Eastern Plays
Encyclopedia
Eastern Plays is a 2009 Bulgaria
n drama film
. The feature-length debut of young Bulgarian director, La Fémis
graduate Kamen Kalev
, Eastern Plays features Hristo Hristov, Ovanes Torosyan, Saadet Işıl Aksoy and Nikolina Yancheva. The film debuted at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival
's Directors' Fortnight
, though regular showings in Bulgaria began on 16 October 2009.
who is struggling with his methadone
addiction, and Georgi (Ovanes Torosyan), a high school student who is dragged into a neo-Nazi
gang. The central point of the film is an ethnically-motivated attack by Georgi's neo-Nazi gang on a Turkish
family from Istanbul
, who are spending the night in Sofia
en route to Germany
. While Georgi initially participates in the beating, he is frightened and runs away. Itso, who had seen the family at a restaurant while he dined with his now-ex-girlfriend Niki (Nikolina Yancheva), ends up intervening and saving the family, including the beautiful daughter Işıl (Saadet Işıl Aksoy). In his developing feelings for Işıl, Itso sees hope of a positive change in his destiny, while Georgi's actions and his brother's help make him question his philosophy and reconsider his outlook on life.
co-produced the movie along with Stefan Pirjov through their partnership production company Waterfront Film. Other film production houses that co-produced the movies were 'Chimney Pot', the Swedish 'Film i Väst
' and 'Art Eternal' (Bulgaria).
A large part of the cast of Eastern Plays were non-professionals, including debutant male lead Hristo Hristov who plays himself in the film and who died from a drug overdose
towards the end of filming. Hristov's actual apartment is shown in the film, as are his drawings and the woodcarving workshop he works at. Nikolina Yancheva, an actress in Stefan Danailov
's class at the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts
, also plays herself in the film. Turkish actress Saadet Işıl Aksoy lends her name to her character in Eastern Plays.
'Eastern Plays' was mostly filmed in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, with a few scenes in Istanbul
, Turkey
's largest city. Post-production
for the film was done on a laptop
computer due to the very restricted budget.
The soundtrack
of Eastern Plays contains two song by the avant-garde musical band Nasekomix
, as well as original music composed by Jean-Paul Wall.
The world première of 'Eastern plays' happened during the 2009 Cannes Film Festival
on 17 May 2009 at Théâtre Croisette. The film had its theatrical première on 6 October 2009 in Burgas, followed by première events in Sofia on 16 October 2009 and Paris in 2010. It was the first Bulgarian feature film to be selected for the Cannes Film Festival
official selection since 1990. Although it was not distinguished in Cannes, the movies received many awards from international film festivals, becoming one of the most awarded Bulgarian films.
at the 83rd Academy Awards
, but it didn't make the final shortlist.
The film has been screened at a number of film festivals:
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
. The feature-length debut of young Bulgarian director, La Fémis
La Femis
La Fémis , is the French state film school. FEMIS is an acronym for Fondation Européenne pour les Métiers de l’Image et du Son. Based in Paris, it offers courses balanced between artistic research, professional development and technical training...
graduate Kamen Kalev
Kamen Kalev
Kamen Kalev is a Bulgarian film director and screenwriter. Kalev came to prominence in 2009 with the film Eastern Plays, earning him numerous international film awards as director and screenwriter....
, Eastern Plays features Hristo Hristov, Ovanes Torosyan, Saadet Işıl Aksoy and Nikolina Yancheva. The film debuted at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival
2009 Cannes Film Festival
The 62nd annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 13 to May 24, 2009. French actress Isabelle Huppert was the President of the Jury. It was announced on March 19, 2009, that Pixar's film Up would open the festival...
's Directors' Fortnight
Directors' Fortnight
Directors' Fortnight is an independent section held in parallel to the Cannes Film Festival. The section was created in 1969 after the events of May 1968, in which the Cannes festival was canceled in solidarity with striking workers....
, though regular showings in Bulgaria began on 16 October 2009.
Synopsis
Eastern Plays is the story of two alienated brothers, Hristo or Itso (Hristo Hristov), an artist woodcarverWood carving
Wood carving is a form of working wood by means of a cutting tool in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation of a wooden object...
who is struggling with his methadone
Methadone
Methadone is a synthetic opioid, used medically as an analgesic and a maintenance anti-addictive for use in patients with opioid dependency. It was developed in Germany in 1937...
addiction, and Georgi (Ovanes Torosyan), a high school student who is dragged into a neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
gang. The central point of the film is an ethnically-motivated attack by Georgi's neo-Nazi gang on a Turkish
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
family from Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, who are spending the night in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
en route to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. While Georgi initially participates in the beating, he is frightened and runs away. Itso, who had seen the family at a restaurant while he dined with his now-ex-girlfriend Niki (Nikolina Yancheva), ends up intervening and saving the family, including the beautiful daughter Işıl (Saadet Işıl Aksoy). In his developing feelings for Işıl, Itso sees hope of a positive change in his destiny, while Georgi's actions and his brother's help make him question his philosophy and reconsider his outlook on life.
Production
As well a screenwriter and director, Kamen KalevKamen Kalev
Kamen Kalev is a Bulgarian film director and screenwriter. Kalev came to prominence in 2009 with the film Eastern Plays, earning him numerous international film awards as director and screenwriter....
co-produced the movie along with Stefan Pirjov through their partnership production company Waterfront Film. Other film production houses that co-produced the movies were 'Chimney Pot', the Swedish 'Film i Väst
Film i Väst
Film i Väst is a film company located in Trollhättan, Sweden, founded in 1992. Lars von Trier used its facilities in his movies, such as Dogville and Manderlay.-Walk of Fame:...
' and 'Art Eternal' (Bulgaria).
A large part of the cast of Eastern Plays were non-professionals, including debutant male lead Hristo Hristov who plays himself in the film and who died from a drug overdose
Drug overdose
The term drug overdose describes the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities greater than are recommended or generally practiced...
towards the end of filming. Hristov's actual apartment is shown in the film, as are his drawings and the woodcarving workshop he works at. Nikolina Yancheva, an actress in Stefan Danailov
Stefan Danailov
Stefan Lambov Danailov is a Bulgarian actor and former Minister of Culture of Bulgaria .The first film Danailov has taken part was "The Traces Remain" being a child. At that time he did not want to be an actor. However, later in 1966 he graduated VITIZ...
's class at the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts
Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts
The Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts is an institution of higher education based in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria...
, also plays herself in the film. Turkish actress Saadet Işıl Aksoy lends her name to her character in Eastern Plays.
'Eastern Plays' was mostly filmed in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, with a few scenes in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
's largest city. Post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
for the film was done on a laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
computer due to the very restricted budget.
The soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of Eastern Plays contains two song by the avant-garde musical band Nasekomix
Nasekomix
Nasekomix are a Bulgarian musical group from Sofia. Their style could be described as an avantgarde minimalistic mixture of electronic music, jazz-rock, punk, indie, fusion' and trip-hop...
, as well as original music composed by Jean-Paul Wall.
The world première of 'Eastern plays' happened during the 2009 Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
on 17 May 2009 at Théâtre Croisette. The film had its theatrical première on 6 October 2009 in Burgas, followed by première events in Sofia on 16 October 2009 and Paris in 2010. It was the first Bulgarian feature film to be selected for the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
official selection since 1990. Although it was not distinguished in Cannes, the movies received many awards from international film festivals, becoming one of the most awarded Bulgarian films.
Awards
The film was selected as the Bulgarian entry for the Best Foreign Language FilmAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
at the 83rd Academy Awards
83rd Academy Awards
The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2010 and took place February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, Academy Awards ...
, but it didn't make the final shortlist.
The film has been screened at a number of film festivals:
- Tokyo International Film FestivalTokyo International Film FestivalTokyo International Film Festival is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biannually from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter...
2009- Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix (Award for Best Film)
- Award for Best Director (Kamen Kalev)
- Award for Best Actor (Hristo Hristov, posthumously)
- Sarajevo Film FestivalSarajevo Film FestivalThe Sarajevo Film Festival is the premier and largest film festival in the Balkans, and is one of the largest in Europe. It was founded in Sarajevo in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo, and brings international and local celebrities to Sarajevo every year. It is held in August and showcases an...
2009- CICAE Award
- Antalya Golden Orange Film FestivalAntalya Golden Orange Film FestivalThe Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival is a film festival, held annually since 1963 in Antalya, is the most important national film festival in Turkey...
2009- Youth Jury's Award
- Warsaw International Film FestivalWarsaw International Film FestivalWarsaw International Film Festival , also known as the Warsaw FilmFest, is a film festival held every October in Warsaw, Poland. The festival has been held every year since 1985....
2009- 1-2 Competition Award (competition for directors' first and second feature films)
- International Film Festival BratislavaInternational Film Festival BratislavaThe International Film Festival Bratislava is an international film festival established in 1999 and held annually in Bratislava, Slovakia....
2009- Best Actor (Hristo Hristov, tied with Harold Torres for 'Norteado' )
- Best Director (Kamen KalevKamen KalevKamen Kalev is a Bulgarian film director and screenwriter. Kalev came to prominence in 2009 with the film Eastern Plays, earning him numerous international film awards as director and screenwriter....
) - Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (Kamen KalevKamen KalevKamen Kalev is a Bulgarian film director and screenwriter. Kalev came to prominence in 2009 with the film Eastern Plays, earning him numerous international film awards as director and screenwriter....
)
- Estoril Film Festival 2009
- Special Prize of the Jury - João Bénard da Costa (tied with 'The Girl')
- Trieste Film Festival - Alpe Adria Cinema 2010
- Premio CEI
- Angers European First Film Festival 2010
- Grand prix du jury long metrage Europeen (Ex-aequo) (tied with 'La Pivellina')
- Mons International Love Film Festival 2010
- Le Prix du Public – Prix Be TV
- Sofia International Film FestivalSofia International Film FestivalSofia International Film Festival gathers together in Sofia films, guests, stars, journalists and cinema fans. Featured in Variety’s Top 50 of cinema festivals, the event presents Bulgaria to the world as the host one of the important film festivals in Europe and takes place annually in March...
2010- The Kodak Award for Best Bulgarian Feature Film
- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film FestivalLas Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film FestivalThe Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival is an international film festival that is held in Las Palmas in the island of Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands. The festival takes place every year...
2010- Best First Time Director (Kamen KalevKamen KalevKamen Kalev is a Bulgarian film director and screenwriter. Kalev came to prominence in 2009 with the film Eastern Plays, earning him numerous international film awards as director and screenwriter....
)
- Best First Time Director (Kamen Kalev
See also
- List of submissions to the 83rd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Bulgarian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film