JURIES
Konstantin Bojanov
Director
Konstantin Bojanov, born in 1968, is an award-winning Bulgarian American film director, screenwriter, and visual artist. He graduated from the National School of Fine Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria, and earned his Master’s degree from the Royal College of Art in London. In 1995, he moved to Los Angeles and, a year later, settled in New York City, where he founded KB Projects, an art production studio responsible for creating numerous works by leading contemporary artists. In 2014, Bojanov closed the renowned facility to dedicate his time exclusively to his filmmaking and art practices.
Bojanov’s career as a filmmaker began with the acclaimed documentaries LEMON IS LEMON (2001) and INVISIBLE (2005). His feature debut, AVÉ (2011), premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week, amassing over 20 international awards.
His second feature, LIGHT THEREAFTER (2017), starring Barry Keoghan, had its world premiere in Competition at the Rotterdam Film Festival and was nominated for the prestigious Tiger Award.
Bojanov’s latest film, the noir thriller THE SHAMELESS (2024), premieres in Un Certain Regard of the Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival, earning Anasuya Sengupta Best Performer Award. Bojanov is currently preparing the art heist thriller “Gambit.”
His films have been showcased at over 200 international film festivals and have been distributed worldwide. Beyond the realm of cinema, Bojanov’s artwork has been exhibited in numerous art galleries and museums.
Carlo Sironi
Director
Carlo Sironi start to work on movie sets in the cinematography unit.
His short films have been in competition in various festivals as Venice Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival and many others. He has attended development labs as Residence of the Cannes Cinefondation, Sundance Lab, Torino Film Lab, Script Station Berlinale.
His first feature film Sole has been in competition in the Orizzonti section of the Venice Film Festival, at the Toronto International Film Festival, nominated as Best First Feature at the David di Donatello award and won the European Discovery at the Europen Film Awards.
His second feature, My summer wih Irène, is been in competition at the Berlinale in the section Generation.
Julian Vergov
Actor
Julian Vergov is a Bulgarian actor with over 50 theatre productions and feature films.
Winner of the Bulgarian theatre awards Ikar and Askeer as well as a number of film awards such as the “Golden Rose” and the award of the Bulgarian union of filmmakers “Vasil Gendov”. He has also been awarded at the film festival in Rimini (Italy) and at Cairo International Film Festival.
Some of his most famous roles on the screen are in “Mission London”, “German lessons”, “Petya na moyata Petya”, “In the Heart of the Machine”.
He participated in some of the most famous Bulgarian TV series “She and He”, “Stuklen dom“, “Revolution Z“, “Stolen Life“, “Otdel Izdirvane”.
Catrinel Danaiata
Director
Catrinel Danaiata is a Romanian film director and screenwriter, born on July 6,1983, in Pitesti, Romania.
Between 2002-2006, she studied Film and TV directing at the National University of Theatre and Film “I.L.Caragiale” Bucharest where she made her first short films.
She has a Ph.D. in Film and Media and is currently a university lecturer at National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” Bucharest.
In 2015, Dublu (Double) her first feature film directed by her, was selected for the CineLink Work in Progress at the Sarajevo Film Festival. The international premiere of Dublu (Double) was in 2016, at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, East of the West – Competition. The film was in several film festivals and in 2017 Dublu (Double) had 3 nominations at Gopo Awards, Romania. Also in 2017 Dănăiață won Best Director Award International for Dublu (Double) at the Terra di Siena Film Festival.
In 2023 I’M OK WITH YOUR LAST WISH a fantasy short film directed by her won ex aequo International Short Award at 27 Terra di Siena International Film Festival and The Award for The Best Film in the ROMCON 2023, The National Science Fiction Convention.
Ventsislav Sariev
Director
Born in Varna. Ventsislav wore a stage costume for the first time as the White Rabbit at a kindergarden’s play, based on “Alice in Wonderland”. Throughout the years he has been part of various theatre troups and literature clubs. He has won multiple short story awards. He first graduated Tourism Management and then Acting and Directing in NATFA. He has ongoing experience filming Bulgarian and foreign productions, and stage performances in Sofia.
“August 13th” is his debut both as screenwriter and director in film. The project is supported by UNICEF as part of a national campaign against violence among adolescents.
The film was awarded the European Values Awards at the Drama International Film Festival in Greece in 2022, Best Short Film at the Burgas International Film Festival in 2023, etc.
Bora Davutluoglu
coordinator Adana Golden Boll Festival
He was born in Adana. Graduated from Hacettepe University Political Science and Public Administration Department. He is studying for his Master’s degree on “Cultural Industry” in Political Science field.
He started working in cinema-television sector in 2012 and worked in the direction and production units of television series “Kuzey Güney”, “Kurt Seyit ve Şura” and feature films such as “Bi Küçük Eylül Meselesi”, “Güvercin”, “Dersaadet Apartmanı”.
Since 2017 he has been working as the coordinator of Short Film Competitions in International Adana Golden Boll Film Festival.
