LIUBEN
by Venci D. Kostov
Spain, Bulgaria, 2023, 109'
In a Bulgarian mountain village, where prejudice simmers, a summer romance begins between two boys from different worlds.
Victor (27) has a nice life in Madrid with his partner, Jose. He returns to his childhood home in Bulgaria for his grandfather’s funeral, and decides to stay for the summer. While reconnecting with his father and the village way of life, he unexpectedly finds love in the form of Liuben, an 18-year-old Roma boy. Despite their differences, and the conflicts around them, Victor and Liuben find refuge in each other.
Awards
Audience Award - Burgas IFF 2023
Pink Dragon Jury Prize - Ljubljana LGBT FF 2023
Festivals
Guadalajara IFF 2023
AMOR Festival 2023
Coming Out Days 2023
OUTshine FF - Fort Lauderdale 2023
QueerfilmFestival Esslingen 2023
Chéries-Chéris IFF 2023
Seville European FF 2023
Ljubljana LGBT FF 2023
Sunny Bunny 2024
Cast & Crew
Dimitar Nikolov, Bozhidar Asenov, Dimitar Banenkin, Stoyan Radev, Stefan Denolyubov
Production companies: Liuben Pelicula, Malas Companias, Portokal, Balance Media Entertainment
Producers: Antonio Hens, Vanya Rainova, Miguel Torente
Coproducers: Tosen Savkov, Irina Ghiurova
Venci D. Kostov
Venci Kostov is a film director whose first short THE SON (2012) received the Best Short Film Award at the 17th LesgaiCineMad and the FRAMES Award at FCM-PNR in Madrid, and screened at more than twenty international and domestic festivals, including Palm Springs International Festival, In The Palace International Film Festival, FEST New Directors/New Films, etc. He directs TV series (ENTRE OLIVOS (2018), for Canal Sur, Spain and Clarovideo, Mexico) and documentaries (LA ZARANDA, TEATRO INESTABLE (2020), about the mythical Spanish theatre troupe). He has also directed theatre plays, such as THE VELOCITY OF AUTUMN (2014), Off Broadway.
Venci holds a BA in Media Studies from Malaga University and has trained with Anne Bogart at the SITI Company of New York, a contemporary theatre group.
