Mina Mileva

Mina Nikolova Mileva is a Bulgarian director and animator. She is best known for her cinematography in Cat in the Wall and Women Do Cry (2021) alongside directing partner Vesela Kazakova.

Life and career Mileva studied animation at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia, and at La Cambre in Brussels. She has lived in London since 1997, working as a freelance animator. After relocating to the United Kingdom, Mileva entered the British animation industry, and worked as animation director, animator and line producer for films, commercials and TV series. In 2008, she set up the production company Activist 38 with Vesela Kazakova.

The pair's documentary Uncle Tony, Three Fools and the Secret Service (2014) caused major controversy in Bulgaria, but it also achieved prestigious selections and awards. It premiered at Sarajevo Film Festival, and later made it to several other festivals such as Warsaw Film Festival and Cairo Film Festival. Writing for Variety, Jay Weissberg noted that the film made good use of the wealth of material, and praised the music. Uncle Tony, Three Fools and the Secret Service was picked by the American Film Institute for their showcase "Best of European cinema 2014.

In 2019, she directed Cat in the Wall alongside Kazakova. The film was presented in the official competition of the Locarno Film Festival and at South by Southwest in the United States. It received the FIPRESCI prize from the Warsaw Film Festival.

In 2021, she paired up with Kazakova again to direct Women Do Cry. This film was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival, and was also screened at South by Southwest and the Glasgow Film Festival. It was the winner of the Eurimages Audentia Award at the Trieste Film Festival in 2022.

Selected filmography

Year Title Credited as NotesDirectorWriter 2008 Zaradi lelia Sneje Documentary 2014 Uncle Tony, Three Fools and the Secret Service Documentary 2016 The Beast is Still Alive Documentary 2019 Cat in the Wall 2021 Women Do Cry