Ralitza Petrova
PEACE
After surviving an explosion at her husband's weapons testing facility, the wife of a defence contractor awakens profoundly changed, threatening her husband's carefully ordered world.
SYNOPSIS
Shortly before her fiftieth birthday, Nadezhda, the wife of a defence contractor, survives an explosion at one of her husband's weapons testing facilities and falls into a coma. When she awakens, doctors discover a ballistic fragment lodged in her brain, too dangerous to remove. But the deepest change is invisible. No longer able to perform, she begins to expose what lies behind her family's privilege. As those around her cling ever more fiercely to the order they mistake for safety, her husband tightens his grip on the world she can no longer sustain. Drawn to the father of the little girl killed in the explosion, Nadezhda must relinquish the lifelong belief that she can make life feel safe.
DIRECTOR
Ralitza Petrova
PRODUCER
Katya Trichkova
PRODUCTION COMPANY
Contrast Films, Aporia Filmworks
CO-PRODUCTION COMPANY Aporia Filmworks (Bulgaria), Mater Pictures (Denmark)
COUNTRIES
Bulgaria, Denmark
Ralitza Petrova
DIRECTOR’S BIOGRAPHY
Ralitza Petrova (b. 1976) studied Film and Video at the University of the Arts London and Fiction Directing at the UK's National Film and Television School (NFTS). Her work has screened at major international festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Locarno and Toronto, as well as at institutions such as Tate Modern and the Centre Pompidou. Her debut feature, GODLESS (2016), premiered at the Locarno Film Festival, where it won the Golden Leopard for Best Film. The film went on to receive 27 international awards and was nominated for the European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI at the European Film Awards. Her second feature, LUST (2026), premiered in the Forum section of the Berlin International Film Festival. It subsequently received the Best Director Award at the Sofia International Film Festival and the Jury Prize at the Bulgarian Film Academy Awards. Ralitza Petrova is an alumna of TorinoFilmLab, Le Groupe Ouest, Nipkow Programm and the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program. She is a member of the European Film Academy.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
I see PEACE as an eco-mystical moral fable about the fragile architecture of peace. I am interested in peace not as a stable condition, but as a fragile construct sustained by fear, privilege and the belief that control can protect us. What happens when the structures that protect us begin to fracture? At its centre is a woman who survives an explosion and awakens unable to perform the social lies that have shaped her life. Her transformation reveals the hidden violence beneath ordinary life, turning every encounter into a moment of choice. The adventure of the film will not lie in physical heroism, but in ethical risk.
Visually, I envision a restrained, image-led cinema where landscape becomes conscience and silence becomes confrontation. Nature functions as a moral counterpoint to the human desire for control. Her final choice suggests that peace begins where fear no longer governs our actions.
Katya Trichkova
PRODUCER’S BIOGRAPHY
After earning a master’s degree in law and completing a specialization in film directing at NATFA under Prof. Lyudmil Staykov's supervision, Katya Trichkova founded the production company Contrast Films in 2009. Initially, the company produced music videos, theatrical plays and short films. Since 2011, she has collaborated closely with Bulgarian director and producer Stephan Komandarev, while also working as an independent producer with various Bulgarian production companies.
Her filmography includes over 15 feature and documentary films, among them the co-production THE MAN WHO COULD NOT REMAIN SILENT by Nebojša Slijepčević (2024, Cannes Film Festival – Palme d’Or, Best Europea Short Film – European Film Awards, Oscar and César nominations in their respective Best Short Film categories), MADE IN EU (2025, Venice IFF) and BLAGA’S LESONS (2023, Karlovy Vary IFF) by Stephan Komandarev, the documentary SILENT LEGACY by Petya Nakova (2021, co-production with HBO, broadcasted in 23 countries), Stephan Komandarev’s ROUNDS (2019, Sarajevo IFF), Stephan Komandarev’s DIRECTIONS (2017, Un Certain Regard, Cannes), Bogdan Mirica’s DOGS (2016, FIPRESCI Award, Un Certain Regard, Cannes) and the short films CLOTHES by Veselin Boydev (2017, Jameson Award for Best Bulgarian Short Film at the Sofia International Film Festival and the Bulgarian Film Academy) and CHAIN by Aike Bettinga (2015, Best Short Film at the Edem and ASIANA International Film Festivals).
Katya specialized in film production through the European programs EAVE and EURODOC and participated in the Sarajevo Talent Campus, Kyoto Filmmakers Lab, and the ExOriente program. In 2023, she will graduate from the prestigious ACE production program. She is a member of the European Film Academy and chair of the Bulgarian Association of Film Producers.
PRODUCER’S STATEMENT
As producers, we are committed to creating the strongest possible conditions for Ralitza Petrova to realise her most ambitious film to date. PEACE is a timely and deeply human story that explores the psychological consequences of living within systems built around fear, violence and power. We believe the project has exceptional artistic and international potential, combining Ralitza's distinctive cinematic language with a subject of urgent European relevance. Our role is to support a rigorous creative development process, build meaningful international partnerships, and secure the financing needed to protect the film's artistic vision. Together with our Danish co-producer, we aim to develop PEACE as a bold European co-production with a clear festival strategy and long-term international audience reach.
Production company profile
Production company “Contrast Films” was founded in 2009 in Sofia. The company’s initial activities were primarily focused on the production of music videos and short films, as well as independent theater productions. Currently, the company focuses on producing feature and documentary films—both short and full-length—by emerging and established filmmakers. The driving force behind the company is its owner, Katya Trichkova.
Where are we at?
TOTAL ESTIMATED BUDGET
1.601,787 €
FINANCES PENDING
1.509.656 €
FINANCING IN PLACE
92.131 €
Production timeline
2027
Financing and packaging
1st half of 2028
Prep
2nd half of 2028
Filming
2029
Completion