Burgas Film Fest
Less than a month separates us from the 11th edition of the Burgas International Film Festival! We are eagerly looking forward to sharing with you six festive days, from July 20 to 25, dedicated to world cinema, special screenings, legendary music, creative workshops, discussions, and surprises. Here's a glimpse of what lies ahead: The feature film selection this year crosses borders (Angola, Canada, Hungary, Turkey, Iran, Spain, Romania, Bulgaria) and themes (survival, love, oppression, family, identities, conflicts) in search of spaces where we can connect with one another: 🎬 My Semba – Angola, 2026, directed by Hugo Salvatierra 🎬 Blue Heron – Canada/Hungary, 2025, directed by Sophie Romvari 🎬 Cinema Jazireh – Turkey/Iran/Bulgaria/Romania, 2025, directed by Gözde Kural 🎬 Iván & Hadoum – Spain, 2026, directed by Jan de la Rosa 🎬 Woman Out of Order – Bulgaria, 2026, directed by Aleksandar Kosev 📹 International and National Short Film Competition Programs – 14 titles. A special prize will be awarded to the winner of the Bulgarian short film selection: film production equipment rental, provided by our partners at the production company VOESOLI. 🏆 Feature Film Jury Saadet Işıl Aksoy – actress, Turkey Boris Despodov – director, Bulgaria Nikolay Mutafchiev – director, Bulgaria 🏆 Short Film Jury Ilina Peryanova – director, Bulgaria Dimitris Georgiev – director, Bulgaria Gábor Holtai – director, Hungary 🎼 BIFF TUNES presents: 🎼 Tokyo Melody: A Film About Ryuichi Sakamoto, directed by Elizabeth Lennard – the 4K restored version of the visual portrait of the legendary Japanese composer and electronic music pioneer Ryuichi Sakamoto. 🎼 James: Getting Away with It – director Chris Atkins will personally present his documentary about the iconic British band James to the Burgas audience. 🌊 BIFF BLACK SEA includes: 🌊 Snescha and Franc (Bulgaria, 2025), directed by Svetoslav Draganov 🌊 The March of the Amazons (Bulgaria, 2025), directed by Borislav Kolev 🌊 Bonds, Roots and Passions (Turkey, 2025), directed by Sunay Terzioğlu Sunday, July 20 Snail Stage (The Sea Garden) 21:15 – Opening Ceremony 21:30 – Snezha and Franz Director: Svetoslav Draganov Bulgaria (2025) 96 min Monday, July 21 NHK Cultural Center 18:00 – Short Film Competition Class – Rumi Kaul (Netherlands, 2025) – 26 min So Low a Sky – Joachim Michaux (Belgium/France, 2025) – 30 min Pirate Land – Stavros Petropoulos (France/Greece, 2025) – 28 min 19:30 – Women Out of Service Director: Alexander Kosev Bulgaria (2026) 100 min Guests: Julian Vergov, Nikolay Urumov, Neli Dimitrova, Martin Metodiev, Alexandra Kostova 21:30 – Amour Fou Director: Jessica Hausner Austria 96 min Snail Stage (Sea Garden) 21:30 – Ties, Roots and Passions Director: Sunay Terzioglu Turkey (2025) 92 min Guest: Director Sunay Terzioglu Tuesday, July 22 NHK Cultural Center 17:00 – Short Film Competition Those Left Behind – Yannis Karpouzis (Greece) – 13 min Our Room – Jaume Claret Muxart (Spain) – 29 min Captive Audience – Qiu Lin (Singapore) – 14 min 18:30 – Fraport Twin Star Special Event Presentation of the documentary: Connecting Burgas with Tomorrow 19:30 – Ivan and Hadoum Director: Ian de la Rosa Spain (2026) 100 min 21:30 – Little Joe Director: Jessica Hausner Austria 106 min Austrian Focus Programme Snail Stage (Sea Garden) 21:30 – The March of the Amazons Director: Borislav Kolev Bulgaria (2025) 86 min Wednesday, July 23 NHK Cultural Center 18:00 – Short Film Competition Abduction – Yana Lineva – 19 min The Rabbit Is Dead – Hanis Bagashov – 20 min Tomorrow – Elena Valentinova – 20 min Schrödinger's Man – Asparuh Frangov – 15 min 19:30 – Cinema Jazireh Director: Gözde Kural Turkey / Iran / Bulgaria / Romania (2025) 124 min Guest: Bulut Reyhanoğlu 21:30 – Tokyo Melody: A Film About Ryuichi Sakamoto Director: Elizabeth Lennard France (1985) 61 min (4K restoration) Snail Stage (Sea Garden) 18:30 – Concert by Jakob Steinkellner Austrian Focus Programme 21:30 – Club Zero Austria (2023) 90 min Thursday, July 24 NHK Cultural Center 17:00 – Short Film Competition Blue Days – Lina Pavlova – 27 min Not to Be – Gabriela Pometkova – 21 min Making Love – Ventsislav Sariev – 20 min 18:30 – Life with an Idiot Presented by Theodore Ushev 18:50 – Aquanima Special Animation Selection Curated by Theodore Ushev 19:30 – Blue Heron Director: Sophie Romvari Canada / Hungary (2025) 91 min 21:30 – My Semba Director: Ugo Salvaterra Angola (2026) 100 min Snail Stage (Sea Garden) 21:30 – James: Getting Away With It Director: Chris Atkins United Kingdom (2026) 92 min Guest: Chris Atkins International Youth Center 19:00 – Cosplay – Following the Hero's Footsteps Director: Emil Todorov Bulgaria (2026) 46 min Friday, July 25 NHK Cultural Center 18:00 – Burgas Corner The Good Evil – Ibrahim Sherafet – 7 min In the Open Sea – Dimana Markovska – 20 min 18:30 – Aurora Directors: Georgi Stoev – Jacky & Nikola Boshnakov Bulgaria / Italy (2026) 107 min 20:30 – Closing Ceremony & Awards Presentation 20:45 – Dead Man's Wire Director: Gus Van Sant USA (2025) 103 min The event is made possible with the financial support of the Municipality of Burgas, the National Film Center, and partners including the Liszt Hungarian Cultural Institute, the Embassy of Austria, Philip Morris, Elkabel, Pernod Ricard Bulgaria, Moto-Pfohe, Fraport Twin Star, Dives Estate, MyAir Bridge, VIZH!, Club Z, Boulevard Bulgaria, and ChernomorieBG.
