And the Grand Prize “Golden Rhyton” for Best Documentary Film goes to “The Cruel Way”! This time, most of the team were at the ceremony to receive the award, along with two more distinctions (the Critics’ Prize and the Bulgarian National Film Archive Prize) at the 29th edition of the “Golden Rhyton” Documentary and Animation Film Festival. In the photo, you can see the screenwriters Elena Ermova, Stanislav Grozdanov, and Diliyan Pavlov, alongside director Deyan Bararev and producer Ivan Spassov.

We are deeply grateful to the jury, the Bulgarian National Film Archive, the critics, and the Bulgarian National Film Center for their support and for organizing this wonderful festival. We also thank our co-producers at Bulgarian National Television (BNT), the National Culture Fund, and BNR – Bulgarian National Radio, as well as Prostor cloud services, for their support and assistance.

And our thanks as well to BTA (Bulgarian News Agency) for the wonderful award.
“For its in-depth and at the same time emotionally powerful search for the truth about a landmark event from the recent past.” This is the jury’s motives citation from the 29th Festival of Bulgarian Documentary and Animation Cinema “Golden Rhyton” for awarding the Grand Prize to “The Cruel Way”.

The Bulgarian National Film Archive Prize was awarded to the film’s director, Deyan Bararev: “For the mastery and passion with which he has preserved the enduring values of the national spirit and character.”