Cercamon has taken on sales duties for the tragicomedy Black Money for White Nights, which will have its world premiere in the Crystal Globe Competition at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. The film is a Bulgaria-Greece co-production directed by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, from a screenplay by Grozeva, Valchanov and Decho Taralezhkov.
The story follows Marina, 65, a maternity nurse, and her husband Gosha, 68, a railway dispatcher, who have spent years collecting small bribes in order to afford a dream trip to St. Petersburg for the White Nights Festival. Their plan falls apart when Russia invades Ukraine and the travel agency disappears with their savings, destroying both their dream and their sense of control. After Gosha is hospitalized following a beating while trying to recover the money, long-buried betrayals come to the surface and force the couple to confront the lies underlying their life together.
Sebastien Chesneau of Cercamon described the film as “bold and unsettling,” praising its strong sense of place, character and social tension, and saying the line between right and wrong becomes increasingly fragile. He said the company has long admired the filmmakers’ distinctive voice and is proud to support the project as it begins its international run.
Grozeva and Valchanov said returning to Karlovy Vary seven years after The Father is especially meaningful because they are once again working with the same producers and close collaborators from Graal Films. They also welcomed Cercamon’s involvement, saying they believe the film’s story of corruption and moral compromise will resonate strongly with audiences today.
The producers include Konstantina Stavrianou, Irini Vougioukalou, Grozeva and Valchanov for Abraxas Film, with co-producers Graal Films, Bulgarian National Television, Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation ERT and the Greek Film Center. The film is supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center and Eurimages.
