In the struggle of daily existence, the thirst for love may be greater than that for life itself. 

A couple and their teenage son eke out a living on a hilltop, doing the laundry for local hotels, despite the intermittent water supply. Their simple life is overturned by the arrival of a father-and-daughter team of diviner and well-digger, who promise to bring an end to this precarious existence by finding a source on their arid hill. But ultimately, these newcomers quench a thirst that is much stronger than that for mere water. 

 

script Svetla Tsotsorkova, Svetoslav Ovcharov; 

director Svetla Tsotsorkova, 

DoP Vesselin Hristov, 

sound designer Valeria Popova, 

composer Hristo Namliev, 

production designer Gerogi Todorov 

cast Monika Naydenova, Alexander Benev, Svetlana Yancheva, Ivailo Hristov, Vassil Mihailov, 

Bulgaria 

 

Awards 

Minsk, Listapad, Belarus- Best Cast Award, Jury Prize; Arras, France – Best Mise En Scène – Direction Award; Golden Rose, Bulgaria – Awarded for Best Debut Film & Best Cinematography; Sofia IFF – Best Bulgarian Film; Vilnius, New Europe – New Names - Best Film, Best Actress; Crossing Europe, Austria, Audience Award-Best fiction film; National Festival of Cinematography Art “Golden Eye” –Best Bulgarian Cinematography; Cluj- Transilvania, Romania –Special Mention for Best Actors; France, Rencontres du Cinéma Slovaque et de l’Est, France – Prix des Cinéphiles, Bulgarian Film Academy – Best First Feature, Best Actress, Best Production Design 

EFA Nomination for DISCOVERY 2016 

 

Festivals 

San Sebastian – New Directors competition (2015) – World Premiere; London BFI, UK; Zurich, Switzerland; Haifa, Israel; Hamburg IFF, Germany; CinEast, Luxembourg; Warsaw IFF; Sao Paulo, Brazil – Competition; Thessaloniki, Greece; Cinedays – Skopje, Macedonia; Rotterdam, Netherlands; Göteborg FF; Spirit of Fire (Khanti-Mansisk); Guadalajara, Panorama; Bergamo; Wales One World; Créteil (France); Istanbul, Golden Tulip Intl; Balkan Trafik (Belgium); San Francisco IFF; Zlin, Czech Republic; Tarkovsky Festival, Russia; Treplice, Slovakia; Taipei, Taiwan; La Rochelle, France; Auckland/Wellington, New Zealand; Quito, Ecuador, Vukovar, Croatia, Dominican Republic/Puerto Rico, Helsinki Love & Anarchy, Finland, Rencontre Films Femmes Mediterannée à Marseille, France, Inverness - UK, UMEA European festival, Sweden. Cinergia, Poland, New Horizons FF – linked with EFA award Ceremony, Elles Tournent, Belgium, Annonay Festival 2017 

 

 

Press Quotes 

Screen - Lee Marshall 

“fascinating” ; ” an odd western” ; “remarkable achievement” ; “there is something of Fellini’s La Strada here”, 

“This is very much a film about five lost people: and it’s a remarkable achievement, on the part of the director, the writers and the actors, that we care about every single one of them”. 

Cineuropa - Stefan Dobroiu 

“An aesthetic achievement” 

The Guardian – Samuel Goff 

“Tsotsorkova traces an oblique narrative of suspicion and sexuality” 

Calvert Journal – Samuel Goff 

“Remarkably assured for a feature debut” 

Variety – Jay Weissberg 

“Beautifully crafted” , “subtly told story”, “subtle flair”, “memorable moments” 

“Tsotsorkova’s eye for the undemonstratively poetic turns something almost commonplace into a reflection of mood”