THE 355

FILM AWARD

2026

3 Filmmakers chosen by an international jury
5 To produce a five minute film
5 days for filming, editing and a first director’s cut
days for filming, editing and a first director’s cut

One winner, who’ll be chosen live by the audience during the annual ceremony of the Foundation traditionally held in April.
The winner of The 355 Film Award will receive a statuette and BGN € 7777 for production services for his next film provided by Nova Film or Black Sea Film.

1. From all applications, 3 finalists will be selected to shoot and edit a 5-minute fiction film in 5 calendar days (afterwards they will show present their director's cut).
2. The film has to be sumitted with and without English subtitles.
3. Each of the selected finalists is obliged to realise their film based on the ideas and synopsis submitted in their application.
4. The winner of The 355 Film Award will receive a statuette and BGN € 7777 for production services for his next film provided by
5. Final credits are NOT counted for the 5 minute limit.
6. The logos and titles of Cinema Award 355, the Stoyan Kambarev Foundation, the producer NOVA Film (or Black Sea film), and the partners (National Film Center, etc.) must be present at the beginning and/or end of the film in a specific order that will be submitted to the finalist by the Executive Producer of the film.
7. Mandatory rule is for the film TO HAVE AN UNEXPECTED END, while each participant may choose their own topic or genre.
8. Each film must be based on the filmmaker's original script.
9. The Foundation will provide a Producer and Executive Producer of the Project 355 who will assist the selected finalists at each stage.
10. The Foundation will donate to each of the finalists the sum of € 1500 to support their films, and the Executive Producer will control the expenses for which the money will be used.
11. The finalists have complete freedom in choosing the locations, but we recommend not to have too many due to time constraints.
12. The foundation also provides the opportunity, if desired, for the finalists to use 1-2 shooting days at UFO Film and Television Studios, with the option of using sets, lighting, props and wardrobe.
13. The Executive Producer or other representative of the Foundation will always be present during the filming to monitor the timing and authenticity of the footage shot for the Cinema 355 Award project.
14. Filming and audio equipment is provided by our partners: Magic Shop Rental, UFO Film and Television Studios and ARS DIGITAL Studio free of charge or at highly discounted rates.
15. The Foundation provides one day of audio post-production of the film at My Sound Studio at discounted rates. Sound can also be done by the applicants themselves, outside of the studio provided by us.
16. No material shot before the official start of the shootings will be accepted.
17. Each participant is required to coordinate the start date of the shoot with the Producer and Executive Producer well in advance of the date of the filming. The Director's Cut must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on the 5th day after filming begins.
18. After viewing the Director's Cut, the Producer and Executive Producer will be granted additional days for final post-production of the film.
19. The official PREMIERE of the 3 films will be during the award ceremony of the Stoyan Kambarev Award for Flight in the Arts, traditionally held in April.
20. Apart from the film, the 3 finalists will have to shoot a 1-minute personal video presentation, different from the director’s vision. The presentation is a free form and the finalists must present themselves and the film in an attractive and memorable manner. For reference you can watch the presentations of Jordan Mihailovski and Stefani Raycheva.
21. The finalists are obliged, within 2 weeks after the submission of the films, to make a poster (in Bulgarian and English) of their film, logos of official partners submitted by the executive producer
22. The finalists are obliged to upload the information about the films together with the poster in IMDb within 2 weeks after the submission of the films.
23. With each of the three finalists, the Producer will enter into a contract to settle the rights to the film.
24. Applications which do not comply with these rules may be disqualified without prior notice.

All Bulgarian filmmakers in the age between 18 and 35.

You must have produced/directed or shot at least 1 previous short film or music, dance video or impression.

The film could be made by a team, but the materials must be submitted by a single participant. Group submissions are not allowed. Every participant may submit only once.

Everyone with a passion for cinema is welcome!

To apply for the competition, you need to submit:

1. Treatment (extended synopsis) in Bulgarian and English, one page (12 pt.).
2. A link to a video (uploaded on YouTube or Vimeo) with a director explication and a concept of the film, shot with a camera or a smartphone up to 60 seconds.
   The video must be subtitled in English. It’s only needed for the jury but we want it to be publicly available.
3. A link to a selected previous short film (music, dance video or impression) of the participant made in the last 3 years.
4. CV in Bulgarian and English up to 200 words.
5. The applicant must read and agree to the general terms and conditions by clicking on the specified place in the application form, which are DETAILED and explain every detail of the competition.
6. ⁠In case of violation of these General Terms and Conditions, or in case of misconduct, the Candidates are obliged to return all funds received from the Stoyan Kambarev Foundation, including, but not limited to, the financial part of the Cinema 355 Award of €7,500, the donation of €1,500, as well as other additional bonuses and funding received in connection with the Cinema 355 Award.

APPLY NOW!

Upon submitting the application, each candidate should automatically receive a confirmation email acknowledging the successful receipt of their submission. If such a notification is not received, the candidate should first check the “Spam” (Junk) folder in their email account. If neither the confirmation email nor the registration acknowledgment is found there, please contact the Executive Producer Maria Ivanova at maria@novafilm.eu

The three finalists will be selected by an international jury of 9 film industry professionals. The 2026 jury members are:

NICK VALLELONGA - Producer, winner of two Academy Awards and two Golden Globes for Original Screenplay and Best Picture for "Green Book"

OSVALDO DE SANTIS - Honorary Jury Chairman - Paramount Pictures (Italy)

GARY STRETCH - actor, director, producer - (UK)

FABIAN GASMIA - producer, jury chairman - Seven Elephants (DE)

DESSY TENEKEDJIEVA - actress, director, producer - NOVA Film (Bulgaria)

PHILLIP ROTH - producer, writer, director - UFO Film and Television Studios (USA)

GABY WHYTE HART - producer & casting director (UK)

PASCAL VICEDOMINI - producer, TV host (Italy)

ELIZABETH KORMANOVA - producer & layer - Rocket Science (UK)

More about the jury

Each member of the jury will select their three favorites, awarding them 3, 2, and 1 points for first, second, and third place, respectively. Finally, the votes of all jury members will be tallied, and the three finalists with the most points will be announced.

We're looking for participants with high motivation, desire and passion for cinema. Applications will be judged on the quality and clarity of the synopsis, originality of the content and creativity of the "FILM WITH AN UNEXPECTED END" task. Capturing the jury's attention with the 60-second director's explanation video will be crucial for the final decision and selection of the finalists. We also pay serious attention to the candidate's directorial qualities as demonstrated in their chosen previous film, which we watch carefully.

During the annual Stoyan Kambarev Art Award's official ceremony, traditionally held in April in Sofia, the audience has the final vote in choosing the winner.

Applications are accepted between 1st of January and 1st of Fabruary 2026 (including).

The three selected finalists accepted for the shoot will be announced on 16.02.2026 on the website of Stoyan Kambarev Foundation, on the official Facebook page and publicly in the media.
The director's cut of the films must be completed within 5 calendar days and submitted between 01.03.2026 and 13.04.2026 23:59.

Mariya Ivanova

Executive Producer

+359 889 719 490

maria@novafilm.eu