Best Bulgarian Films
A collection of all good Bulgarian made films I've seen and liked.
List activity
225 views
• 1 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
31 titles
- DirectorStanislav DonchevStarsIrmena ChichikovaDiana DimitrovaSimeon AngelovA single mother, wanting to protect her eight-year-old son from pain, lies to him that his dad is away with the Antarctic expedition. But postponing the confession about the father's death, causes damage to her and her son.
- DirectorSvetoslav OvtcharovStarsAssen BlatechkiIvan BarnevValentin GanevSpring of 1913. Balkan War. Turkish armored ship terrorizes the Bulgarian army with it's long range cannons.
- DirectorEmil ChristovStarsLilia AbadjievaKasiel Noah AsherMihail BilalovBatko becomes the spider in his own invisible web of informants by recruiting a group of intellectuals to spy on each other. He builds his own secret archive. After the fall of communism, he uses it to wreak havoc on the government.
- DirectorIvan AndonovStarsHristo ShopovGeorgi StaykovSofiya KuzevaThe 1960s was the time of Beatles and Rolling Stones, the time of sexual revolution. These events have their echo in Bulgarian English-learning school. The school order provokes a protest of the students due to the narrow-minded teachers.
- DirectorDimitar PetrovStarsPetar PeychevIvaylo DzhambazovEmil PetrovA film about the funny adventures of a group of children, spending their holidays at the seaside.
- DirectorIvan AndonovStarsStefan DanailovTzvetana ManevaMariana DimitrovaA couple of young ladies decide to obtain a driving license. The film is a true comedy of relations, caused between the driving-teacher and the beginner-drivers.
- DirectorNikolay VolevStarsAleksandr MorfovElena PetrovaPetar PopyordanovMiddle Ages: Bulgaria is under the Ottoman Empire. Somewhere, far in the mountains, goatherd Karaivan lives with his wife and little daughter, Mariya. One day Turks burst into the house and rape the woman before the eyes of the daughter and husband. After the rape, she is killed by a raper and the girl is shocked into growing dumb. From this moment on, Karaivan is obsessed with the sole thought of taking revenge. He moves with his daughter into a cave high in the mountains, raises her as if she is a boy, trains her to fight and draw a bow. Deep in her heart, the girl has no hatred, but a craving for love. She meets a young Muslim shepherd and falls in love. The father is unable to swallow it and kills the young man.
- DirectorDimitar PetrovStarsVeselin PrahovMartin StoyanovEmil DimitrovThis film reminds us that childhood is the best period in human's life. The story is filled with love for the children and colored with special child humor.
- DirectorLyudmil KirkovStarsVelko KynevFilip TrifonovPavel PopandovThe misfortunes of a couple of guys who form a music group and think they can get rich and famous easy.
- StarsDimitar GanevMoris AssaYevgeniya Bozhikova'The Hedgehogs' are a group of youngsters who are trying to gain control of the empty space between the blocks of flats, which they want to convert into a basketball court. The resistance of the neighbors is soon overcome and the court is laid down. Training courses in basketball for kids are set up. The ambitious coach is selecting only those of the boys who are able to carry out his most absurd orders. Two of them happen to be late, so he immediately fires them from the team. Thus the 'hedgehogs' war' against the indifference of the adult breaks out. The boys do not give up readily. They win the war through inventiveness, wit and with the help of the 'good guys' among the adults. But presently a rude pushy neighbor, who has no other concern but the safety of his expensive Ford car, returns from abroad. He wants to build a garage for his beloved car on the place taken up by the basketball court. A garage or a playground - this argument arises from the long-standing conflict between the pragmatic and artistic human spirits, between the lack-lustre world of philistine and the carefree world of the child. While the truck is unloading bricks and sand onto the court, the children are complaining (with some justice) to various administrative bodies. Eventually the hedgehogs lose the battle, but not the war. They are given another playground, but what is more, in their conflict with the adults they have acquired some of their ways, and learned how to load the dice.
- DirectorNikolay VolevStarsVelko KynevIvan VelkovMaria StatulovaThis is a film about the general collision between the generations. The film tells us the story of a 14 year old boy and his father, and the way they fight over all the problems.
- DirectorStanislav Todorov RogiStarsTeodora DuhovnikovaDiana DimitrovaValentin GanevKalin (35) is a talented advertising specialist, weary of life. Bilyana (35) is a free spirit, still uncertain of what she wants. They grew up in Socialist Bulgaria, where they were part of a mad group of friends, for whom every day was a different adventure. Childlike, they had a pact to get married. The two of them meet 25 years later.
- DirectorIvan AndonovStarsTodor KolevNevena KokanovaStefan MavrodiyevHe is well educated, charming, and gallant - a dream for each lonely lady. In reality he is a skillful swindler, who robs naive women. Cheating merchants with guilty consciences are his targets as well. This is the elusive protagonist of the movie. He constantly changes his name, stages his own death, and travels from town to town. His exploits are myriad and his life is an endless adventure. Yet, he remains an amiable swindler, an unrealized actor, whose only goal is make his life more interesting.
- DirectorLudmil StaikovStarsRousy ChanevIvan KrystevAnya PenchevaIn the 17th century, a Bulgarian Christian region is selected by the Ottoman rulers to serve as an example of conversion to Islam. A Janissary who was kidnapped from the village as a boy is sent to force the reluctant inhabitants to convert. The Turkish governor seeks a peaceful solution, but ultimately torture, violence, and rebellion break out.
- DirectorNikolay VolevStarsTodor KolevYordanka StefanovaItschak FintziThis film is a comedy about a poor man, named Poorco. Poorco always fails in his attempt to escape from poverty. The film illustrates the social and the moral atmosphere in Bulgaria during the 1930's.
- DirectorVladimir YanchevStarsApostol KaramitevGinka StanchevaLyubomir BobchevskiThe main heroes are twin brothers. The first is responsible young fellow and excellent footballer. The second one is an undependable gambler. The police are after him. A pretty girl stands in between them. She has profoundly fallen for the footballer. By coincidence, the twins change places, which result in a formidable mess and funny situations. Ultimately, all the misunderstandings are settled and the couple re-joins.
- DirectorVladimir YanchevStarsNaum ShopovKonstantin KotsevStoyan StoychevA tenement house needs to have steam heating installed. The residents find the necessary workers to do it, sign the contract and pay them in advance. The workers show up and start their job, but disappear immediately. Panic-stricken, the residents set up to search for them, only to find the workers in jail. Totally desperate, their only chance is to come up with an ingenious plan how to bring the work to the end.
- DirectorNikolay VolevStarsTodor KolevPavel PopandovYordanka KuzmanovaProf. Denev is a talented scientist, but he cannot divide his time between the social and the scientific life. Suddenly he gets the idea to bring his cousin Ivan from the village. They look exactly alike. Ivan makes appearances at social events while the professor is working on his research. Initially not very confident, but with enthusiasm Ivan carries out his duties and his desire for material gains becomes huge. When the double threatens Denev's personal life, he throws him out.
- DirectorStephan KomandarevStarsIvan BarnevAssen BlatechkiOvanes TorosianThree police patrol-vehicles, six policemen, city of Sofia in the night, between 9th and 10th of November 2019.
- DirectorStephan KomandarevStarsPredrag 'Miki' ManojlovicCarlo LjubekHristo MutafchievThe story of Alex, who, with the help of his charismatic grandfather, Bai Dan, embarks on a journey in search of his real self.
- DirectorVictor BojinovStarsPhillip AvramovMaya BejanskaMihail BilalovA music producer must assemble his former 30 year-old Rock band and play one last concert to earn enough money for his daughter's expensive education.
- DirectorGeorgi DjulgerovStarsFilip TrifonovNikola TodevValcho KamarashevThe beginning of the 20th century. A village in the mountain. The young barrel maker Liyu is to be examined by the local craftsmen. They approve the barrel he has made, blindfold. They give him "the craftsman's belt". At the beginning, nobody considers him a master. One day Karata, a mountain dweller from the neighboring Muslim village, orders him a cheese barrel. Soon Liyu takes the barrel to the Karata's village. The latter likes it but one envious man says that the barrel is not good since its rings are made of wood. While Liyu explains that the wood rings are stronger than the metal ones, if a true master makes them, all the peasants gather. In the middle of a quarrel the Imam comes. He says that the rings will not hold. Liyu offers a bet - he will roll his barrel down a steep hill and if it does not break, the Imam will let him shave off his beard. The clergyman agrees and Liyu rolls his barrel down the steep hill of a riverbed. To everyone's surprise the barrel does not break. Liyu shaves the Imam's beard disregarding the pleas of the others. He comes back home without money for the barrel. His father beats him with the craftsmen's belt. After few days, some villagers from the Muslim village ask Liyu to take the barrel of the river. It is being smashed against the rocks and the noise drives the villagers mad. Liyu agrees and descends in the riverbed on a rope. Fighting the strong current and the Imam's desire to drown him, Liyu manages to take out the barrel. Everybody wants to order him a new barrel. He goes home. His father hits him again with the belt as a punishment for his rash action. However, the proud father acknowledges him as a real master.
- DirectorAlexander KossevStarsYasen AtanasovAlissa AtanassovaVasil BanovGrieving due to injustice in school, betrayed by her closest people, 17 year-old Petya commits suicide. This happens to the talented poetess Petya Dubarova in 1979. This also happens in 2019 to a regular girl, also named Petya. Different times, different girl, the System which does not tolerate different ones remains the same.
- DirectorIvaylo HristovStarsSvetlana YanchevaMichael FlemmingStoyan BochevSvetla, a widow who lost her job recently is living next to the Bulgarian-Turkish border. There are many cases of refugees in her village due to it's location. One day she meets a refugee from Africa and this changes her life.
- DirectorIglika TriffonovaStarsPhillip AvramovAna PapadopuluPeter AntonovIvan's best friend, Kamen, is in an American hospital, in coma after an accident. Since he's denied a visa to the USA and can't stay by his side in his last moments, Ivan decides to set off for Bulgaria countryside, taking the camera Kamen has given him. There's a legend in Kamen's place of birth - a small mountain village - that one song could bring people back to life. Ivan starts a journey to find it and record it, collecting a myriad of stories along the way. Will he succeed?
- DirectorPetar B. VasilevStarsStefan DanailovVelko KynevAnton RadichevDanton, Petar and Andrey work together on the fifth floor of a socialist industrial research institute from the mid-eighties. They are good friends and share everything in their work and private life. Every morning when they come to work take turns watching with binoculars the aerobics exercises of a young girl in the building across the street. Suddenly, this routine of their is disturbed - there are rumors that one of them might have to be transferred to a partner institute in Japan. Who should that be? The three friends are now rival and undertake sophisticated underground maneuvers in order to get the prize. They put their friendship at stake. At the end, of course, it turns out everything has been in vain. The one to go to Japan is the director. At the very end, after the grotesque outcome, we can see the three friends together again with the binoculars, watching at the window.
- DirectorYavor PetkovStarsDimo AlexievKate NicholsJames Ryan BabsonA city councillor hijacks a documentary team and takes them on a wild and dangerous ride into his ruthless world of corruption.
- DirectorSvetla TsotsorkovaStarsMonika NaydenovaSvetlana YanchevaAssen BlatechkiIn a small town in Bulgaria, a mother and her two daughters are struggling to survive. The younger daughter often invents stories to make life more interesting. Unwittingly, she eventually gets caught in a web of her own lies.
- DirectorRangel VulchanovStarsGeorgi NaumovAnna PrucnalGustaw HoloubekThe first love between two very different characters is the prism through which we are shown the point of view of the film-makers who denounce war and plead for simple human happiness.
- DirectorGeorgi DjulgerovStarsRadena ValkanovaSamuel FinziDesislava KarushkovaA hot summer in the middle of the 50's. A pioneer's camp. 12 years old Dimana and Todor, while being on a guard of honor at a giant monument of Stalin, experience their first kiss. Literally, Stalin's shadow shelters them but figuratively, it separates them. They face their first moral disillusionment. 10 years later they meet in the same place. Todor is now a promising party functionary, sent to crush a students' riot at a summer working brigade. Dimana has managed to preserve her beliefs and integrity. This time their love has no inhibitions. But following his assignment, Todor succeeds in cheating the rebels and detaining them forcibly in the camp. The only one who refuses to obey is Dimana. The only path for her in a world like this is now to escape in search for freedom but she has to burn all bridges behind her in the process.
- DirectorGeorgi BalabanovStarsMihail BilalovDeyan DonkovValentin GanevOur film tells this adventure where the illusions of the stage collide with political aspirations.