Featured Selection

MONA

"Davam (I Give)"

With Davam (I Give), MONA blends Bulgarian folk tradition with contemporary pop aesthetics through a visual world built around ritual, rhythm, and light. Developed through close collaboration between the director, cinematographer Teodor Fichev, choreographer Kosta Karakashyan, and the wider creative team.

At the center of the piece is the idea of shared energy, which is visualized through choreography, repetition, and a glowing source of light.

Below, director Victoria Karakoleva breaks down the creative process behind the video.

How many people worked on your selected video? Who played a key role in it?

MONA – “Davam (I Give)” is a project that aims to reinterpret Bulgarian folk traditions through music and visual art. The entire inspiration behind the mise-en-scène and storyboard – developed together with the cinematographer Teodor Fichev, who helped shape a clean and visually refined aesthetic – came from Mona’s music itself. Her sound carries elements of traditional folk songs, while seamlessly blending them with a contemporary pop style.

In the chorus, a phrase translates literally as “my living strength/power.” We chose to visualize this idea through light, represented as a small sun in the center of the room. From this source, Mona draws her energy, which she then shares with others. That is why she remains at the center, surrounded by her “rays” – the dancers. This symbolism unfolds through rhythm and the ritualistic repetition of movement.

The choreography is created by the talented choreographer and movement director Kosta Karakashyan, who perfectly expressed the conceptual ideas by merging traditional circular folk dance with modern movement, achieving a seamless and striking harmony.

Location and visual simplicity became central to shaping the final atmosphere of the film.

How long did it take to make it? What was the process (in short)?

The project required significant preparation time, especially in finding the right location. Various constraints forced us to make quick decisions, which ultimately influenced the overall visual direction. In the end, I chose a minimal, clean white setting, which enhanced the story and emphasized the core element I wanted to build – light itself. The final look was so well elevated by the colorist Vanya Tomova.

Many of the project’s strongest visual moments came through practical experimentation rather than heavy digital manipulation.

What challenges did you face while working on the video?

Along the way, many ideas remained unrealized, but this led the project in a new direction and ultimately inspired the final shot: Mona transforming into light itself, radiating from her face, almost resembling a Godly figure. This scene was particularly interesting to shoot. Our art director, Martin Kirilov, created several versions of mirrored masks using different reflective materials. Mona wore these masks while a spotlight hit the surface, allowing the light to scatter dynamically. The final shot contains only about 10% VFX – it is largely the result of a practical SFX experiment.

Throughout the video, choreography functions not only as movement, but as visual storytelling tied directly to the lyrics and themes of the song.

What part of the video is your favorite?

One of my favorite moments in the video is when Kosta choreographed the dancers’ hands movements into the shape of a flower blooming in front of Mona’s face. This directly connects to the lyric “aleno-galeno” (meaning “tender, scarlet/red flower”). This image captures the essence of the entire concept.

Is there any message that the video is sending that you don’t want the viewer to miss?

An important detail for me is that at the end of the video, Mona performs the lyrics in sign language. This is something she has explored in her previous work and continues to develop, as she believes her music and message should be accessible to everyone.

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