Ralitza Petrova (b. 1976, Sofia, Bulgaria) studied Film and Video Art 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 feature debut, GODLESS (2016), premiered at the Locarno Film Festival, where it won the Golden Leopard for Best Film. The film went on to receive 27 awards worldwide and was nominated for the European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI by the European Film Academy. Her second feature, LUST (2026), premiered in the Forum section of the Berlin International Film Festival. It has since screened at numerous festivals and received the Best Director Award at the Sofia International Film Festival and the Special Jury Prize from the Bulgarian Film Academy, where it was also nominated for Best Film, Best Director, Best Female Lead, and Best Editing. She is currently developing her third feature, PEACE, produced by Contrast Films (Bulgaria) in co-production with Mater Pictures (Denmark).
Since 2019, Ralitza has worked extensively as a film lecturer, script mentor, and consultant across a range of international film development labs and platforms, including Le Groupe Ouest’s lim² | Less is More, Ventana CineMad, La Sélection Annuelle du Groupe Ouest, Pride X Power Lab, and Creative Academy “Rabbit Hole.”
