Discoveries from Bulgaria World Cinema

There is no traveler, whom, on their arrival in Sofia, capital of Bulgaria, did not mark its closeness to the Vitosha Mountain. Besides its presence as a reminder of nature, it is also a source of health for the Sofia citizens. Clear air comes down from above; we climb it – tourists, skiers. It is an incredible experience to ski on a beautiful, sunny winter day on its slopes, on Cherny Vruh – Vitosha's highest peak. Vitosha is dangerously close to the expanding capital Sofia. Its status as a protected area is threatened by secret arrangements between oligarchs and governing politicians. Construction is going on even at the foot of the Vitosha Mountain. "When stupidity meets big money, monsters are born!" – told us one of the heroes of the movie. Paradoxically, it is this conflict that provoked the most sensitive part of the generation of the transition, so that it will form the civil society in Bulgaria.

"Vaklush" is a documentary, filmed during the period of 1998 until 2022 and contains unseen archival footage from the life of the famous spiritual leader and Teacher Vaklush Tolev. The film is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of his birth and is a story about the life path and ideas of one of the most enigmatic personalities of Bulgaria.

In the not-so-distant past, two young artistes went on their way, leaving Bulgaria in search of dreams to which they were determined to devote their lives—an art, one to which they aspired. Among the bohemia of the Bulgarian artistic circle in Paris, through the music of the Russian cabarets shortly before they slid into obscurity, they encountered the legendary personalities who feature in this film.

The movie tells a story about life's absurdity and the game of destiny which is too cruel at times. This is a movie about the consequences of a taken decision, about love, suffering and death.

A journey between the sea and the land in today's Greece. The character thinks that the ancient Greece could be said through Antigone, Antigone linked to the choice and decision making.

The Tryavna municipality took charge of producing the film, featuring scenes showcasing the town, its square, the residence of renowned revolutionary Georgi Raykov, the home of acclaimed poet Petko Slaveykov, the birthplace of his son and poet Pencho Slaveykov, a textile factory, a coal mine, and a festive town celebration.

An animated short from Bulgaria.

Lyubima, an artist in her 30s, is left by her partner. She needs to start anew, but the grief is there, as big as an African elephant. In her dream, she calls on the Elephant for help. Her way to finally start over is by giving her love-memories, along with her grief, back to her ex.

Grigor, a nondescript, naive man whom everyone mockingly calls Gringo, begins to hear a voice. This voice claims to represent the truer part of him. And it begins to urge him to avenge the undeserved humiliation and abuse he is constantly subjected to. In doing so, he will break with outdated prejudices, become a new man. Grigor resists, but can he resist temptation and the truth of evil? The voice falls silent when the crime is committed. Has Grigor himself committed it? And what kind of man is he then?

A musical magic about tenderness, charm and the most inspiring topic for the artists - the woman.

A young Bulgarian man, riding the endless rollercoaster of workouts, anonymous sex, and dopamine, asks how to finally get off in a world where the body is everything. The film explores the obsession of queer men with their bodies as an object of desire, pleasure, and self-confidence and probes how the body is weaponized in fitness, sex, and hookup culture. Collecting footage from video games, 3D scans, online conversations, and archive footage of the ideal male body, the film asks if it is possible to completely detach from our bodies in this supersexual culture.

Once a year, the Bulgarian tradition of Kukeri unites a small village as residents wear intricate masks and costumes and dance at night. Killian Lassablière chronicles the practice in his short documentary.

Fast paced animation made from traditional ink drawings; brush and dip pen.

A man and a woman go on a trainride. Time on time again they both get quit annoyed by the people that share their compartment, and keep on changing compartments, until the come eye to eye…

Anjela Pencheva has suffered from Cerebral Palsy since birth, but the difficult diagnosis has never broken her spirit and has turned her into a writer, an actress and a dancer. Through her work and with her computer generated voice, she participates in various initiatives for the rights of the people with disabilities and inspires everyone who has met her.

A colourful metaphor of our human fears and obsessions. The main character's sense of control manifests generously in his daily activities, until the doorbell rings.

A film about the personality as a natural phenomenon and the individual’s instinct. The determination and the fate of a fish out of its school.

Two little bunnies reveal their father's big secret. A series of adventures leads them straight to the hidden place where the secret is hidden - a plane that can not fly. The little bunnies do their best and finally make their father's dream come true by flying together in the sky.

In preparation for the 1987 men’s World Weightlifting Championships, the Bulgarian weightlifting team must endure torturous training in order to reach their maximum potential. But at what cost?

Anjela Pencheva has suffered from Cerebral Palsy since birth, but the difficult diagnosis has never broken her spirit and has turned her into a writer, an actress and a dancer. Through her work and with her computer generated voice, she participates in various initiatives for the rights of the people with disabilities and inspires everyone who has met her.

A colourful metaphor of our human fears and obsessions. The main character's sense of control manifests generously in his daily activities, until the doorbell rings.

A film about the personality as a natural phenomenon and the individual’s instinct. The determination and the fate of a fish out of its school.

Two little bunnies reveal their father's big secret. A series of adventures leads them straight to the hidden place where the secret is hidden - a plane that can not fly. The little bunnies do their best and finally make their father's dream come true by flying together in the sky.

In 1997, a group of artists share ideas and make conversation.

"The Big Boredom" is first of all a modern film, and then it is everything else - adventure, intelligence, spy, etc. Compared to the novel in the film, everything is condensed in a condensed dramatic form, the situation is exacerbated, the two main characters are in a direct battle of life and death, they have put everything on a decisive card and there is no possibility of retreat. I do not want to tell the story to keep the curiosity of the audience, but I emphasize that the film is completely in line with the genre. However, our aim is not to stay in the standards, but to fill the action with other content, and it gives meaning to everything else. " Metodi Andonov

Margaritka (Daisy) is sick during the school year. Her dad is a writer and her mom is an actress who is rehearsing her lines for a new premiere. She is having an affair with the director of the production. At the premiere of "Mommy," Daddy sees her and the director kissing. Papa and Margaritka leave without waiting for Mommy. At home, a scandal is inevitable, but it does not solve anything yet. Mama leaves on tour, and Margaritka and Papa go to the village. There she makes friends with the village children and forgets about her incessant coughing and sneezing. Soon she begins to miss her mom and asks her dad to call her. He writes a telegram but does not send it. The child finds a crumpled piece of paper and goes to the post office. Mom arrives and all three are reunited.

From the rotten remains of a wooden cupboard a bunch of photographs spilled out: a young man on a white horse, two girls in polka dot dresses, and a group of soldiers...

He is young and handsome and lives in Germany. Sometimes he is a she. He is honest with his mother. She understands him and accepts him. He has no father. He has an uncle in Bulgaria who knows only a part of his nephew – the masculine one. It’s time for the whole truth.

Two people, initially strangers, decide to embark on the adventure to be together. For what feels like one tiny moment, their lives are fully synchronised. They develop a beautiful relationship, but shortly after that everything starts to fall apart.

With his huge wings on the back, Spass is different from the rest of the dragons in Dragonville. When Spass discovers that he can fly with his enormous wings, the society claimshim awkward. While Spass desperately tries to be accepted he finds Bella – a female dragon with rare fire-breathingability.

Animation based on a children’s song.

The film tells the history of the Bulgarian town of Nesebar from the moment of its foundation (2500 years ago) to the present day and acquaints with the numerous ancient monuments preserved on the territory of the town.

A couple's love has made the time stand still. Isolated in a static world problems in their relations start coming to the surface.

A short documentary film about Czech-Bulgarian painter Ivan Mrkvička

Andrei, a successful middle-aged man, returns from overseas to his home country of Bulgaria with the intention of enjoying his wealth accumulated over many years of hard work. At the seaside he falls in love with a much younger, beautiful, but spoiled girl who shakes his world. They embark on an adventure infused with high speed thrills and a sea of ​​emotions with clashes of different generations and characters, often on the edge between life and death.

Bulgarian director Gueorgui Balabanov has been living in France for many years but still closely follows developments in Bulgaria. His feature debut, The Petrov File, written by Oscar winner Jean-Claude Carrière, presented the country’s political transition through a story beginning in the 1980s and ending in modern-day Bulgaria..The film is a documentary story about events in Bulgaria in recent years. Et le Bal Continue is the director’s a brave view of the country’s development, its changing values and the consequences for society. The film follows the former Soviet satellite’s joining of the EU with hopes for the American dream deeply embedded in the psyche.

Summer, bus stop, ordinary people, indifference... RAGE!

He travels through the desert, sitting on a donkey and works miracles. The blind man returns the eyes, the lame legs, the poet's inspiration. Grateful people follow him on his path. Soon after him comes a huge crowd of rebellious followers. He stops before the steps of the Temple, gets down from the donkey and goes up the stairs. Halfway there, he turns around and is surprised to see a crowd following the donkey.

A young man with old-fashioned clothes is riding his bike along an old dirt road. A sad girl is browsing her pictures on a PC. Then she abruptly presses the Delete key.

We live our lives under pressure. We are in a rush every day, and it's all worth it.

Ina is a girl who is waiting for her graduation and farewell ball. Occasionally, one night, she meets in a discotheque the most famous boy in the school – Martin. Absolutely consciously, he is going to drag her to the 20th-century pandemic – AIDS. This is going to provoke a series of events and different people where the virus is spreading as a children’s game – as a tag. You have time only to pronounce: “You are it!”…

The enjoyment of cellphones during a classical music concert.

A small aphid is born in a colony of aphids. It has a strange color. Its mother is trying to bathe it. A shaman does magic against the bad color. All efforts are in vain. Suddenly it rains and washes the bodies of the aphids. It turns out that everyone's color is the same as that of a small aphid.

The lazy farmer wakes up dark from sleep. He banishes his wife, his pig, his chickens, his horse. Finally, he's all alone. He falls asleep and dreams of all those he has banished.

The child is still in the baby cot, but Mom and Dad want to make him a great musician. They bring a violinist teacher to the child. The child shoots him with a violin, like a bow. The next teacher is a pianist. Both he and the piano run away from the child. In front of the teacher-singer, the child screams like an Indian. He even breaks the baby's cot. When the carpenter comes to fix it, the child calms down for the first time and helps the master.

Stadium. The athlete is preparing for the start. He runs down the long jump path. Tension lines his face. He lands, turns into an old man. A person's whole life is one long jump.

The short and troublesome relation between a man and a mosquito.

A child has soiled his official clothes for his birthday. They beat him. The child in his imagination runs away from Mom and Dad— to the reindeer of the North Pole, to the ostriches in Africa. The smell of the delicious chicken that Mom cooked brings him back.

11 short satirical stories about the marvelous misadventures of the Three Fools. This is the tale from 1980 about the three raising a baby.

A man moves against a strong wind. It turns out that he is walking on a tight rope.With a great effort, he finally hits a high platform. There are a lot of people on it. The wind comes from their mouths. He joins the crowd to make a wind against the next one who goes on the rope.

Egg factory. The eggs are arranged in orderly rows and march in rhythm. One small egg falls out of the circles measuring the size. The other eggs laugh at him. In the paint department, all eggs are painted in bright colors. Only the small egg remains white and sad. Finally, however, it turns out that only it hatches a yellow chicken.

A hungry wolf wanders around the crib. He seduces the sheep by singing passionate serenades to them. He jumps towards them. The peasants pursue him and defeat him. For joy, the shepherds make a feast and - they eat sheep.

In a Bulgarian village, Angel is torn between two paths when his grandfather offers to teach him to drive- a symbol of manhood and tradition. Accepting could mean losing his close bond with his sister and conforming to patriarchal norms, while rejecting it risks being labeled weak. Angel must choose between his independence and the pressures of village expectations.

“Blood from a mole” is a short film inspired by the short story by Zdravka Evtimova. It tells the story of a woman who is ready to offer even the most unlikely remedy - namely, mole’s blood - to desperate people who are searching for hope and salvation.

The years after the First World War. Captain Abarov sees that his dreams, feelings, and ideals are in ruins. His family is broken. His friends are desperate. There is only one way out for Abarov-to leave this world.

An inspiring story about the winding road of the first Roma actress in Bulgaria, officially graduated from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts. From the everyday life's challenges, to the sacrifices in the name of theater, and the trust in the great Roma cause - education for the ghetto. Nataliya Tsekova - THE WOMAN, THE ACTRESS, THE PERSON.

The story of a director and her almost 20-year quest across Bulgaria and Africa working with children at risk.