Mihail fled Bulgaria in the ‘90s after the death of
his wife, raising his young daughter Roza alone, in
Montreal. Far from his native culture and painful
memories, he built a new life for himself, one steeped in French and contemporary art. A specialist in the field, he is commissioned by a collector to authenticate the work of an eight-year-old Bulgarian girl, Nina, whose paintings have gone viral online. Meanwhile, Roza, feeling melancholy about her relationship, temporarily moves in with him along with her son.
Mihail, however, feels unready to return to Bulgaria
after twenty-eight years away. Yet his daughter’s wish to pass on her Bulgarian heritage to her Quebec-born son pushes Mihail to overcome his reluctance and set out in search of Nina.

In a delicate, suspended atmosphere somewhere between past and present, between the tangible and the symbolic, this journey, as internal as it is geographical, becomes a cathartic one. Director Geneviève Dulude-De Celles' (A COLONY, CIFF 2019) second narrative feature film is quickly becoming a festival hit by being nominated for the Golden Bear and winning the Silver Bear for Screenplay at the Berlinale Film Festival. NINA ROZA is Canada's official Oscar submission to the 99th Academy Awards®.