DIRECTORS

KRISTINA GROZEVA and PETAR VALCHANOV are a writer-producer director couple based in Sofia, Bulgaria. They first met at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts and have been working together ever since. In 2009 they cemented this collaboration into their very own production company Abraxas Film. Their goal – to produce shorts, features and documentaries with memorable characters and gripping storylines that are equal parts amusing, upsetting and touching. Kristina and Petar’s short film debut “Jump” (2012) became the first Bulgarian film ever nominated for the European Film Award. Their independent micro-budget feature debut “The Lesson” (2014) and its follow-up “Glory” (2016) went on to become two of the most acclaimed Bulgarian films of the 21st century, garnering numerous awards both at home and around the world. The titles are parts of the directors’ so-called Newspaper Clippings Trilogy of stories inspired by media sensations depicting the absurdity of life in post-communist Bulgaria. The final installment, “Triumph”, is currently in development.