KINENOVA
My Father’s Shoes
My Father’s Shoes
Directed by: Hristo Simeonov
Synopsis
When Mima's estranged father dies, only her mother can identify his body, but she refuses to face him.
Cast & crew
Director: Hristo Simeonov
Writers: Hristo Simeonov, Petar Krumov
Director of photography: Vesselin Hristov
Sound: Veselin Zografov
Set and costume design: Ivelina Mineva
Music: Milen Apostolov
Editors: Frédéric Fichefet, Sercan Sezgin — LMA, KUDA
First AD: Philip Andreev
Sound editor and mix: Svetlozar Georgiev — SONUS FIM POST
Production manager: Bogdan Ejbekov
Colour grading: Alexis Lambotte
Cast: Valeria Varbanova — Mima; Tanya Shahova — Boyka; Vyara Kolarova — Stephana
Production: Contrast Films (Bulgaria)
Co-production: Films de Force Majeure (France)
About the director
Hristo Simeonov was born in 1985 in Bulgaria. His short films have won awards and screened
at international festivals such as Clermont-Ferrand, Palm Springs, among others. Hristo is a
former participant of Berlinale Talents and Sarajevo Talents.
His latest short film, Nina (2019), was shortlisted for the European Film Awards and won the
Grand Prix Hans Christian Andersen at the Odense IFF, Best Short Film at the Sofia IFF, as
well as 20 other awards.
Filmography
Nina (2019), 19 min — short fiction
Dimo’s Forest (2018), 24 min — short fiction
The Son (2015), 29 min — short fiction
Director’s statement
Years ago, I heard of a man who abandoned his family and disappeared for twenty years. After his death, even his daughter could not bring herself to acknowledge him. Years later, my sister’s story brought that memory back. She, too, left her children and became a stranger to them. She died alone at 50. Their inability to forgive her — and my regret at not helping them reconcile — became the reason I made this film.
Film stills
