Eastern Plays
2009, Bulgaria / Sweden

Directed and written by: Kamen Kalev
With: Christo Christov, Ovanes Torosian, Saadet Aksoy, Nikolina Iancheva
Produced by: Waterfront Film, The Chimney Pot, Film i Vast, Art Eternal
Distributed by: Memento Films
89 min

Synopsis:
Eastern plays is a drama that weaves multiple storylines and follows the lives of four young men in their struggle towards self-realization. Their destinies intertwine upon a brutal accident which takes place in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Festival awards and nominations:
Cannes International Film Festival – Directors’ Fortnight, France 2009 – Nominated for Camera d’Or
Angers European First Film Festival, France 2010 ‐ Grand Prix du Jury
Tokyo International Film Festival, Japan 2009 – Sakura Grand Prix, Best Director, Best Actor
LUX Prize of the European Parliament 2009 – Finalist
Sarajevo Film Festival, Bosnia and Herzegovina 2009 ‐ CICAE award
Mons International Festival of Love Films, Belgium 2010 ‐ Le Prix du Public
Trieste Film Festival, Italy 2010 ‐ CEI Award
Bratislava International Film Festival, Slovenia 2009 ‐ Best Actor, Best Director, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, Turkey 2009 ‐ Youth Jury Award
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival, Spain 2010 ‐ Best First Time Director
Warsaw International Film Festival, Poland 2009 ‐ 1‐2 Competition Award
Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival, Portugal 2009 ‐ Special Jury Award João Bénard da Costa
Cinemanila International Film Festival, Philippines 2010 ‐ Grand Jury Prize
SEE a Paris South-East European Film Festival, France 2011 – International Jury Prize
Oscar for Foreign Language Film 2010 – Bulgaria’s nomination
Sofia International Film Festival, Bulgaria 2010 – Best Bulgarian Feature Film
Bulgarian Film Academy Awards, 2010 – Best Feature Film, Best Director
Chicago International Film Festival, USA 2009 – New Directors Competition Nomination

Distribution:
France, Japan, Monaco, Andorra, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Hungary, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Australia

Official site: www.easternplays.com – ?ne raboti
IMDB page: www.imdb.com/title/tt1426361/?ref_=ttawd_awd_tt
Official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/eastern.plays

Reviews:

The quiet despair of directionless souls could be a dreary subject in the hands of a lesser novice, but Kamen Kalev’s “Eastern Plays” is an honest, skillful rumination on the search for inner and outer connections.” – Variety

“An accomplished debut feature from Bulgaria’s Kamen Kalev, Eastern Plays begins as if it were just another slice of gritty realism from eastern Europe but evolves into a sensitively observed portrait of a young man struggling to find himself after years as a drug addict.” – SCREEN

Uneven but gripping!” – The Hollywood Reporter