Interview by Viktoria Dailova
A cozy town an hour outside Sofia, Pravets is famous in Bulgaria for being the birthplace of two things: the communist-era leader Todor Zhivkov and the country’s first personal computer, aptly named the Pravetz (and suspiciously similar to the Apple II). Thanks to Fulbright, however, we can now add a third thing to this illustrious list: the city is also the birthplace of the Pravets Film Fest, started in 2019 by ETA Shauna Ricketts and hosted by Aleko Konstantinov Foreign Language School in Pravets. The seventh edition took place on March 21, 2025, showcasing an impressive collection of 23 films from 12 schools and featuring the creative work of 139 talented young filmmakers. Students competed for the following awards: Best Picture, Best Story, Next Level Award for Innovation, the Boris Nikolov Memorial Prize for Best Cinematography and Audience Award. The Boris Nikolov Cinematography Award honors the life and work of Boris Nikolov, a director and graduate of the Aleko Konstantinov Language High School in Pravets, who sadly passed away at the start of a promising career. A key highlight of the festival was the opportunity for students to receive feedback directly from international professionals. The festival celebrated the artistic vision and technical skills of Bulgaria’s next generation of cinematic storytellers, with “The Third Law of Mechanics” by team Souls of Geo Milev English Language High School in Ruse taking home the coveted Best Picture award. The Municipality of Pravets traditionally supports the event, and this year was no exception: Pravets City Council Chairperson Tsvetelina Vladimirova and Deputy Mayor Marutsa Yoncheva were among the festival’s official guests.
One new addition to the event was an immersive field trip to Nu Boyana Studios, where 70 students experienced the inner workings of professional filmmaking. From innovative storytelling to masterful cinematography, this year’s festival continued to elevate a platform where students transform their creative visions into powerful short films that captivate and inspire audiences. The event couldn’t have happened without the passion and hard work of our current ETA in Pravets, Ally Hom, and her mentor teacher, Stefka Atanasova. Let’s hear more details from Ally!
Ally, how did your background in media management and your experiences abroad influence your approach to this film festival?
My educational background in film and media management provided me with the foundational understanding of all the pieces that must come together to pull off a film festival. One of my professors, a former executive at Disney and Nickelodeon, even helped judge on the panel. I wanted this festival to be an enriching opportunity for students to learn in addition to being a showcase for their existing talent, which is why I focused on having our judges provide valuable feedback to every team and organized the trip to Nu Boyana Studios. Having previously organized large-scale events in Ireland and Austria, I knew I needed to meticulously plan the logistics well in advance. I began meeting with my mentor teacher, Stefka Atanasova, the film festival’s founder, Shauna Ricketts, and a teacher who assisted with the technical aspects, Tsanko Tsolov, back in October to ensure we were prepared with all the small details that contribute to the bigger picture.
What was the most challenging aspect of organizing this year’s festival?
The most challenging aspect of organizing this event was trying to find ways to improve it from previous years, even though I was not here for them. Every year, the festival has kicked off with a video from Shauna Ricketts and the judges, a guest speaker who works in the Bulgarian film industry, and a tribute to Boris Nikolov. After seven years, it was challenging to find an innovative angle to approach these elements, but I believe we successfully did so by bringing in new people to contribute.
Could you share a memorable moment from this year’s festival that exemplifies what you hope students gain from the experience?
A memorable moment from this year’s festival was the award show portion – seeing students run up to the stage to receive their trophies and hearing cheers of joy throughout the building demonstrated how impactful opportunities like these can be. All the teams in attendance were so supportive of one another, and I saw many students from different schools congratulating and getting to know one another, and even exchanging contact information. This is exactly what I had hoped students would gain from this experience: lifelong connections and the inspiration to continue creating.
The festival featured 23 films from 12 different schools. What surprised you most about the students’ submissions this year?
What surprised me most about the students’ submissions this year was the range of storylines that were created from the required elements. From mystery to comedy, and from romance to horror, the students’ films spanned many genres and displayed incredible creativity from the exact same list of elements, such as: handwritten note, friendship bracelet, footsteps, reflection, deck of cards, time lapse and many more. They also were able to develop these nuanced storylines within a short 4-5 minute film – a task that requires a strong command of screenwriting and filmmaking techniques.
How did the trip to Nu Boyana Studios impact the students’ understanding of filmmaking?
The trip to Nu Boyana Studios was an invaluable way for students to learn about the film industry in Bulgaria, as well as see the inner workings of professional sets. The trip started with learning about the studio itself, films made in Bulgaria, and opportunities for aspiring filmmakers, which was a great way to introduce students to all the exciting opportunities that exist for themloved taking pictures in the car lot and seeing the size of the Ancient Roman sets. Overall, students walked away with new knowledge in how to improve their own productions and potential career paths and trainee programs at the studio.
Your experience spans from rowing to marketing to education. How do these diverse areas inform your educational philosophy?
My diverse background amalgamated into an educational philosophy that celebrates the different needs, learning styles, and backgrounds of students to help everyone improve together. In rowing, a boat only moves if all nine people are contributing to their position in the boat. To get faster, the team must develop each person’s skills for their position. In the classroom, I believe that not every student needs to excel at everything, so developing lessons and activities where students can play to their strengths but still improve in different ways is very important. Additionally, marketing requires a deep understanding of the cultural and historical background of a group of people in order to be effective. For me, I made a strong effort to learn from my students and my community in Pravets to understand how to better tailor classes for the unique cultural and historical background of Bulgaria.
Q. What were the films about? Which ones impressed you the most and why?
Some of the films told the stories of solving mysteries, avenging people, finding their purpose in life, and resolving friendships. I was very impressed with the cinematography and editing, especially the use of creative special effects through jump cut editing and superimposition.
You were one of three American grantees selected to represent Bulgaria at the annual Fulbright Seminar on the European Union and NATO in Brussels and Luxembourg this February – what are your main takeaways from this event?
My main takeaway from the EU-NATO Seminar is that effective international institutions require mutual cooperation, accountability, and challenging the status quo. Through visiting multiple organizations within the European Union and NATO, it became clear that all member countries must approach them with an open mind and a willingness to challenge one another in order to find the best possible solution. The EU allows its member countries to retain their national interests while still prioritizing the greater peace and prosperity for all of Europe – something that was evident through hearing from representatives of different countries at the Court of Justice, the European Commission, and the European Parliament. The EU and NATO are also key actors in accountability for member countries and global treaties on a host of climate change, education, economic, and military policies. Although incredibly complex, learning about how these international organizations function is necessary to understanding and preserving their importance.
There are less than two months left until the end of your stay in Pravets and Bulgaria. What will you miss most, and what are you most eager to return to?
I will definitely miss the beautiful mountains and the generous hospitality in Bulgaria. I have gotten to travel throughout the country over the past nine months, and the Balkan, Rila, Pirin, and Rhodope Mountains are places I could never get tired of. I will miss waking up to the familiar hills surrounding Pravets and getting to enjoy nature on my daily walk to school. I will also miss the generous hospitality of the other teachers at my school, the people in Pravets who are always willing to help when I can’t quite find the words in Bulgarian, and the Bulgarians I have met while traveling. However, I am very eager to return to my hometown in California where it is warm and sunny almost every day of the year and feast on my mom’s cooking. I have many favorite restaurants that I crave and friends I’d love to catch up with.
Many thanks to the main organizer Aleko Konstantinov Foreign Language High School in Pravets, especially former ETA Shauna Rickets, current ETA Allyson Hom, English teacher Stefka Atanasova, and history teacher Tsanko Tsolov.
Fulbright Bulgaria and the Pravets Film Fest organizers are also grateful to the partners below for their support:
Yariv Lerner, CEO Nu Boyana Film Studios, who arranged the tour
Prestige 96 for donating all the participation gifts
All the film fest judges (starred names helped with the introduction video (starred):
Peter Chen – Assistant Director
Maria Diakova Hassell – Film Editor (from Plovdiv, now working in Hollywood)
Kate Gammon – Journalist (former Peace Corp teacher in Pravets)
Scott Garner – former Programming at The Oprah Winfrey Network, Lifetime Networks, Disney, Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon
Haruka Kosugi – Programming at Disney
Nedyalko Panayotov – Production Manager and Content & Media Strategist (and BEST Foundation marketing coordinator)
Rob Slychuk – Emmy Nominated Art Director
Harrison Smith – Actor, Closed Captioning for Film Production & Advertising (referred to us by Emilie Ehrman, a former ETA)
Awards:
Best Story:
The Third Law of Mechanics, Souls, AEG “Geo Milev”, Ruse
Cinematography:
Rebirth, SAGJB Productions, EG “Hristo Botev”, Kardzhali
Innovation:
All or Nothing, Kuyruk Productions, CHPGE “Rayko Tsonchev”, Dobrich
Best Picture:
The Third Law of Mechanics, Souls, AEG “Geo Milev”, Ruse
Best Picture Runner Up:
The Time On Our Hands, Through the Lenses, AEG “Geo Milev”, Ruse
Audience Award:
Fata Morgana, Frison, 51 SU “Elisaveta Bagriana”, Sofia
Link to all films on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Um3Vt_vF08c