Special Mention in Animation

The Long-Stocking Cake

by Blagoslava Kirilova, Denislava Georgieva, Evgeni Ganchev
National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts, Bulgaria

Jury Motivation by Nairy Eivazy

The Special Mention in Animation goes to The Long-Stocking Cake for its delicately crafted animation. The film creates a nostalgic, whimsical and truly engaging visual world through the use of stop-motion animation and clever use of sound design.

Synopsis

The well-known Pippi Longstocking is in her kitchen, taking on the modest task of baking a cake for her Mr. Nilsson’s birthday. What could possibly go wrong—aside from everything? Starting with her peculiar chest, the broken refrigerator, the poor cow, and ending with her blazing stove. It may sound chaotic and frightening, but Pippi always keeps things under control—or in this case, almost always…

Director's biography

Blagoslava Kirilova

Blagoslava Kirilova earned a Bachelor’s degree in Animation from the National Academy of Theater and Film Arts “Krastyo Sarafov” in 2025. During her studies, she participated in several animated short films, including “Sisters,” “The Room,” “The Long-Stocking Cake,” and others, which were selected for festivals such as WFAF Varna, TrikFilm, and the T-Short Animated Film Festival.

She loves to create and experiment with different techniques and genres. She is particularly drawn to creating backgrounds and puppet sets. She actively participates in numerous seminars and workshops.

In 2025, she was part of the team behind the film “Raindrops,” which won first place at the “NEXTDOOR NETWORKING” student pitching forum for project development. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in “Animation Directing” at NATFA, and her master’s film project, “A Jar of Happiness,” is among the finalists in the National Film Center’s “Anima Incubator” program.

Evgeni Ganchev

Evgeni Ganchev studied animation in National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts "Krysto Srafov" (NATFA). In the past few years he had worked on different short animated movies with his colleagues from the university. He is currently studying “Animation Directing” at the Academy. He experiments boldly and has a passion for music, actively designing posters for musical events.

Denislava Georgieva

Denislava Georgieva is an Animation graduate from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts “Krastyo Sarafov” (NATFA). During her studies, she worked closely with her colleagues on several animated short films, driven by the joy of working collectively and the freedom to tell all kinds of stories, both playful and serious. Their first animated short film, Sisters, was screened at the World Festival of Animated Film in Varna.

Credits

Director: Margot Jacquet, Nathan Baudry, Marion Choudin, Jeanne Desplanques, Lise Delcroix, Salomé Cognon
Cinematography: Margot Jacquet
Producer: Philippe Meis

Specifications

Original title: Courage
Running time: 5'
Film type: Animation
Country: France