site.btaEntries from Italy, Israel and Bulgaria Awarded at Rhodope International Documentary Film Fest

Fathers' Land (Italy), directed by Francesco Di Gioia, was named best short documentary at the 3rd Rhodope International Documentary Film Fest (July 6-9). The Artist's Daughter. Oil on Canvas (Israel), by Margarita Linton and Yaniv Linton, was named best mid-length documentary. No Place for You in Our Town (Bulgaria), by Nikolay Stefanov, won the best feature documentary award.

The accolades were presented at the official closing ceremony for the festival on Sunday evening. Some 50 films from various parts of the world competed in the third edition of the annual event.

Special awards by M&S Music Tonstudio were conferred on Fathers' Land and on Lonely Oaks (Germany), directed by Fabiana Fragale, Kilian Kuhlendahl and Jens Muhlhoff. Aero Vision gave their awards to Childhood 2.0 (Bulgaria) by Atanas Hristoskov, Fishing for Litter (Greece) by Sotiris Danezis and A Provincial Hospital (Bulgaria-Germany) by Ilian Metev, Ivan Chertov and Zlatina Teneva.

The festival had a varied programme of high-quality films on a range of subjects, including environmental protection, biodiversity and radicalization, which told many authentic human stories, the festival's programme director Iliana Peryanova said.

The Rhodope International Documentary Film Fest was organized by Bul Doc Ltd in collaboration with Goethe-Institut Sofia, with the financial support of the National Film Centre and the Ministry of Culture. Smolyan Town Hall and the Smolyan Regional Library were partners for the event.