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Nina Roza

Competition 2026
© Alexandre Nour Desjardins
Mihail left Bulgaria in the 1990s after the death of his wife and raised his young daughter, Roza, alone in Montreal. Far from his homeland, he established himself as a specialist in French and contemporary art. Now, he is commissioned by a collector to authenticate the work of an eight-year-old girl, Nina, who is living in a Bulgarian village and whose paintings have gone viral online. Mihail hesitates but eventually agrees to undertake the journey. Meeting Nina shakes him deeply. The disarmingly mature child reminds him of Roza at the same age. During his stay in Bulgaria, he gradually makes his peace with the ghosts of his past while trying to unravel the mystery behind Nina: is she truly the author of her work? Has someone helped her? What gives him the right to disrupt her happy life? Somewhere between the past and the present, the tangible and the symbolic, Mihail’s journey becomes a cathartic one which highlights the intricate relationships between life, art and human beings. Sometimes, the journey matters more than the destination.
by Geneviève Dulude-de Celles (Director, Screenplay)
with Galin Stoev, Ekaterina Stanina, Sofia Stanina, Chiara Caselli, Michelle Tzontchev, Christian Bégin, Nikolay Mutafchiev Canada / Italy / Bulgaria / Belgium 2026 Bulgarian, French 103' Colour World premiere

With

  • Galin Stoev (Mihail)
  • Ekaterina Stanina (Nina)
  • Sofia Stanina (Nina)
  • Chiara Caselli (Giulia Mancini)
  • Michelle Tzontchev (Rose)
  • Christian Bégin (Christophe)
  • Nikolay Mutafchiev (Bogdan)

Crew

Director Geneviève Dulude-de Celles
Screenplay Geneviève Dulude-de Celles
Cinematography Alexandre Nour Desjardins
Editing Damien Keyeux
Music Joseph Marchand
Sound Design Gilberto Martellini, Corinne Dubien
Production Design Laura Nhem
Costumes Maya Gili
Make-Up Bistra Kechedjieva
Casting Tania Arana
Producers Fanny Drew, Sarah Mannering
Co-Producers Lorenzo Fiuzzi, Bardo Tarantelli, Nikolay Mutafchiev, Benoît Hansez, Etienne Hansez, Luba Piperova

Produced by

Colonelle films

Montréal, Canada

Co-produced by

Umi Films

Rom, Italy

PREMIERstudio

Sofia, Bulgaria

Echo Bravo

Brüssel, Belgium

Ginger Light

Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria

World Sales

Best Friend Forever

Brüssel, Belgium

Photos

Press Conference

Red Carpet

Geneviève Dulude-de Celles

© Camille Gladu-Drouin

After completing a master’s degree centred on language and poetry in cinema, the Montreal-based filmmaker made La coupe which won Best International Short Film at Sundance. She went on to direct two feature-length documentaries, Bienvenue à F.L. and Les jours. Her debut fiction feature film, Une colonie, was selected for the Berlinale Generation section where it won the Crystal Bear for Best Film before going on to secure Best Motion Picture at the Canadian Screen Awards. Nina Roza is her second fiction feature film.

Filmography

2010 Chers Amis (Dear Friends); short film 2014 La coupe (The Cut); short film 2015 Bienvenue à F.L. (Welcome to F.L.) 2018 Une colonie (A Colony); Berlinale 2019 2023 Les jours (Days); documentary 2026 Nina Roza

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2026