The Sofia Award for outstanding contribution in cinema is a joint initiative of Sofia Municipality and Sofia International Film Festival. The award was first handed out in 2005 by the Mayor of Sofia under whose patronage the festival takes place. Since then, 38 individuals from Bulgarian and International cinema were honoured with the prestigious award.

Peter Greenaway, director (UK)

Rangel Valchanov, director (Bulgaria)

Sir Alan Parker, director (UK)

Terry Jones, director (UK)

Volker Schlondorf, director (Germany)

Theo Angelopoulos, director (Greece)

Nikolay Volev, director (Bulgaria)

Vanessa Redgrave, actress (UK)

Jiří Menzel, director (Czech Republic)

Wim Wenders, director (Germany)

Lyudmil Staykov, director (Bulgaria)

Jean-Claude Carrière, scriptwriter (France)

Nikita Mikhalkov, director/actor/scriptwriter (Russia)

Milcho Leviev, composer (Bulgaria, USA)

Miki Manojlvic, actor (Serbia)

Vladislav Ikonomov, director (Bulgaria)

Nikola Korabov, director (Bulgaria)

Michael Palin, actor, scriptwriter and TV presenter (UK)

Bozhidar Petkov, composer (Bulgaria)

Giuliano Montaldo, director (Italy)

Tony Palmer, director (UK)

Jan Troell, director (Sweden)

Sergei Solovyov, director (Russia)

Otar Iossealiani, director (Georgia, France)

Claudia Cardinale, actress (Italy)

Rousy Chanev, actor, screenwriter (Bulgaria)

Claude Lelouch, director (France)

Nuri Bilge Ceylan, director (Turkey)

Danis Tanović, director (Bosna and Herzegovina)

Gueorgui Stoyanov, director (Bulgaria)

Hugh Hudson, director (UK)

Itzhak Finzi, actor (Bulgaria)

Costa Gavras, director (France)

Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, directors (Italy)

Jos Stelling, director (Netherlands)

Dusan Hanak, director (Slovakia)

Prof. Georgi Djulgerov, director (Bulgaria)

Goran Paskaljevic, director (UK)

Ivan Ivanov, actor (Bulgaria)

Franco Nero, actor (Italy)

Nana Djordjadze, director (Georgia)