Fear

Winner of the Grand Prix at the prestigious Black Nights Festival and Bulgaria’s candidate for the Oscar, this is undoubtedly a film of our time that provokingly and with a great sense of humor deals with the fear of “others” and “otherness”.

In a Bulgarian seaside village near the Turkish border – a crossing point for refugees – lives the stubborn widow Svetla, who has recently lost her teaching job due to the closure of the local school. Managing with life’s difficulties on her own, she goes hunting. There she meets a refugee from Mali who turns out to be a doctor. Since no one cares about him, Svetla invites him home and they gradually get closer. This becomes the reason for a series of violent acts by the villagers against them. The sea in the background flows freely and untouched by human action, while love rises above the low horizons. Beautifully shot in black and white, this heartwarming drama on human dignity and the ability to connect with the other despite all. The memorable performance of Svetlana Yancheva is set against the background of the hostile environment of today’s Eastern Europe. Provoking associations with Fassbinder’s masterpiece “Fear Eats the Soul”, this highly aesthetical film shrewdly balances dry humor with currently relevant political issues.

STRAH

Bulgaria | 2020 | 100 min

PRODUCTION: Assen Vladimirov – Pro Film

CAST: Svetlana Yancheva, Michael Fleming, Ivan Savov, Krassimir Dokov

SCREENPLAY: Ivaylo Hristov 

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Emil Christov                                 

EDITING: Toma Waszarow

FESTIVALS & AWARDS (SELECTION) 

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2020 – Best Film | Golden Rose Bulgarian National Feature Film Festival – Best Film, Best Actress | Sofia International Film Festival 2021 – Audience Award | South East European Film Festival Los Angeles 2021 – Honorable Mention