Bulgarian director duo Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov are heading back to the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) for its 60th edition next month after winning its Crystal Globe competition in 2019 with The Father (Bashtata).
So, unsurprisingly, people heading to the Czech festival, and those keeping tabs on it from afar, are looking forward to finding out what they have cooked up for their return with their new feature, Black Money for White Nights, a tragicomedy starring Tanya Shahova, Ivan Savov, Margita Gosheva, Ivan Barnev and Sibila Petrova and co-written with Decho Taralezhkov.
The film, world premiering at KVIFF, which runs July 3-11, follows an aging couple that has been saving money from small bribes for their dream trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, where they finally want to experience the White Nights. In that natural phenomenon, the sun never drops below the horizon far enough to lead to complete darkness. However, when Russia invades Ukraine, the couple’s travel agency is affected. And so are all their savings.
The KVIFF website describes Black Money for White Nights as a “portrait of a generation forced to reassess its values as they question everything that is considered black and white in post-Soviet society.” The director of photography on the movie was Alexander Stanishev, with editing handled by Yorgos Mavropsaridis. Cercamon is handling world sales.
Now, THR can exclusively premiere two clips from the film, giving you a first feel for Black Money for White Nights and its protagonists, Marina and her husband Gosha.
The first exclusive clip sees Gosha going to and looking for a place in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, that seems to have suddenly disappeared. Knocking may not help. Neither may getting desperate – or a phone call from Marina. Check out that first scene right here.
So much for a dose of comedy! Or was that tragedy?! Or does it even matter since we mentioned tragicomedy earlier!?
Sometimes, though, actions speak louder than words. The second exclusive clip from Black Money for White Nights gets us closer to the two main characters without the need for much talk. Watch that clip here.
