We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

Aristotle

About

Ivaylo Simidchiev was born in Sofia, Bulgaria. Since he finished his MFA Degree in Film and TV Directing in 1997 from the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria, he has continuously been working as a filmmaker and film educator. His experience includes a wide variety of projects and spans several countries such as Bulgaria, Finland, Canada and the USA. His current filmography features eight titles ranging from narrative shorts, to TV documentary and fiction, to short and feature-length documentaries. His experience encompasses principal creative and technical involvement in all of these projects through directing, writing, producing, editing, set design, cinematography and sound design, often combining more than one. His films have won a sustained international acclaim at numerous prestigious film forums across the globe –- incluing Cannes Film Festival‘s official selection -– and have consequently been crowned with multiple awards, earning their author recognition as a professional authority on film. Ivaylo has also actively practiced theatrical directing. His social sensitivity has been evidenced through all of his works, which explore topics like drug-addictions, disabilities, old age, minority issues, suicide. He has more than 5 years of college and university level film teaching experience behind his back now; he has taught a wide range of practical and theoretical film/video disciplines, from Directing, Screenwriting and Producing, to Digital Film and Video Production, Videography, Digital Cinematography and Non-Linear Editing, to Film Studies, History of Motion Media and Contemporary Trends in Film.

Awards

For “MUD”  © 1997:


Official Selection at  Cannes Film Festival, FRANCE, 1998

  1. A Certain Regard Award for Cinematography, Popovo, BULGARIA, 1998
  2. Most Surprising Film Award, Odense Film Festival, DENMARK, 1998
  3. Kodak’s Best Film Award, Sofia Int. Student Film Festival, BULGARIA, 1998
  4. Special Mention of the Jury, Festival Premiers Plans, Angers, FRANCE, 1998
  5. Best Director Award, International Munich Festival, GERMANY, 1997
  6. VFF Young Talent Award, International Munich Festival, GERMANY, 1997
  7. Best Balkan Short Film Award, Short Film Festival in Drama, GREECE, 1997
  8. All-Russian State Cinematography Institute (VGIK) Honorable Diploma, 1997

 


   For “LEMON IS LEMON” © 2001:


  1. “Director’s Citation” Award, Black Maria Film&Video Festival (NJ), 2003
  2. Honorable Mention, Ann Arbor (MI) International Film Festival, 2002
  3. Best Short Documentary Award, Cinequest (San Jose, CA) Film Festival, 2002
  4. The Face of Drugs Award, Palm Springs (CA) International Film Festival, 2001


Other:

2009: Alumnus of Sarajevo Talent Campus

2006: Alumnus of Berlinale Talent Campus

1994: Alumnus of the Salzburg Global Seminar, Fellow of Session 314:
“Do Films Matter? The Political, Economic and Moral Impact of Film”

 

Showreel

Producer’s Reel

Editor’s Reel

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