Biography
Vesela Kazakova graduated both acting and producing respectively in the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in 2000 and University of Economics in Sofia 2003. Her first roles in the cinema and on stage brought her the debut awards for best young actress in Bulgaria in 2002. Further lead roles in six films have snapped up prestigious prizes for best female actress in Bulgaria and abroad, Silver George Award in Moscow Film festival in 2005, and Berlinale Shooting Stars Award in 2006 amongst them. Vesela started producing theatre performances in 2005 while also working as an actor, play co-writer and composer. After notable acting career, Vesela Kazakova set her goals on creating socially and politically charged work at production company Activist38 together with the animation director Mina Mileva. They started with the documentary "Because of Her", devoted to her mother who was an actress. Vesela Kazakova is part of Producers on the Move 2020; EAVE 2013 graduate and also one of the Emerging Producers'13 in Jihlava.
The dynamic director&producer duo Mina Mileva and Vesela Kazakova has created a strong wave of political activism in their own country Bulgaria with the internationally acclaimed feature doc "Uncle Tony, Three Fools and the Secret Service" 2013. The film had caused major controversy and changed the archival copyrights regulations and nearly send "the duo" to jail for revealing totalitarian mechanisms in the film industry. The authors were subjected to harsh and lengthy institutional and personal attacks from the film guild in Bulgaria and colleagues who vouched never to grant activist38 state subsidy again. EDN - European Documentary Network, EAVE and Cineuropa published support articles, which the Bulgarian Cinema Council demanded to be removed. VARIETY review by Jay Weissberg clarified the controversy. The film received eleven international awards together with prestigious selections, it entered AFI's showcase "Best of European cinema 2014".
Their next political documentary "The Beast is still alive" 2016, MEDIA supported and aired by ARTE for the 30th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall , dealing with consequences of Communism has created a furore after a single TV broadcast in Bulgaria. The PR department for the Bulgarian Socialist Party has reacted strongly against it, issuing statements in their media and sending letters and legal threats to the TV channel. Wide media reaction and debates ensued as the film portrays active politicians and current issues. Abroad, the film enjoyed good selections at IDFA, Sarajevo IFF, WARSAW FF, Goteborg, ZagrebDox, Beldocs and other festivals. It won BEST DOCUMENTARY awards at Aegean Docs and Calcutta Cult Film Festival. As a project it gathered IDFA FORUM AWARD 2015 at the East Doc Platform's pitch and it was selected amongst 4 upcoming work-in-progress from Eastern Europe in LAST STOP TRIESTE'16. Developed at Rough Cut Service (Iikka Vehkalahti), financed by the Bulgarian National Film Centre and coproduced by the Bulgarian National Television.
The tandem made their first fiction film "Cat in the wall" 2019 which deals with East European migrants in London premiered at Locarno's International Competition in 2019 and being part of EFA Feature Film Selection 2020. The film is supported by Creative Europe's programme MEDIA, Region Ile de France and it's coproduction with the Bulgarian National Television. The film received FIPRESCI Award at the 35st Warsaw Film Festival, two awards - Young critics award and Audience award at Zerkalo - Tarkovski Film Festival in Russia, and in Bulgaria was awarded for Best Bulgarian Film at Sofia Film Fest and Best Bulgarian Debut at Golden Rose. It has wide coverage on Variety, Screen International, including featuring as number 1 in their list of best films from summer festivals.
"Women Do Cry" (2021), their next fiction film, described as a rallying cry and a feminist critique of modern Bulgarian society, premiered at Cannes Un Certain Regard official selection in 2021. This film deals with the absurd circumstances in Bulgaria around the ratification of the so-called Istanbul convention focused on the gender-based violence with five main female characters. Followed by other strong selections in Sarajevo, Warsaw, Karlovi Vary, AFI, SXSW, Trieste where it received Eurimages Audentia award and again it was is part of the EFA Feature Film Selection 2022. The film is a coproduction with France (Ici et La productions - Christophe Bruncher), ARTE France and Eurimages supported and the Bulgarian National Film Centre. Presented by world sales mk2 films.
15 wins and 7 nominations
