Womaniser
Date:
December 15, 2022
Womaniser
Womaniser
by Mina Mileva and Vesela Kazakova
Activist38 | Bulgaria and Dan Films | United Kingdom
Live-action feature
Logline
A 17-year-old provocateur challenges stereotypes and political correctness in his new English school.
Synopsis
A comedy/drama about political tendencies among the very young in modern British society. Jerome 17, arrives in his new London school ready to start life afresh after a troublesome stay in a Russian Embassy school in Bulgaria.
He needs to understand many new concepts and terms like “trigger warning”, “cultural appropriation”, “simping”, “fat shaming” and “environmental veganism”. All the while he has to come to terms with the fact that the school is funded by a Russian oligarch. His new friends religiously comply with a set of rules and regulations under the influence of cancel culture and social media. Jerome’s pranking style and physicality help him win many friends but eventually he’s “cancelled” for being a “Simp” (a Womaniser) and for not rigidly following the regulations. But he’ll undergo a transition and manage to bounce back as a hero.
Director’s Profile
Mina Mileva graduated in animation film directing at “LA CAMBRE” Brussels and Sofia’s Film Academy. Later on, she worked at the British animation industry for more than a decade.
Vesela Kazakova graduated both acting and producing in Sofia.
Her main roles in cinema are iconic and she’s very popular and loved in Bulgaria. Mileva& Kazakova have spent a few activist years in their documentary period. Their films provoked huge debates and brought audiences to the screenings. They took part in political programmes and pushed for lustration for former Communist secret Service agents in Bulgaria.
This heavy documentary experience left a mark on their fiction film-making, which is soaked with authenticity and working for a cause,
also visually striking. “Women do Cry” (recipient of WEMW 2020 BEST PROJECT AWARD) was described as a feminist rallying cry and a powerful indictment of the patriarchy. It premiered at Cannes’ official selection in 2021. “Cat in the wall” offering an unnerving window into Brexit Britain premiered at Locarno film festival in 2019. Both films were a part of SXSW Global section and the European Films Academy selection.
Company Profile
The Bulgarian company Activist 38 is ever more visible internationally.
It featured on Screen International’s showcase Euro 75 (made for Cannes 75th anniversary) dedicated to Europe’s lead independent producers. It is known for subversive and scandalous documentaries that gave Mileva and Kazakova the nickname “Demonic Duo”.
The early years were hard but created a name for Activist 38 as extremely agile, adaptable, a survivor.
The films have important selections at Cannes, Locarno, AFI, IDFA,
Goteborg, SXSW, Sarajevo and other big festivals and strong critical acclaim. Their latest fiction films CAT IN THE WALL (2019) and WOMEN DO CRY (2021) were in the EFA feature film selection.
The company has a wide range of coproductions which received
regular European support of Creative Europe Media, Eurimages,
Arte, Ile de France. It is a proud member of EAVE and other peer
networks.