site.btaFilm Exploring the Connection Between Art and Nature Wins Top Prize at Master of Art Festival

The film On Melting Snow, directed by Mojtaba Bahadori, is the big winner at the 10th Master of Art Festival. The awards were announced on Wednesday.

The film, which won the Master Of Art – Aurubis Award for Best Film of 2024, follows Belgian artist Sophie Cauvin, delving into her artistic philosophy and the interplay between art and nature. It also received the award for Most Beautiful Documentary Film. Bahadori accepted the awards in person. "I am happy to be here, not only because of the beautiful city we are in but also because of the quality of the festival programme," he said, adding that he was "super surprised" by the grand prize.

The international jury unanimously selected Vasko & the Violin, directed by Lora Krumova and Maria Yotova, as Best Bulgarian Documentary Film. This award is traditionally supported by the State Cultural Institute under the Minister of Foreign Affairs. "This is our first documentary film and our first festival. We are known as journalists, so it was a privilege for us to step into something that completely captivated us. We have always wanted to work in documentary cinema but never had the courage. Our premiere was yesterday, and the film is now set for theatrical release. This entire experience has been magical," Krumova said.

The award for Best Bulgarian Documentary Film is chosen by international jury members. To avoid conflicts of interest, we, the Bulgarians, do not participate or influence the selection," said Nayo Titzin, producer, director, and artistic director of the festival.

The Audience Award went to British director David Bickerstaff’s Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers.

The Bulgarian-Swedish production Pipe Dream, directed by Nikolay Nikolov and Zachary Alfred, won two awards—for Debut and Jury Prize. "This is our first award from a Bulgarian festival. We hope the film will be seen again by a Bulgarian audience. It is a film not just about kites, art, and wind-driven sculptures, but also about mortality, the passage of time, and our attempts to grasp life, making each new effort and each new day better than the last," said the Bulgarian team. They recalled a quote from Theo Jansen, the film’s protagonist: "It is very frustrating that everything keeps breaking," noting that despite this, Jansen continues to build his sand creatures daily on the beach in The Hague, making them ever more resistant to change.

Titzin announced awards in 12 additional categories. The award for Best Documentary on Architecture went to Vai no Batalha! (Portugal, 2023, directed by Pedro Lino), while Invisible Beauty (USA, 2023, directed by Bethann Hardison and Frederic Tcheng) won for Best Documentary on Design and Fashion. The prize for Best Documentary on Literature was given to Spinoza: Six Reasons for the Excommunication of the Philosopher (Israel, 2023, directed by David Ofek). The Best Documentary on Art and Power award went to Art Vs War: Banksy and C215 in Borodyanka, Ukraine (Italy, directed by Michele Pinto). In the category of Best Documentary on Photography, the award went to Grant Sheehan: Light, Ghosts & Dreams (New Zealand, 2023, directed by Robin Greenberg). The prize for Best Documentary on Art and Museums was awarded to The Immortals: The Wonder of the Museo Egizio (Italy, 2024, directed by Michele Mally), while Bacon Freud, Face à Face (France, 2024, directed by Catherine Aventure) won for Best Documentary on Visual Arts. The Best Documentary on Art and Nature award went to Let Them Be Naked (USA, 2023, directed by Jeff Garner). In the culinary arts category, Bob Noto - The World's Finest Palate (Italy, 2024, directed by Francesco Catarinolo) was named Best Documentary on Culinary Arts. Chaplin's Modern Times: The Path of Silence (France, 2024, directed by Gregory Monroe) won for Best Documentary on Cinema and Theatre. The Best Documentary on Contemporary Art award went to Taking Venice– Robert Rauschenberg (USA, 2023, directed by Ami Wallach), while Zucchero – Sugar Fornaciari (Italy, 2023, directed by Valentina Zanella and Giangiacomo De Stefano) received the prize for Best Documentary on Music and Dance.

The international jury for Master of Art included Katharina Jeschke (Austria), Georges Gachot (Switzerland), Andrey Koulev, Maria Averina, and Nayo Titzin.

"A sculpture is hard to describe because it is created in silence. The studio is mostly silence. I hope that next year, Mr. Titzin will visit my studio and make a figurine, handing it to me while announcing me as Master of Art," said sculptor Velislav Minekov. He is the creator of the statuette presented since the festival’s inception.

The event opened with a piano performance by Zhivko Petrov, who played music by Erroll Garner. Georges Gachot directed a documentary about the French jazz legend titled Misty – The Erroll Garner Story, which was part of the festival’s out-of-competition programme.