World Films from Cannes in the Program of “Sofia Film Fest on the Coast”

Several films with awards and nominations from the Cannes Film Festival are selected for the program of this year's edition of “Sofia Film Fest on the Coast”.

We have already presented the Golden Palm winner “An Ordinary Accident” by Jafar Panahi, which will open the Burgas film festival on March 19, as well as the documentary film “Orwell: 2+2=5”, nominated for the “Golden Eye” award, and the German “The Sound of Falling”, which won the Jury Prize in Cannes in 2025.

Today we also draw attention to three other titles with awards and nominations from the Cannes Film Festival, which will be shown during the 24th “Sofia Film Fest on the Coast”. These are the films “Young Mothers” by the Dardenne brothers, “Cairo Hawks” by director Tarik Saleh, and “Caravan” by Zuzana Kirchnerova.

The latest film by the legendary Dardenne brothers, “Young Mothers”, almost documentarily tells the stories of five teenagers who live in a center for young mothers in Liege, Belgium. They try to cope with both early motherhood and their complex personal stories and problems. Some face difficulties in their relationships, lack of support from family and partners, others struggle with addictions or traumatic experiences from the past, while striving to build a more stable life for themselves and their children.

The experienced Dardenne brothers introduce viewers to the problems and torments of the girls who hope for a better life for themselves and their children. The story explores their daily challenges - from caring for babies and emotional crises to the struggle for independence, hope, and dignity.

At the center of the plot is the question of how to grow up in conditions in which motherhood comes too early, and how community and support can become the key to survival.

“There is not a single false note in the performance of the young actors and they all participate in truly touching scenes. “Young Mothers” is captivating even when the focus of the action is the daily responsibilities of parenting - feeding, changing diapers, bathing - or when the wonder and joy of the mother, staring at the tiny face of the child she has created, is captured,” writes David Rooney for “Hollywood Reporter”.

In Cannes, “Young Mothers” received the Best Screenplay Award and the prize of the Ecumenical Jury.

The screening of “Young Mothers” is on March 25 /Wednesday/ from 6 pm.

“Cairo Hawks” is the last part of the Cairo trilogy by director Tarik Saleh, well-known to the world film scene. The film was nominated for the “Golden Palm” in Cannes.

The first part of the trilogy “Murder in Cairo” received the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, and the sequels “Boy from Heaven” (2022, with an award for Best Screenplay) and “Cairo Hawks” are presented in the competition program of Cannes.

In “Cairo Hawks” the tradition is maintained - actor Fares Fares is again in one of the main roles, and the genre is again a thriller, full of tension, exposing the peculiarities of society, religion, and power in the country.

At the heart of the plot are complex relationships between politicians and extremely popular personalities - an actor and his colleagues, who are blackmailed into participating in anti-government plots.

George Fahmy, the most beloved actor in Egypt, suddenly finds himself drawn into a dangerous world of political intrigue when he is chosen to play the president in a state-commissioned biographical production. Accepting the role reluctantly, he becomes entangled in a web of corruption, manipulation, and power games that go far beyond the scope of the screen. As he navigates the treacherous relationships of the political elite, including an affair with the wife of a high-ranking general, Fahmy realizes that his “film role” has real consequences. Each choice tests his morals, his ambitions, and his understanding of loyalty in a regime where the line between art and propaganda is dangerously thin.

A skillful storyteller and defender of justice in his ancestral homeland, Saleh dedicates nearly a decade to his trilogy, revealing religious fanaticism, political machinations, and the pursuit of total power over inevitable changes in society.

The screening of “Cairo Hawks” is on March 22 /Sunday/ from 8 pm.

The film “Caravan” is a co-production between the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Italy and was nominated for the “Un Certain Regard” Award in Cannes.

The director is Zuzana Kirchnerova, and the main roles are played by Anna Geislerova, David Vodstrcil, and Juliana Brutovska Olhova.

“Caravan” tells the story of 45-year-old Esther, whose existence is reduced to the responsibilities she has to her son David. He has a severe mental disability, cannot speak, and needs constant care. Esther loves him unconditionally, but she is exhausted by the monotony and lonely struggle she faces every day.

Friends from Italy invite them as guests, but it soon becomes clear that David's unpredictable behavior is creating problems. The hosts ask Esther and her son to move to a caravan in the garden. For her, this is the last straw, and she refuses to feel like a burden anymore.

The screening of the film is on March 24 /Tuesday/ from 8 pm.

“Sofia Film Fest on the Coast” will be held from March 19 to 27, 2026, in the NHK Cultural Center in Burgas. This year's edition of the festival will be free of charge.

You can see the full program of the festival on its Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/sffnabrega.

The 24th “Sofia Film Fest on the Coast” is organized with the support of Burgas Municipality and is realized jointly by Art Fest and the “ECOgART” Foundation - an independent non-profit organization that develops cultural initiatives in Burgas and the region.

This publication was created with an investment “Burgas – a green haven of the arts” № BG-RRP-11.021-0005-C01 from 29.10.2025 with the financial support of the European Union - NextGenerationEU.

Among the sponsors of the festival are “Helicon” Bookstores, “Lina” Medical Laboratory, PB Shipping OOD, “Demeter” EOOD, Tria City Center, “Es Ef Ea Retail - Burgas” OOD, “Chernomorsko zlato” AD, “Darkrid” Confectionery, Mezetto PUB, Barbossa, Gravity, Grand Hotel Pomorie, and others.