WOMEN DO CRY

FILM AVAILABLE ALSO ONLINE ON MYMOVIES.IT

Sceneggiatura / Screenplay: Mina Mileva, Vesela Kazakova, Bilyana Kazakova. Fotografia / Photography: Dimitar Kostov. Montaggio / Editing: Donka Ivanova, Yann Dedet. Musica / Music: Andy Cowton. Suono / Sound: Jean-Pierre Halbwachs, Gadou Naudin. Scenografia / Art Director: Yuliya Kunova. Interpreti / Cast: Maria Bakalova, Ralitsa Stoyanova, Katia Kazakova, Bilyana  Kazakova, Vesela Kazakova, Iossif Surchadzhiev, Rositza Gevrenova, Siana Georgieva, Gragomir Kostadonov, Dobriela Popova. Produzione / Produced by: Activist38, Ici et Là Productions. Coproduzione / Co-produced by: Arte France Cinéma. Con il sostegno di / Supported by: Bulgarian National Film Center, Eurimages, Arte France, Région Île-de-France. Distribuzione internazionale / World Sales: mk2 films.

ITALIAN PREMIERE

A mother stork is shot down from a chimney. A woman suffering from postnatal depression nearly jumps off a balcony. A girl has to deal with the stigma of HIV. A mother looks for magic in the lunar calendar. Fragility and absurdity in this contemporary Bulgarian family are set against the backdrop of violent anti gender-equality protests.
Based on a true story, the film premiered at Cannes Film Festival 2021 in the “Un Certain Regard” section.

“I, Vesela, grew up in a family of women. A family of three sisters, two of whom now have daughters themselves – just like the film’s heroines … Women and the world they inhabit have always inspired me… And I was fascinated by my mother, a victim of my father’s aggressive behavior … The Bulgarian constitution defines a woman as a person who gives birth to a child… We then saw nationalist uprisings motivated by the fear that Europe would try to impose “gay” values on the population. There have also been demonstrations to protect traditional family structures and childhood … The film’s central character, played by Maria Bakalova, is the link between every character in this ensemble film … When we chose Maria out of 100 young actresses in Sofia, we didn’t know she would soon have the lead role in a big Hollywood production (Borat 2) which would later win her a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. Women Do Cry dives into the female psyche, into the heart of a country that does not officially recognize the word ‘gender’. A country in Europe, torn by cyber-bullying, poverty and isolation.” (M. Mileva, V. Kazakova)

Mina Mileva, Vesela Kazakova
Mina Mileva born in 1971 in Sofia, graduated in animated film directing from the National School of Visual Arts in Brussels and from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia. Vesela Kazakova born in 1977 in Sofia, graduated both acting and producing respectively in the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in 2000 and University of Economics in Sofia in 2003. Together they created in 2008 Activist38, their production company. The Trieste FF presented all their documentaries and in 2020 their first feature film Cat in the Wall. Women Do Cry was one of the winner projects of WEMW 2020.

filmografia scelta / selected filmography
2014 Chicho Toni, Trimata Glupaci i DS (Uncle Tony, Three Fools and the Secret Service) doc. 2016 Zviarat e oshte jiv (The Beast Is still Alive) doc. 2019 Cat in the Wall; Premi / Awards: Warsaw FF – Premio FIPRESCI / FIPRESCI Award; Sofia IFF – Miglior film bulgaro / Best Bulgarian Feature Film 2021 Women Do Cry