Private Project

Village People / Pustinjaci /

Observation of life in rural Bulgaria.

A small deserted rail station, station without future and faith. Nobody gets on or off the train. An old retired switchman lives there with his family. In the nearby village local poet digs graves to make ends meet. A projectionist remembers the once crowded movie theatre. An Old man is looking for a pear tree, where young lovers used to meet. A shepherd dreams of ice cream, served in a restaurant. A paramedic and a philosopher cares for an elderly single woman. Confessions from little people about not so little things – cows, life, faith, death, the benefits of dogs and mice and the need for blond waitresses, Jean-Paul Sartre and existentialism, river fishing, old fortune tellers and the wind.

SPECIAL MENTION Award ZagrebDox 2017

A Special Mention goes out to a very bold and poetic debut film that is not only visually arresting but deeply human. Its many protagonists – living tough lives in the poorest region of Bulgaria - are portrayed in an extremely dignified and sensitive manner. Director and editor Tzvetan Dragnev and DoP Plamen Gelinov have made a dreamlike essay that shine a new and fresh light on the subject – or even subgenre - of deserted villages. Kudos to the director of Village People for letting us experience true cinema.

REGIONAL JURY
Martijn te Pas
Marion Döring
Ademir Kenović

  • Tzvetan Dragnev
    Director
  • Hristo Iliev
    Writer
  • Galina Toneva
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 6 minutes 14 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 16, 2016
  • Country of Origin:
    Bulgaria
  • Country of Filming:
    Bulgaria
  • Language:
    Bulgarian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • selected East Silver Market 2016
  • Zagreb Dox Special Mention Award 2017
  • selected Millenium International Documentary Film Festival Brussels
  • Special Mention Award - Sofia International Film Festival 2017
  • Special Jury Award IDFF CRONOGRAF 2017
  • Special Mention Award - Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival 2017
Distribution Information
  • GALA FILM LTD
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Tzvetan Dragnev

Graduated from Film and Video Faculty of York University Toronto.
Worked as editor, camera operator in many short and feature length documentaries in Bulgaria and Canada.

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