Regional Competition

The Good Postman

Tonislav Hristov
Screening time  
28.02. / Tuesday, 17:00 - 19:00 Theatre 3  
02.03. / Thursday, 16:00 - 18:00 Theatre 1  
04.03. / Saturday, 14:00 - 16:00 Theatre 5  
When running for mayor in his village on the Turkish border, a Bulgarian postman learns that while good intentions are not enough, even the smallest deeds matter.

In an almost deserted Bulgarian village on the border with Turkey, known for centuries as The Great Gate, there are only 38 voters left. Among the candidates running for mayor is Ivan the postman. He has come up with an unconventional and generous-minded plan to breathe new life into his village. Since the times of the Roman and Ottoman Empires, refugees have been entering Europe through this gate. So why not offer the passing Syrian refugees a home and a new beginning in the empty village? Ivan’s main rival is against the idea, and it’s not entirely clear what the incumbent mayor thinks. The film follows the three candidates’ campaigns as they attempt to appeal to their elderly electorate. In this tragicomic portrait of a sleepy village that suddenly finds itself at the center of current affairs, we see how the villagers’ fears and worries compete with their hope and compassion.

Tonislav_hristov

Tonislav Hristov

Tonislav Hristov is a Bulgarian filmmaker, living in Finland since 2001. In 2008, he directed his first documentary film Family Fortune for YLE and Bulgarian National Television. His first feature-length documentary Rules of Single Life (2011) won the best documentary award at the Sofia International Film Festival and it was shown at many other festivals. His documentary The Good Postman (2016) was screened at ZagrebDox, Sundance and IDFA and was nominated for the European Film Awards in 2017.

General sponsor

Dobri poštar

Finland, Bulgaria
2016, 82'

Directed by:
Tonislav Hristov

Screenplay by:
Tonislav Hristov, Lubomir Tsvetkov

Cinematography:
Orlin Ruevski

Edited by:
Nikolai Hartmann

Music:
Petar Dundakov

Producers:
Kaarle Aho, Andrea Stanoeva

Produced by:
Soul Food Ltd., Making Movies

Festivals & Awards:

IDFA 2016, Sundance Film Festival 2017