site.btaBulgarian-Ukrainian Film Premieres in Odesa

The End of the River, a Bulgarian-Ukrainian co-production directed by Vasil Barkov, premiered on the fringes of the XIV Odesa International Film Festival. The film was co-produced by the Bulgarian National Film Centre, the Ukrainian State Film Agency, the Odesa Film Studio and a Bulgarian production company.

The film is set in the town of Vylkove, known as the "Ukrainian Venice," at the Danube Delta. As fate would have it, a Bulgarian arrives there. He is suspected of the manslaughter of a nine-year-old boy and must stay in the town while he is investigated. He not only finds a job and a new life among Lipovan Old Believers but also meets his true love.

The film director said: "The End of the River will make you think about life where one accident can completely change a person. This is a film with an open ending. The viewer is left to complete the story on their own and reflect on the experiences of a man who, in tragic circumstances, may have taken what is most precious from another person and is forced to live with remorse. At the same time, he makes sense of life as he finds true love and expects to become a father."

Odesa Film Studio Director Andriy Osipov said the project took four years and even the war was not an obstacle to its completion.

Bulgaria's Consul General in Odesa, Svetoslav Ivanov, said in his address the co-production was a good form of cooperation between Bulgaria and Ukraine. 

Bulgarian actor Penko Gospodinov and Ekaterina Molchanova from Odesa are in the leading roles. Other Ukrainian actors, including Sergey Denga and Georgiy Deliev, are also on the cast.