site.btaProf. Petya Alexandrova: Bulgarian Films in 2023 Follow Common Direction of European Cinema

The trends in Bulgarian cinema in 2023 follow a common direction of European cinema, and that is a focus exclusively on the processes of migration, said film critic, historian and theorist Prof. Petya Alexandrova in a BTA interview.

"A large part of the plots and characters, directly or indirectly, are related to the arrivals and departures from Bulgaria, to tolerance of different nationalities, ethnicities, sexuality, age or character. It is neither an alarming nor an optimistic subject, but rather a topical one. What is optimistic is rather the dilution of genres, and the more active position of comedies on screen. There is hunger for them, and a fatigue of pessimism," Prof. Alexandrova said.

According to her, there has been some stagnation, and it has to do with the continuous blocking of sessions, especially for feature films. She expects that the discrepancies between the Film Industry Act and its implementing regulations will have an impact, especially in a year or two, when fewer films with government subsidy will be released.

As a positive trend, she highlighted the emergence of two feature-length animated films. To Put It Mildly is now on the big screen and Florentine Night has had several public screenings. Until now, Bulgarian animation has usually been associated with auteur short films, while these two titles are aimed at a wider and age-diverse audience, not exactly children, but families.