BLINKS
A teenager challenges his foster father in a deadly contest.
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Maria BobevaDirector
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Maria BobevaWriterAudition; Day Player, Scarlet
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Petro DushkovProducerAudition; Signs; Day Player
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Anna DamaskovaProducerLast Day; Day Player
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Jean-Francois CavelierProducerWonders of the Sea:Lafayette (The Hero of the Two Worlds); The Watcher; Day Player
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Dean CameronKey Cast"Andrey"Summer School; Straight Outta Compton
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Gabriel RivasKey Cast"Johnny"Lisa and Liza; Big Brother
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Sevdije KastratiCinematographerZana; Vera Dreams of the Sea; Audition
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Project Type:Short
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Genres:Drama
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Runtime:8 minutes 9 seconds
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Production Budget:3,000 USD
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Country of Origin:Bulgaria
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:4K
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
Maria Bobeva was born in Bulgaria in the city of Burgas.
А daughter of music and light designers, she grew up in the local theater where she got enchanted by the magic of acting.
At the age of 9, she was cast in one of the theatre’s productions, which marked the beginning of her career.
After graduating from high school she was accepted at The National Academy For Theatre And Film Arts.
In her second year at the Academy, she was invited to star as the lead in “The Queen of Kazalar'', production of one of the leading capital’s theater companies.
A year before she graduated Maria was offered to become a part of the famous Satirical Theater. After a few successful years on stage, she decided to pursue a movie career in Hollywood.
In 2013 she made her stage debut in the City of Angels with the play “Bechnya”, a collaborative product of talented Bulgarians based in California, followed by several award-winning feature and short films ( “She Comes in Spring'', “Faded”etc.).
In 2016, after auditioning, Maria was accepted in James Franco’s master class at his famous film school “Studio 4”.
In 2017 she finished her script for the short film “ AuДition”, which drew the attention of the Sundance-winning cinematographer Sevdije Kastrati and the director Sarah Jean Kruchowski, who was Franco’s associate at "Studio 4".
The film, in which she also plays the lead, has traveled the world as an official selection of numerous prestigious festivals and has been awarded one of the most desirable trophies for any actor - Best Lead Actress for Maria in Sydney, Australia.
In 2021 Maria makes her directorial debut with her short film Blinks.
She is currently working on the production of another short - "Scarlet" and her first feature film “Day Player”.
My paintbrush as a filmmaker has always been tinted in the tones of realism. The stories I love to tell are inspired by real-life people and experiences, including my own, with a pinch of fiction and a spoon of humor. BLINKS makes no exception.
A few years ago, a very close friend of mine became the foster father of a 13-year-old boy. For several years I watched his transformation from an aging loner with a sensitive soul and a giving nature, but lacking a purpose in his life to a full-blown parent, unconditionally embracing his foster son and his fatherly love growing stronger while dealing with a myriad of daily challenges the boy’s past experience in the foster care system has tainted his personality with, threatening not only the preservation of their relationship and the ability to keep the kid at all, but the boy’s future as well. I was amazed at his determination to help the boy escape the vicious circle in which he involuntarily has fallen. And thus, I got inspired to write about the tough love I was witnessing and wrote a "what if" story to explore how far this relationship can go.
BLINKS raises some broadly applicable and valid existential questions by staying true to the fabric of a relationship between a foster parent and a child in an environment not quite suitable and ready to accommodate such a relationship.
But most importantly, it gives answers on what is the ingredient needed for bonding between odd-balls and not only help soothe social stigma but rather prevent daily disasters on an emotional level with unforgiving and quite tangible consequences.