| Zift | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Bulgarian | Дзифт |
| Directed by | Javor Gardev |
| Written by | Vladislav Todorov |
| Based on | Zift by Vladislav Todorov |
| Produced by | Georgi Dimitrov Ilian Dzhevelekov Matey Konstantinov Stefan Goranov |
| Starring | Zachary Baharov Tanya Ilieva Vladimir Penev Mihail Mutafov Đoko Rosić |
| Cinematography | Emil Hristow |
| Edited by | Kevork Aslanyan |
| Music by | Kalin Nikolov |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Alexandra Films Miramar Film |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | Bulgaria |
| Language | Bulgarian |
| Budget | 1,200,000 levs (€600,000) |
Zift (Bulgarian: Дзифт, Dzift) is a 2008 black-and-white Bulgarian drama film that combines neo-noir[1] and black comedy with socialist retro motifs; it is based on Vladislav Todorov's 2006 same-named novel and he also wrote the script. Zift was directed by Javor Gardev and premiered on 27 June 2008 at the 30th Moscow International Film Festival, where it won a Silver George for Best Director and the Best Film Prize of the Russian Film Clubs Federation.[2]
The film stars Zachary Baharov as Moth, the main character who organizes a robbery out of love and money and is imprisoned before the 9 September coup d'état for a murder he did not commit. Moth is released from jail in the 1960s to meet the new and unfamiliar reality of socialist Sofia.
Zift's name is derived from the Arabic loanword zift or dzift, meaning "asphalt", "bitumen" or "black pitch", once a popular chewing substance among the gangs in Sofia's asphalt jungle; the word is also said to be urban slang for shit.[3]
- ^ Allison, John (2008-09-07). "TIFF 08: Review of ZIFT". Quiet Earth. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
- ^ "30th Moscow International Film Festival (2008)". MIFF. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
- ^ ""Дзифт" взриви Московския кинофестивал" (in Bulgarian). e-vestnik.bg. 2008-06-29. Retrieved 2008-10-15.