Martichka Bozhilova

Have you ever heard Bulgarian folk music? In this documentary which main characters have dedicated their lives to bring this music through centuries you certainly will. This film will present the spiritual leader of this music style – the charming and extremely gifted clarinetist Ramadan Lolov. By following his ghost from early 20 th century fairs to the modern cities streets we will explore the strength of personal charisma and illusions.

Up until recently, in most of these countries the alienation in its various forms (feeling of powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness, social isolation, self-estrangement), together with the psychosomatic problems deriving from it, was considered something "foreign", something that exists somewhere in the Western world, but does not belong to you. In the course of less than two decades, it turned out that - together with junk food, genetically modified products etc. - all of these benefits of the post-modern capitalist society have been successfully imported to our daily life as well. The characters of the film come from different big and small towns in Bulgaria, Russia and Armenia - office workers, students, business owners, bankers, housewives… The stress of living in constantly changing and uncertain conditions has brought them a variety of mental, psychological and physical problems - and some of them have been pretty close to self-destruction. The common element is that all of them have decided to make a change, and all of them have joined a therapy group that sets laughter and positive thinking as a way to both mental and physical healing.

During the Cold War, the average family in the Eastern-bloc sooner or later had its long-awaited, much loved, polished and groomed socialist clumsy and a pain-to-drive car. And this was the only available option. On the other hand, the export of these cars was a national priority of the communist countries, so that many families in the West “enjoyed” a pure utilitarian and very affordable model of a Lada, Moskvich, Skoda or Yugo. The socialist cars were meant to serve their owners and not to bring pleasure. Now it’s time to revive these old monsters and have all the joy they can provide.
After working on this topic for years and gathering archives related to socialist cars, we offer the spectacular Tin Can Race – a Socialist Cars Media Event, a rich array of high-quality storytelling, entertainment and cross-media adventures. For one purpose only - to speed up and get to know Europe better, back then and nowadays.

Yavor (38) is the most controversial star of the Bulgarian theater, film and television business. Once an audience favorite, Yavor is now on the verge of going to jail. The media are tearing him apart. Something must be done or he is lost. He undertakes a cinematic experiment. The result will be our docu-series. Yavor also starts his own stand-up comedy show to save him from the professional/ life crisis. With the help of our team, he stages and explores his greatest fears – going to prison, being abandoned by those closest to him, repeating the great childhood trauma of losing his father. The most important people for him participate in this panopticon – Yavor's girlfriend, the charming Raya; his brother, also a popular actor; and of course – his mother, who has been through most of it – from Yavor's birth with the umbilical cord entangled around his neck, through his wounds and surgeries, through the public scandal in the Big Brother house, until the day Yavor stood up in the court. We also observe the biography of an epoch – Yavor is a peer of modern Bulgaria, which replaced the totalitarian People's Republic in the late 80s. From then until now, the country has been on the difficult road to democracy, remaining, however, the poorest in the EU. Yavor grew up in a time of freedom, but also of chaos. Law of the jungle and all the temptations of the free market. There will be more mediums in our narrative: over 150 phone conversations; diary of meetings with the probation officer; regulary blood tests; video surveillance; self-recorded video testimonies of Yavor and Raya; Yavor's DNA-reliance; weekly drug tests. Happiness and terror are the poles between which Yavor plays this role that he writes himself. A happy ending is not guaranteed. As the most important support remains love – the love of Raya for Yavor and the love of Yavor for Raya. And the hope that they won't just stay together, but will be three someday. The child Yavor dreams of – a better self.

In the docu series ALISA (10) and her mother ISKRA (in her 40s) will cook recipes from classical books for children. They will go to the homeland of the respective recipe and cook it with a local chef in the book’s natural environment. Among the chosen fairy tales are: Alice in Wonderland, England; Karlson on the Roof, Sweden; Hansel and Gretel, Germany; The Wheat Bread, Bulgaria; Little Red Riding Hood, France; Pinocchio, Italy; Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Ukraine.

Today’s world, rapidly developing predominantly online and focused on consumerism, has alienated children from the great literature. Children are often perceiving literature online, through movies or abridged abstracts, which they read on the Internet. Most of the glamorous and expensive film productions infantilize the plot of fairy tales and make it sugary and accessible for children of all ages. This way, we – consciously or not – raise generations that will not know our past and will not share a common context with us. We will be in great debt to our kids, if we do not present to them the great stories about children through literature right now - with its rich and often complex language that excites our imagination. We believe that such series that arises children's (and parents') curiosity about different cultures, their cuisine and literature would have a huge educational effect and would gain many followers, bringing up young chefs… and readers.

At home, I’m Dolya Gavanski - actress, filmmaker and mother to a son whose gaming obsession drives me crazy. But for over 35 million people, I’m the voice of Zarya – the “strongest woman in the world” from the smash-hit game Overwatch. What began as a job to pay the bills thrust me into the strange world of fans and fan conventions, which I cared little for - until I was invited to join a campaign against the abuse faced by young female gamers online. Learning about this misogyny made me question the world I’d lent my voice to, and think about the millions of women choosing to inhabit it. I reached out to them and they invited me - or rather Zarya - into their lives.

Travelling from England to Finland, Germany, Bulgaria and the USA, I was overwhelmed by their stories. For these women, gaming is more than a hobby – it’s a lifeline. Battling cultural, societal and family pressures, they’ve been ‘othered’ by a world that doesn’t fully see them. The game helps them rewrite their narratives, form connections, fall in love, and find empowerment. I realised Zarya had become an avatar for their resilience. But to what extent can they channel that strength offline?

At the heart of this story is a long-distance love affair that takes place entirely online for years before the two lovers finally get to meet in real life.

1915. Sixteen-year-old Pancho Vladigerov, a Bulgarian composer of Jewish origin, arrives in Berlin with a scholarship from the Bulgarian King. Although the scholarship is only meant for one, his twin brother Lulu – a violinist accompanies him. Over the next fifteen years, they create some of their most captivating works, performed in the great concert halls across the world. Yet only Pancho will be celebrated as a genius, while Lulu remains the virtuoso in his shadow.

Suddenly, their success is interrupted by history. Hitler’s power rises. The twins return to Bulgaria, but their homeland is still under fascist rule. Pancho’s Jewish heritage puts him in danger. After the communist takeover in 1944, his “fascist past” turn into a liability in Bulgaria. Compelled by the regime, he begins composing works aligned with its ideology. Once a celebrated European figure, his international career slowly fades. He turns to teaching at the conservatory that now bears his name.

A century later, his legacy lives on through his grandchildren – the twin brothers Alexander and Konstantin – an acclaimed jazz duo; Ekaterina, a perfectionist pianist; and Pancho Vladigerov Jr., a pianist and pedagogue in Berlin. They carry both the gift and the weight of the family name. But with no children to inherit it, the Vladigerov dynasty, with more than a century of musical tradition, may come to an end. Now, the time has come for them to tell the extraordinary story of their grandpa, who was once considered a genius.

Beautiful Death explores death from both scientific and Buddhist philosophical perspectives, revealing that death is not the end, but a process that is still poorly understood. Neuroscientist Dr. Jimo Borjigin has shown that, contrary to conventional medical understanding, the human brain indicates highly organized activity after life support is withdrawn, rather than simply shutting down. At the same time, the Tibetan meditation practice of Tukdam allows yogis to consciously control the body’s reactions after death, temporarily halting the usual signs of physical decay. This challenges medical science and has led researchers, including Tawni Tidwell and Robin Goldman, to scientifically study this phenomenon — within the Dalailama-inspired Tukdam project, inspecting the bodies of yogis up to several weeks after their biological death. By contrasting scientific research and Buddhist philosophy, the film explores death as a process and a transformation of energy. It also touches on phenomena such as near-death experiences and out-of-body encounters, suggesting that consciousness may exist independently of the physical body. The film invites viewers to reflect not only on the nature of death but also on the role of human consciousness and whether it can exist beyond the boundaries of bodily existence.

Three turbulent decades of the 20th century are reflected through science-fiction films made in socialist Yugoslavia. Told chronologically through the 60s, 70s, and 80s, the story follows the clash of dreams and reality in a country that no longer exists. Each decade mirrors both the evolution of Yugoslav sci-fi and the rise and fall of the state that created it. When the nation was optimistic, films were bleak; when it collapsed, they sought hope. The last Yugoslav sci-fi—about friendship between an alien and a girl—symbolized a unity the real world was losing.

Prologue
Archive footage and animation evoke early visions of space travel and imagined planets, lit by a red star.

“The endless canopy is both cradle and deathbed to the worlds that keep being born and die…”

1960s – Science and Progress
As the first man enters space, Yugoslavia forges its own socialist path, leading the Non-Aligned Movement. Optimism fills the air, yet sci-fi warns of nuclear peril and the fragility of peace.

1970s – Political Sci-Fi
Amid rapid growth and modernisation, culture thrives but the system hardens. Sci-fi turns political, using allegory and surreal imagery to expose the cracks in utopian ideals.

1980s – Downfall of Utopia
As communism weakens and chaos looms, sci-fi retreats into children’s films. Fantasies of unity mask collective denial. As the world unites, Yugoslavia explodes—like a dying star.

Epilogue
Abandoned sets and unfinished modernist buildings—once symbols of the “future”—reveal a haunting truth: both imagined and real utopias have vanished.

Voyager 2 drifts toward Neptune, passing a fading red star.

“The universe has always been equally magnificent… an eternal existence and duration.”

Told entirely through archival materials, the film contrasts sci-fi imagery with history, reviving forgotten dreams of a society where reality and fiction often became one.