Windless
Pavel Vesnakov
Producer
Veselka Kiryakova
Lab Edition
9
,
2021
Production
Country
Bulgaria
SYNOPSIS
After years away, Kaloyan returns to Bulgaria to sell his late father's flat. Initially a routine task, it gradually becomes a journey of self-discovery, confronting distant traumas while finding a new path.
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
This movie explores the alienation between three family members who have forgotten how to love and share their feelings. Asen is part of a lost generation stuck somewhere in the transition between Communism and Democracy. Asen’s father Kaloyan, is a man of dignity and long forgotten values. Somewhere between the conflict between Asen and Kaloyan, Koko lies hidden. He’s a boy on the verge of manhood, desperately searching for a role model in his life. I am searching for an answer to the question are we, as society, capable of producing persons of honour anymore? I know that the movie is not going to give a definitive answer but it can lead us searching for it. The most important inspiration for this project was the life of my grandfather. He was a talented poet, but because he was against the communist regime, he wasn’t allowed to publish any books until the fall of the communism. He once told me: “They can always take you everything you have, but no one can take your dignity.” When I heard this sentence, I was so young that I didn’t pay much attention to it. Nowadays I think a lot about this subject and I based the foundation of my movie around it. The rhythm of the movie will be closer to an observation that will urge the audience to search for a self-knowledgeable experience. The lack of any wind even in the widest environments will serve as a metaphor for the lost path that our civilisation is heading on. The camera movement will help me shape this narrative as poetic as possible. In order to achieve this, I will use mainly long static shots. I am also planning to use old anamorphic lenses that will add another layer of timelessness to the movie.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
PRODUCER
Veselka Kiryakova
Veselka Kiryakova Producer, Bulgaria
Veselka Kiryakova’s producing credits include Alienation (2013), which premiered at Venice and won two awards. Ága (2018), by Milko Lazarov, premiered at Berlinale 2018 and won more than 40 awards around the world, such as Grand Prix in Tehran, Cabourg, Chukotka, Heart of Sarajevo etc. An EAVE workshop graduate and a member of EFA, Veselka took part in PRODUCERS ON THE MOVE, Cannes in 2018.
PRODUCTION COMPANY PROFILE
Red Carpet Films, Sofia, Bulgaria
redcarpetfilms.bg@gmail.com
+359 898610764
PRODUCTION BUDGET
Production Budget $1.230.541
Secured funds
$545.454,55 FSA/ Brazilian Cinema Agency Prize; $365.470,21Globo Filmes / Co-producer through Audiovisual Law; $85.818,18 Private investors through Audiovisual Law; $51.980,15 Direct funds from the producer; $181.818,18 GAP
LANGUAGE
Bulgarian
GENRE
Drama