THE POOL

Bulgaria |
2023 |
18 мин.

Script: Pavlina Bozhkova
Director: Pavlina Bozhkova
Cinematography: Emiliyan Atanasov
Music: Ali Abdala, Petar Svarc, Kaloyan Dimitrov, Antoni Ivanov (ALI)

Cast: Matey Barnev, Tsvetan Aleksiev, Mariana Zhikic, Maria Lazarova

Production: Red Carpet – Veselka Kiryakova
Co-production: Samsara, Sonus

Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, Ministry of Culture, Italy, Eurimages

Alex doesn’t like the water but his father wants him to take up swimming. The boy prefers to take care of the old dog he grew up with—his only ally in the family. When the dog dies, Alex must find a way to reconcile with his parents in order to move forward.

Festivals & Awards:

  • Selected for the Bulgarian Short Film Competition at the 2024 International Sofia Film Fest; nominated for the 2024 Vasil Gendov Awards of the Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers

Pavlina Bozhkova’s first documentary, My Darling Son (2018), premiered at the Doc’n Roll Film Festival. Her second documentary, Music for a Film (2021), won a Special Mention Award at the 2022 Rhodope International Documentary Film Festival. Pavlina and Red Carpet are working on her third full-length documentary, Sea Dogs, funded by the Bulgarian National Film Center.