Sofia’s Last Ambulance

In his gripping documentary, award-winning director Ilian Metev offers us a highly authentic look at the exhausting and often frustrating work of Sofia’s three-member ambulance crews as they rush to save the lives of people in need in the Bulgarian capital. Owing to the low earnings of the crumbling health care system, a mere 13 ambulances now handle all the work demanded by a city of two million. So despite their best efforts, charismatic Dr. Yordanov, nurse Mila, and driver Plamen sometimes get to their patients four hours late. The movie follows the crew over the course of a 48hour shift, allowing viewers (with the help of a camera mounted on the ambulance dashboard) to share the ins and outs of their demanding work. Dramatic situations – saving a life or a collision with an inattentive driver – are intermingled with short cinematic moments of relaxation over a cigarette and a funny story. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)