Mihail, an expert in contemporary art, has been living in Montreal since he left Bulgaria with his daughter Roza almost 30 years ago. When an art collector gets wind of Nina, an eight-year-old Bulgarian girl poised to become the art world’s latest painting prodigy, Mihail is commissioned to visit her and authenticate the work. Though reluctant at first, he eventually decides to take the journey. Once there, he finds himself not just reckoning with ghosts from his past, but also portents of the young girl’s future.
A complex, moving depiction of a specific immigrant experience, Nina Roza is the auspicious sophomore feature from Canadian director Geneviève Dulude-de Celles (A Colony, 2018). Anchored by the screen debut of Bulgarian-Canadian theatre director Galin Stoev, the film deftly weaves together mysteries past and present while exploring the ever-present tensions between art and life. Elliptically structured and impeccably observed, this is a film about complexities of that place we call home.
Silver Bear for Best Screenplay, Berlinale 2026; Oscar submission: Canada
Supported by
Community Partner
Galin Stoev, Ekaterina Stanina, Sofia Stanina, Chiara Caselli, Michelle Tzontchev, Christian Bégin
Canada/Italy/
Bulgaria/Belgium
2026
In Bulgarian and French with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
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Credits & Director
Producer
Fanny Drew, Sarah Mannering
Screenwriter
Geneviève Dulude-De Celles
Cinematography
Alexandre Nour Desjardins
Editor
Damien Keyeux
Production Design
Laura Nhem
Original Music
Joseph Marchand
Geneviève Dulude-De Celles
Geneviève Dulude-De Celles is a writer and director based in Montreal who alternates between documentary and fiction forms. Celles’s films address the notion of identity with drama, humour, and empathy, always striving for authenticity. Her debut short The Cut won Best International Short Film at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, and her first fiction feature film, A Colony (2019), won the Crystal Bear at the Berlinale and the Best Motion Picture Award at the Canadian Screen Awards. In addition to her own films, she produces through Colonelle films, a production company she co-founded.
Filmography: WELCOME TO F.L (2015); A Colony (2019); Days (2023)
Photo by Danny Taillon
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