Which films will compete for the Sofia DocuMental 2025 awards?

For the sixth year in a row, the human-rights-focused documentary film festival Sofia DocuMental will present an award for Best Film by a Woman Director. The international jury will select the winner, with the prize supported by the Bulgarian Fund for Women. Viewers will also be able to vote for their favourite title, which will receive the Audience Award.

The competition program—now a hallmark of Sofia DocuMental—promotes gender equality and supports the work of women directors. This year, the following films will compete:

  • “The Bibi Files” by Alexis Bloom – featuring interrogation footage of corruption charges against Benjamin Netanyahu, which the Israeli prime minister unsuccessfully tried to stop from being released;
  • “Rule of Stone” (Canada–Israel co-production) by Danae Elon, exploring how the policy of using the so-called Jerusalem stone in new construction serves as an ideological and strategic tool for domination;
  • “Coexistence, My Ass!” by Amber Fares, a satirical film exposing painful truths and chronicling the personal and political transformation of Israeli activist and comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi;
  • “My Dear Theo” by Alisa Kovalenko, in which a Ukrainian mother writes letters to her son Teo from the frontline, sharing reflections on love, fear, and the meaning of life;
  • “Girls and Gods” by Arash T. Riahi and Verena Soltiz, combining sacred imagery with a feminist vision, following FEMEN leader Inna Shevchenko as she meets activists, priests, rabbis, imams, and atheists from Copenhagen to New York;
  • “Googoosh: The Pop Icon of Iran” by Niloufar Taghizadeh, telling the story of the superstar silenced by Khomeini’s regime, who later returned to the stage as a symbol of hope and resistance against the oppression of women;
  • “In Hell with Ivo” by Kristina Nikolova, about Bulgarian queer artist Ivo Dimchev, who transforms personal pain and social taboos into bold, intimate, and provocative performances;
  • “Your Life Without Me” (Hungary–Sweden co-production) by Anna Rubi, following Magdi—a solitary but resilient woman caring for her adult son Feri—who joins other mothers of children with disabilities in a collective struggle;
  • “The Other One” by Marie-Magdalena Kochová, portraying the balance between love for one’s family and oneself while growing up in a household shaped by the special needs of another member;
  • “Tata” by Lina Vdovii, a film about the fragile bonds between parents and children—a deeply personal and painful journey through the past and attempts at reconciliation.

The competition is supported by Sofia Municipality’s “Culture” program. The Sofia DocuMental statuette—the glass hammer, designed by Svetlana Mircheva—and the grand prize, provided by the Bulgarian Fund for Women, will be awarded by a jury consisting of:

  • Marta Golba-Naumann, producer, two-time winner of awards from the Polish Chamber of Audiovisual Producers, head of the D’Hub program at Berlin’s Dokumentale festival, and board member of the HER Docs Foundation, which supports women in documentary filmmaking;
  • Stefan Krumbiegel, internationally recognized editor of independent feature and documentary films (including Riefenstahl, featured in the festival program) and professor at the Film University Babelsberg, known for exploring new artistic and narrative concepts in editing;
  • Katya Trichkova, an established Bulgarian producer on the international scene, whose work includes MADE IN EU (2025, Venice), Blaga’s Lessons (2023, Crystal Globe, Karlovy Vary), Directions (2017, Cannes), Dogs (2016, FIPRESCI, Cannes), and The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent (2024, Palme d’Or, EFA and César awards, Oscar nomination).

Audiences will be able to experience the festival films at eleven venues across Sofia—Sofia Largo, Dom na Kinoto, Odeon Cinema, Czech Center, Goethe-Institut, French Institute, Polish Institute, Central Market Hall stage, Synthesis Gallery, DOM Club, open-air on Exarch Yosif Street—as well as online throughout the country via partnership with Neterra TV+. They will also vote for their favorite film. The Audience Award at this year’s festival is supported by Kaufland Bulgaria.

Tickets are available at the festival’s website documental.bg or directly at the cinemas.

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