Eastern Plays
Kamen Kalev
Georgie and Itso are two brothers who have lost touch over the years. Georgie, the younger brother has gradually become involved with a neo-Nazi group and has taken part in acts of violence. The elder brother finds himself the witness to one of these racist attacks and the hero of a Turkish family that was one of its victims. Georgie, who is asked to become more involved in the movement, begins to ask himself some moral questions, as for Itzo, he wonders if the pretty Turkish girl he saved couldn't be the ticket out of his sad life in Sofia.
With : Christo Christov, Ovanes Torosian, Saadet Isil Aksoy, Nikolina Yancheva, Ivan Nalbantov
Screenplay : Kamen Kalev
Image : Julian Atanassov
Sound : Momchil Bozhkov, Boris Trayanov
Editing : Kamen Kalev, Stephan Piryov, Johannes Pinter
Screenplay : Kamen Kalev
Image : Julian Atanassov
Sound : Momchil Bozhkov, Boris Trayanov
Editing : Kamen Kalev, Stephan Piryov, Johannes Pinter
Production : Waterfront film - Bulgarie, Stefan Piryiov, Kamen Kalev // info@waterfrontfilm.net
The chimney pot - Suède, Fredrik Zander // fredrik.zander@chimney.se
Film i v st ab - Suède // info@filmivast.se
Distribution: Epicentre Films, Daniel Chabanne // 55 rue de la Mare, 75020 Paris, France // Tel : 01 43 49 03 03 // Email : info@epicentrefilms.com
International sales: Memento films international // 9, cité Paradis, 75010 Paris, France // Tel : +33 1.53.34.90.20 // Email : festival@memento-films.com
The chimney pot - Suède, Fredrik Zander // fredrik.zander@chimney.se
Film i v st ab - Suède // info@filmivast.se
Distribution: Epicentre Films, Daniel Chabanne // 55 rue de la Mare, 75020 Paris, France // Tel : 01 43 49 03 03 // Email : info@epicentrefilms.com
International sales: Memento films international // 9, cité Paradis, 75010 Paris, France // Tel : +33 1.53.34.90.20 // Email : festival@memento-films.com
Born in Burgas, Bulgaria in 1975, Kamen Kalev has directed several shorts, clips and commercials. After starting his studies in his country of origin, he went to Paris, graduating from La fémis in 2002. His first shorts won prizes at Berlin, Clermont-Ferrand, New York, Locarno and Stockholm. He was then selected for Cannes in 2005 for the short film Get The Rabbit Back. In 2009 his first feature, Eastern Plays, was selected for the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes. "In the beginning, I had no idea who was going to play the character ‘Itso'. I wanted the film to feel almost like a documentary, which then made me realize it would be best for Christo to play himself.(...) I offered him the role and he accepted without hesitation. His screen tests were perfect as he remained himself, unfettered by the camera's presence. (...) Christo is no longer with us, but I am certain that his soul is free. (...) I had left quite a few scenes to shoot with him with a reduced crew in the fall. The shots of Itso in the concert scene are from pieces we shot while in preproduction. We came upon the end of the film in the editing room."