Solemn Finale of the 6th Edition of the OKO IEFF: Highlights of the Ceremony in Sofia

alexfannytv
Oct 18
5 min read

On October 11, the City Mark Art Center in Sofia hosted the closing ceremony of the 6th edition of the OKO International Ethnographic Film Festival, which this year once again united Bulgaria and Ukraine within a shared cultural space. The event brought together government representatives, filmmakers, cultural researchers, and cinema lovers to celebrate the power of human stories and the cultural dialogue between the two nations.

The festival, held in Kyiv, Bolhrad, Sofia, Kamianets-Podilskyi, and Odesa during September and October, presented 95 films in 24 languages from 52 countries. The final screening was dedicated to the Ukrainian film “Pamfir” directed by Dmytro Sukholytkyi-Sobchuk.

Words from the Founder

The official part of the ceremony was opened by the festival’s founder and general director Tetiana Stanieva, who thanked the audience and partners:

“Everything we did here in Sofia during the Bulgarian edition of ‘OKO’ was woven from love and pain. And you know what I felt? Meeting the audience and guests of ‘OKO’ at every screening and every discussion, our pain grew smaller — because we shared it with you. And our love grew greater — because we were together. Thank you all for your hugs, for every donation, and for the support that made this festival possible.”

Among the guests who presented awards were Aleksandar Aleksiev, Albena Stamenova, Olesia Naumovska, Georgia Efremova, and Volodymyr Shchibria, who shared their impressions of the festival and messages of mutual support between Ukraine and Bulgaria.

The musical highlight of the evening was the folk song based on a poem by Taras Shevchenko — “Oh, Why Have You Blackened, Green Field”, performed by Volodymyr Shchibria.

Winners of the Competition Sections of “OKO” 2025

OKO GLOBAL FICTION (International Feature Films)

Jury: Elena Rubashevska, Denys Tarasov, Albena Stamenova

Jury Grand Prize – “The Reeds”, dir. Cemil Ağacıkoğlu (Turkey, Bulgaria).
Special Jury Prize for Ethnographic Representation – “Banzo”, dir. Margarida Cardoso (Portugal, France, the Netherlands).
Jury Special Mention – “Eid”, dir. Yousef Abo Madegem (Israel).

OKO GLOBAL NON-FICTION (International Documentary and Non-Fiction Feature Films)

Jury: Gennady Kofman, Oksana Volosheniuk, Olesia Naumovska, Kalin Yanakiev

Jury Grand Prize – “To the West, in Zapata”, dir. David Bim (Cuba, Spain).
Special Jury Prize for Ethnographic Representation – “Silent Observers”, dir. Eliza Petkova (Bulgaria, Germany).
Jury Special Mention – “Machtat”, dir. Sonia Ben Slama (France, Lebanon, Tunisia).

NASHE OKO (Ukrainian Documentary and Non-Fiction Films)

Jury: Karina Bedkovska, Volodymyr Shchibria, Olha Panteleymonova, Vyacheslav Dovzhenko

Jury Grand Prize – “Dad’s Lullaby”, dir. Lesia Diak (Ukraine, Romania, Croatia).
Special Jury Prize for Ethnographic Representation – “A Bit of a Stranger”, dir. Svitlana Lishchynska (Ukraine, Germany, Sweden).
Jury Special Mention – “Checkpoint ‘Zoo’”, dir. Joshua Zeman (USA, Ukraine) — for combining the subject matter with a truthful depiction of russian crimes against people and animals.

OKO SHORT (Short Films)

Jury: Rimma Ziubina, Volodymyr Bakum, Alec Aleksiev, Georgia Efremova

Jury Grand Prize – “Three Keenings”, dir. Oliver McGoldrick (UK, Ireland, USA).
Special Jury Prize for Ethnographic Representation – “One More Cup of Coffee for Ambe’”, dir. Shinta Retnani (UK, Indonesia).
Special Jury Prize for Best Ukrainian or Bulgarian Short Film – “My Morning Routine”, dir. Vadym Adamov (Ukraine).

Jury Special Mentions (in this category)

“I Died in Irpin”, dir. Anastasiia Falileieva (Ukraine, Slovakia, Czech Republic) — for conveying painful truths with beauty and for impressing the world with delicate sensitivity.
“Chop Chop!”, dir. Ievgen Koshyn (UK, Ukraine, Portugal, Estonia, Ireland) — for irony in times when the world is going mad (Volodymyr Bakum).
“The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent”, dir. Nebojša Slijepčević (Croatia, France, Bulgaria, Slovenia) — for portraying humanism (Aleksandar Aleksiev).
“Under the Skins”, dir. Petar Penev (Bulgaria) — for its intimate portrayal of the kukeri tradition from the perspective of the maker and guardian (Georgia Efremova).
“Through the Window”, dir. Daniel Stopa (Poland) — for a gifted perspective on the world (Rimma Ziubina).

Festival Team Special Prizes

OKO GLOBAL FICTION – “Our Lovely Pig Slaughter”, dir. Adam Martinec (Czech Republic, Slovakia).
OKO GLOBAL NON-FICTION – “2000 Meters to Andriivka”, dir. Mstyslav Chernov (Ukraine, USA).
OKO SHORT – “We Beg to Differ”, dir. Ruairi Bradley (Ireland, UK).
For Creative Ethnographic Representation – “Flowers of Ukraine”, dir. Adelina Borets (Poland, Ukraine).
For Cinematic Innovation and Craft – “Hundreds of Beavers”, dir. Mike Cheslik (USA).

OKO Achievement Award (Lifetime Contribution)

Galin Georgiev – for the Contribution to the Development of Ethnography and Culture.
Hennadiy Kofman – for the Contribution to the Development of Cinema.
Olesia Naumovska – for the Contribution to the Development of Ethnography and Culture.
Aleksandar Aleksiev – for the Contribution to the Development of Cinema.

Films awarded by the Union of Ukrainian Film Critics (UUFC)

OKO GLOBAL FICTION – “People”, dir. Maciej Ślesicki, Filip Hillesland (Poland).
OKO GLOBAL NON-FICTION – “Lions on the River Tigris”, dir. Zaradasht Ahmed (Norway, the Netherlands, Iraq).
OKO SHORT – “The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent”, dir. Nebojša Slijepčević (Croatia, France, Bulgaria, Slovenia).
NASHE OKO – “The Basement”, dir. Roman Blazhan (France, Ukraine).

Jury Special Mentions (UUFC):

“House with a Voice”, dir. Kristine Nrecaj, Birthe Templin (Germany) — for embodying a paradoxical sense of optimism — a testament to the enduring triumph of human nature over the most barbaric social constructs (Alexandr Gusev).
“Against the Tide”, dir. Sarvnik Kaur (India, France) — for a powerful cinematic dialogue between humanity and nature (Liudmyla Novikova).
“The Road to Patagonia”, dir. Matty Hannon (Australia) — for the exceptional visual artistry that reveals professionalism beyond training, and for the honest pursuit of self — knocking until the door opens (Yaroslav Pidhora-Gvyazdovsky).

Audience Awards

Audience Grand Prize – Ukrainian Edition – “Cognition Trilogy: Separation”, dir. Sophia Gera (Ukraine).
Audience Grand Prize – Ukrainian Online Edition – “Rock, Paper, Scissors”, dir. Franz Böhm (UK).
Bolhrad City Council Audience Prize (Favorite Bulgarian Film) – “Masquerade Spirit”, dir. Rossita Lazarova Sbaraglia (Italy, Bulgaria).
Audience Grand Prize – Bulgarian Edition – “2000 Meters to Andriivka”, dir. Mstyslav Chernov (Ukraine, USA).

Films from the OKO 2025 program remain available online on Neterra.TV+ until the end of October. The winner of the Bulgarian Online Audience Grand Prize will be announced in November.

Special OKO Awards

Behind the Scenes Hero Award – Svetoslav Ivanov.
Media Excellence Award – Valeria Skorych.
OKO Spirit Award – Katerina Stanieva.

A touching moment came when Tetiana Stanieva presented the OKO Spirit Award to her daughter, Katerina, thanking her for years of dedication and support.

Message and Gratitude

The executive director of the Bulgarian edition, Serhii Zeinalov, thanked the partners and emphasized:

“‘OKO’ is not only about cinema — it is about people, about memory, and about how culture can unite even in the darkest times.”

The evening traditionally concluded with a joint performance of “Mnohaya Lita”, a symbol of gratitude, unity, and hope.

Support

The 6th OKO International Ethnographic Film Festival is supported by the European Union under the House of Europe programme.

OKO” expresses its sincere gratitude to the sponsors and partners in Bulgaria: National Film Center, Sofia Municipality, Embassy of Ukraine in Bulgaria, Institut Français de Bulgarie, Austrian Cultural Forum, Instytut Polski w Sofii, Release BG, and Manol and Friends Foundation.

We also thank our media partners for their informational support: BTA, FrogNews, Kinematograf.BG, Programata, Neterra.TV.

Special thanks to our Ukrainian partners: State Agency of Ukraine on Cinema, Viktor Kurtev (President and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the OKO IEFF), Orlivka–Isaccea ferry line, Yurii Dimchoglo (Honorary President of the OKO IEFFl), Odesa Regional State (Military) Administration, Bolhrad City Council, MEGOGO, Villa Tinta, Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Ukraine, State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, Power Film Production, the Bulgarian National Film Center, Neterra, and the NGO “Creativity and Culture Zone — K2 ZONE.”

We also extend our gratitude to our information partners: Ukraїner, Suspilne, ICTV2, My — Ukraina, My — Ukraina+.