Two Romanian films, Radu Jude’s Uppercase Print (Tipografic Majuscul) and Radu Ciorniciuc’s Acasă. My Home, were awarded at this year's edition of the Sofia International Film Festival.

Jude's Uppercase Print received the award of the Bulgarian Guild of Film Critics for a film from the Balkan Competition.

"There was a strong selection in Balkan competition, and it was difficult for the jury to choose only one film - the movies were different, with important themes and individual style. But the award is given to Radu Jude's Uppercase Print for its experimental and unconventional approach to Romanian recent history and Securitate, according to a release of the festival's website.

At the same time, Radu Ciorniciuc's Acasă, My Home won the Best Documentary Award, handed by a jury presided by director Lech Kowalski and including director and consultant Tue Steen Müller (Denmark) and producer Natasha Dack Ojumu (United Kingdom).

"Really intimate approach of the filmmaker - this privileged access along with the complexity of the issues, and the questions the film raises about family and the environment among other things made this film a winner," according to a jury statement.

Jasmila Zbanic's Quo vadis, Aida?, a coproduction Bosnia and Herzegovina-Austria-Romania-Netherlands-Germany-Poland-France-Norway-Turkey, received the Best Balkan Film Award from a jury made up of president Doron Eran (producer and director, Israel) and members Lili Horvath (director, Hungary) and John-Paul Davidson (director, United Kingdom)

Quo vadis, Aida? is nominated for this year's Oscars category in the Best International Feature Film category, where Romanian documentary Collective, directed by Alexander Nanau, is also nominated. Nanau's film is also nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category.

The Sofia City of Film Grand Prix Award for best film in the International Competition for first and second films went to The Pink Cloud of Brazilian director Iuli Gerbase. The international jury for the first and second feature films included director Theodore Ushev (Canada/Bulgaria), who was the jury president, director Ilya Khrzhanovskiy (Russia), director Svetla Tsotsorkova (Bulgaria), actress Natasha Petrovic (North Macedonia), and director Szabolcs Hajdu (Hungary).

Chinese filmmaker Zhou Ziyang received the Best Director award for his film Wuhai.

The 25th edition of the Sofia International Film Festival presented 134 films from 53 countries. The awards ceremony was held on March 20th.

(Photo: Still from Acasă, My Home by Mircea Topoleanu)

simona@romania-insider.com