January

Yanuari

64th TIFF: Greek Premiere
In the middle of nowhere, two men are stuck in a snowstorm. One has to cross the woods to reach town, but that’s insane in the midst of winter: the road is snowed over, you can get lost and freeze, the wolves are hungry and can be heard howling all night long, and who knows what other creatures roam these woods. Still, early that morning, Petar Motorov must have harnessed his sleigh and headed to town. Nobody saw him leave, but the falling snow still hasn’t fully erased his tracks. But when the sleigh returns, Petar Motorov isn’t on it. Inside the men find only Motorov’s fur coat, his shotgun, and the frozen carcass of a wolf. Where is Petar Motorov, and what has happened to him? The only way to find out is to follow in their steps.
Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Andrey M Paounov
Script: Alex Barrett, Andrey M. Paounov
Cinematography: Vasco Viana
Editing: Victoria Radoslavova, Anastas Petkov, Francisco Moreira
Sound: Svetlozar Georgiev
Music: Ivo Paunov
Actors: Samuel Finzi, Iossif Sarchadzhiev, Zachary Baharov, Svetoslav Stoyanov, Leonid Yovchev, Borislav Chouchkov, Malin Krastev
Production: Portokal
Producers: Vanya Rainova
Co-production: Terratreme, Tarantula, Bulgarian National Television
Co-producers: Joao Matos, Elise Andre, Donato Rotunno
Production Design: Maria Paounova
Format: DCP
Color: B/W
Production Country: Bulgaria, Portugal, Luxembourg
Production Year: 2021
Duration: 111'
Contact: Portokal
Awards/Distinctions: Special Jury Award, The Critics Guild Award for Best Feature Film – Golden Rose Bulgarian FF 2021, Best Supporting Actor, Best Costume Design – Bulgarian Film Academy Awards 2021, Best Director – Sofia IFF 2022

Andrey M Paounov

Andrey M Paounov is the author of the award-winning creative nonfiction trilogy on the absurdities of the post-communist transition. His first documentary feature, Georgi and the Butterflies, won the Silver Wolf at IDFA in 2004. The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories (2007) - his second documentary feature was included in the 46th International Critics’ Week of the Cannes Film Festival 2007. The Boy Who Was a King (2011), Andrey’s third full-length documentary, premiered at Toronto International Film Festival. Andrey’s latest documentary, Walking on Water (2018), had its world premiere at the Locarno International Film Festival in August 2018. It has been distributed in cinemas in Germany, the United States, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, and others. January (2021) is Andrey’s award-winning fiction feature directorial debut, which premiered at Black Nights Tallinn International Film Festival.

Filmography

2004 Georgi and the Butterflies (doc)
2007 The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories (doc)
2011 The Boy Who Was King (doc)
2018 Walking on Water (doc)
2021 January
2023 Two Times Two (short)