The End of the River

2024, Bulgaria – Ukraine, 110 min., Feature, Drama

Director: Vasil Barkov
Script: Vasil Barkov, Marin Damynov, Volodimir Filippov
Cinematography: Vitaliy Zaporohchenko
Cast: Penko Gospodinov, Katerina Molchanova, Georgi Kermensky, Sergei Denga, Georgiy Deliev, Bata Nedich
Producers: Magic Mount, Odesa Film Production, Odesa Film Studio


Fori (50), an amateur astronomer, travels to the Danube Delta and ends up in Vilkovo, Ukraine. While there, he unintentionally commits a crime, but in this strange city, he is also met with true love. Through the simple life of the local fishermen and his relationship with Maria, the atheist Fori finds his way to faith and purpose. However, fate intervenes, forcing him to face a tragic question: will legal prosecution or his own conscience be the harshest judge for the death of a child?

Vasil Barkov

Vasil Barkov was born in 1972 in Bessarabia, Ukraine. He graduated in Film and TV Directing from NATFA in Sofia under Prof. Vladislav Ikonomov. He has directed and produced numerous documentaries and feature films, often as international co-productions between Bulgaria and Ukraine. Barkov is the founder of the Contemporary Bulgarian Film Festival in Odesa and was named “Man of the Year” in 2016 by the Association of Bulgarians in Ukraine.

FILMOGRAPHY

2024 – The End of the River
2007 – Small Talk (Malki razgovorki)

AWARDS, NOMINATIONS AND FESTIVALS

2025 – Cinematic European Film Festival (Romania) – Jury’s Honorable Mention for Best Director; Special Award for Best Actor (Penko Gospodinov)
2025 – IFF “By The River” (North Macedonia) – Best Director of a Feature Film Award
2025 – Sofia International Film Festival – Official Selection
2024 – Florence International Film Festival (Italy) – Best Actor in a Feature Film (Penko Gospodinov); Jury’s Honorable Mention for Directing
2024 – Hollywood Independent Filmmaker Awards (USA) – Silver Film Award
2024 – Golden Rose Film Festival (Bulgaria) – Official Competition
2024 – Love is Folly IFF (Bulgaria) – Official International Competition
2024 – Matera International Film Festival (Italy) – Jury’s Honorable Mention for Directing
2024 – Abuja International Film Festival (Nigeria) – 2nd Place for Best Foreign Feature Film
2024 – Mirabile Dictu (Rome) – Finalist for Best Film