Sofia's Last Ambulance (dir. Ilian Metev, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, 2012, 75 min) was among the 16 films in the documentary competition at the 47th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (June 29 - July 7). It is the filmmaker's first documentary feature. In 2008, Metev made the short doc Goleshovo which has won 17 awards, including the BBC Development Award and DOK Leipzig's Talent Dove. In May 2012, Sofia's Last Ambulance won the France 4 Visionary Award at the Semaine de la Critique or the Critics' Week in Cannes.
KVIFF's 2012 documentary jury was headed by US producer Ron Yerxa and included José Luis Cienfuegos (Spain), Tizza Covi (Italy), Pamela Jahn (UK) and Jiří Konečný (Czech Republic).
In 2010, Ilian Metev and Siniša Juričić took Sofia's Last Ambulance to the East European Forum. Last year, it was presented at the Doc Launch presentation, a selection of notable soon-to-be-released docs.
Best Documentary Film Over 30 Minutes + USD 5,000
Sofia's Last Ambulance
Poslednata lineika na Sofia , Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, 75 min, Beta SP, Digi Beta, DVD, Personal View, Portrait, Social Issues, Society
In a city where 13 ambulances struggle to serve a burgeoning population of several million, 47-year old Krassi Yordanov is our unlikely hero: chain-smoking and saving lives in a non-stop 48-hour shift. Krassi is the emergency doctor on one of Sofia’s last ambulances and today is the worst day of his life. This is a film about the regular working day of Dr. Krassi, nurse Mila and driver Plamen, a team working on an ambulance in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Struggling against an avalanche of absurdities in a crumbling medical system and scarcely earning enough to make a living, these three are simply trying to do what they do best – save lives.
East European Forum 2010 / Doc Launch 2011
Best Documentary Film Under 30 Minutes + USD 5,000
A Story for the Modlins
Director: Sergio Oksman
Spain, 2012, 26 min
Sergio Oksman’s brilliantly constructed picture, strengthened by a bewitching atmosphere and assured direction, unfolds the mysterious story of Elmer Modlin and his wife: hidden from the eyes of the world for decades, they artistically played out their bizarre apocalyptic vision in a darkened Madrid apartment. [KVIFF]
Special Mention
Private Universe
Soukromý vesmír , Czech Republic, 2012, 83 min, 35 mm, Longitudinal, Personal View, Social Issues
Honza was born in 1974 into the cheerless era of socialism in Czechoslovakia. At that time, his parents Jana and Petr lived in one room in the apartment of Jana's divorced mother and her widowed grandmother. A few years later, the family moved from Prague to Liberec where Petr found a job and a little house for the family. When Honza was born, his father began writing a family chronicle and he has continued to do so for 37 years. “Family Diary“ shows not only the life of one ordinary family but also how the Czech society has changed in the last four decades. Who are we, where do we come from and where do we go?
East Silver 2011 / East Silver Caravan 2012
Related Articles:
Competition Lineup at Karlovy Vary IFF
Film of the Week: Sofia's Last Ambulance
Sofia's Last Ambulance Scoops Award at Cannes
Choreography of Movement [Interview with Ilian Metev]