The third edition of the Golden Linden International Film Festival of New European Cinema which took place in Stara Zagora was supported for a second successive year by “Trace for the People” foundation. Along with Stara Zagora city hall, the foundation was among the co-organisers of the European event, which brought together film-makers from 16 countries. The popular Bulgarian actor Vasil Mihaylov was chosen as the patron of Golden Linden 2015. The festival’s director, Magdalena Ralcheva, extended her gratitude for the support of Stara Zagora municipality and “Trace for the People” foundation with whose help the event had marked the cultural and cinematographic calendars of Bulgaria and Europe as well. At the opening ceremony, Stara Zagora’s mayor Zhivko Todorov shared his feelings of happiness and pride in the fact that his city hosted the event for a third consecutive year and that he had witnessed the joy and fulfilment of many Bulgarian actors and art-related persons.
During the third edition of the Golden Linden festival the actor Vasil Mihaylov was bestowed the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Cinema. He has performed in a total of 75 movies and 11 of his acting reincarnations are memorable images of Bulgarian rulers and politicians. Vasil Mihaylov planted a tree in the so-called Linden Alley in Stara Zagora, where there were already trees planted by the previous years’ award-winners – the Bulgarian actress Maria Statulova and the Italian actor and director Giancarlo Giannini.
The festival’s competition programme featured 11 films.
“In the international jury we had our differences and thank god for this”, said the Chairperson of the jury Stanimir Trifonov. The selection criteria sought for films that were made with views and taste, with original perspective on the problem addressed and a specific way of telling the story with picture and sound.
The Bulgarian movie “Lesson” was the overall winner of the Golden Linden International Film Festival of New European Cinema. It was produced by Kristina Grozeva and Peter Vulchanov
The next undisputed favourite was the movie “Nobody’s child” which grabbed the award for best director for the work of Serbian Vuk Rshumovich and the leading actor – the boy Denis Murich, was conferred the best actor prize. The Union of Bulgarian Film-makers distinguished the Turkish-German film „Sivas.“