), directed by Cécile Embleton and Alys Tomlinson.
Jury Argumentation:
The special mention goes to a portrait of a charismatic woman in her journey through addiction, spirituality, and connection with nature, with an extraordinary performance of its main protagonist.
THЕ INTERNATIONAL JURY FOR BEST MID-LENGTH AND SHORT DOCUMENTARY FILM
- Maria Averina (director and tutor, Bulgaria)
- Laure Chishmanov (screenwriter, director and photographer, France)
- Evi Karageorgu (artistic director of ‘Encounters of Young European Cinema’, Bulgaria)
BEST MID-LENGTH DOCUMENTARY AWARD
"Koka" (Poland) directed by Aleksander Tsymbaliuk
Jury Argumentation:
The jury awarded the Grand Prize for Medium Length Documentary to Koka for its intimate and deeply humanistic look at a remote and harsh reality in which a father and son, living on the edge of survival, manage to maintain their warm human connection.
SPECIAL MENTIONS
"Unspoken" (Poland) directed by Maciej Adamek
Jury Argumentation:
The jury awards a Special Mention to Unspoken for its sensitive and diverse cinematography creating a compelling portrait of a young man who finds strength and self-expression through sport while navigating the aftermath of childhood trauma. With empathy and visual elegance, Unspoken reminds us that vulnerability is not weakness.
"Shrovetide Devil" (Portugal) directed by Diogo Varela Silva
Jury Argumentation:
“The Shrovetide Devil” immerses us in a remote world showing us the efforts of local people to preserve old carnival traditions as a way to keep their identity. The film shows the overall tendency of erasing the past in certain historic periods by revealing the political context of 20th century Portugal in which the local traditions have been blurred.
SHORT FILM DOCUMENTARY AWARD
sponsored by SONUS Studio
"Clear Sky" (Poland) directed by Marcin Kundera
Jury Argumentation:
"Clear Sky" shows us the war through the eyes of children. We were really moved by the bond between these two friends, finding their way and creating their own world in a war-torn land, forced to grow up without the presence of adults. But also by the complex reality that is shown to us, and the immersive and poetic cinematography.
SPECIAL MENTION
"Convention of Contracts" (Greece) directed by Stefanos Mondelos.
Jury Argumentation:
The jury awards a Special Mention to Conventions of Contracts for its courageous and inventive approach to documentary filmmaking, unraveling a striking narrative about corruption and public deception. The director skillfully exposes the blurred lines between fact and fiction in order to expose a very real and unsettling truth, inviting viewers to question what is seen and what is hidden.
BEST BULGARIAN DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
sponsored by M&S TONSTUDIO – Offenbach.
BEST BULGARIAN DOCUMENTARY AWARD
"Soul Beyond Measure" (Bulgaria) directed by Sofia Stoycheva.
Jury Argumentation:
With a non-fussy and demanding view, the director surrounds the search with the film camera, circles around an artifact – the soul and source of Bulgarian folk music. An acknowledged cultural phenomenon, lost in the spiral of oblivion… Sofia Stoycheva tirelessly reveals little by little hidden gems of inspiration, of solidarity and of sincerity. The narrative of the film follows the love and dedication of the most diverse communities to a disappearing cultural heritage, whether ancient or living.
SPECIAL MENTION
"The Cruel Way" (Bulgaria) directed by Deyan Bararev
Jury Argumentation:
Special mention deserves the director Deyan Bararev for meticulous research and masterly art of film craftsmanship. A situation hidden on a second and third level behind a public event, which remained unanalyzed and underestimated for years. In D. Bararev's film research, the audience is introduced to original footage, testimonies of eye witnesses, evidences and voices of ghosts, which have been unseen and unheard until now.
„SPECIAL GAZE“ AWARD
"Travel Story" (Bulgaria, United Kingdom) directed by Mihaela Draganova
Jury Argumentation:
Mihaela Draganova's poetic and lightly presented short film presents a direct and deeply emotional encounter with illegal women workers during a difficult period in Bulgarian history. Visually striking and precisely composed, with subtle and delicate directorial intervention, sovereignly told!
SPECIAL AWARDS BY AEROVISION
"The Cruel Way" (Bulgaria) directed by Deyan Bararev
Jury Argumentation:
The film is epic, with lots of authentic footage and recorded radio conversations; dynamic, reflecting many different opinions, views and side viewpoints. Extremely professional editing. A production worthy of National Geographic and the History Channel.
"School of Hope" (Bulgaria) directed by Yana Alexieva
Jury Argumentation:
A very interesting film that tells an inspiring story that should be told in the future. Definitely a very emotional production and obviously a lot of effort was put in not only by the characters in the film, which certainly deserves the admiration of the audience, but also the team that found this story and retold it.