Bulgaria has selected Ilian Djevelekov’s Omnipresent to compete for the best foreign-language film Oscar category.
The film’s protagonist is Emil, a writer and owner of an advertising agency who gradually becomes obsessed with spying on his family, friends and employees with hidden spy cameras.
What starts as an innocent hobby turns out to be a total disaster as in the process Emil abuses his new power and eventually comes to realize that some secrets should be left uncovered.
In October 2017, Omnipresent was triumphed at Bulgaria’s Golden Rose film festival, winning best film’s award as well as the audience’s award and the critics’ guild’s award, while the main stars Velislav Pavlov and Teodora Duhovnikova were awarded as the best actor and actress, respectively.
In March 2018, Omnipresent received the FIPRESCI Prize at the Sofia International Film Festival.
Bulgaria has been submitting films to the Academy Awards since 1970 but has never won an Oscar.
In 2009, Stephan Komandarev’s The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner made the January shortlist.
