Directed by award-winning filmmaking duo Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, ‘Triumph’ the new black-comedy film set in 1990’s Bulgaria, has been chosen to represent the country at the 2025 Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. The film stars Maria Bakalova, who rose to prominence after starring in 2020’s ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’, earning her a nomination for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

‘Triumph’ is set to premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival in the Platform Prize program.

The film’s TIFF synopsis reads; With freedom still a new concept after the fall of communism in the 1990s, a Bulgarian task force of high-ranking military officials is charged by the ailing General Zlatev (Ivan Savov) and his personal psychic Pirina (Margita Gosheva) with a classified mission. The head of the Army’s Science Department, Colonel Platnikov (Julian Vergov), tasked as leader (despite his reasonable objections) is, due to unforeseen circumstances, accompanied by his precocious daughter Slava (Maria Bakalova). As picks and shovels pierce the ground, Pirina declares Slava a powerful “signal conductor,” able to communicate with an alien who is guiding the team in unearthing a powerful artifact that will change the future of humanity. It soon becomes clear the expedition will not reveal a powerful cosmic relic (nor a space capsule or a fountain of youth), but perhaps something else much more realistic — and previously completely unknown — will be unearthed.

Watch a clip from Triumph

‘Triumph’ will be the last film of the ‘Newspapers Clippings Trilogy’ by Grozeva and Valchanov, a trilogy inspired by sensasionalist news stories from Bulgaria.

A short list of the submissions from all the countries participating in the Oscar race will be unveiled on December 17, 2024, before revealing the official nominations on January 17, 2025.