Best Bulgarian drama movies
A curated collection of popular drama movies from Bulgaria.
Khan Asparukh - Part I - Phanagoria (1981)
Khan Asparukh - Part I - Phanagoria (1981)
This is an epic screen presentation showing the creation, the consolidation and the power of First Bulgarian Kingdom and the first Bulgarian ruler Khan Asparuh. This is the first part of the film trilogy about the events before the creation of the Bulgarian state in the middle of the VII century. Volga Bulgaria is straining under the attacks of the Khazars. Following the testament of his father, the sons of Khan Kubrat looking for a new home for their tribes. The youngest of them - Asparukh, wander 20 years in search of "land forever" for his people and reaches the mouth of the Danube. The film is narrated by captured Byzantine chronicler Belisarius, which should Asparukh in his journeys. Byzantine witnessed the heroic efforts of the Bulgarians to win the land south of the Danube and to create their new country.
Enemies (2018)
Enemies (2018)
A group of Bulgarian soldiers go on a mission during the Balkan War.
The Peach Thief (1964)
The Peach Thief (1964)
The wife of a Bulgarian POW camp's warden falls in love with a Serbian prisoner at the end of World War I.
Doomed Souls (1975)
Doomed Souls (1975)
The events of the film are related to the Civil War in Spain. This is a film about the beauty of love - exotic and tragic and the maze of human feelings.
Stars (1959)
Stars (1959)
Stationed in a secluded Bulgarian village in 1943, Walter – a German Wehrmacht sergeant and artist – lives in almost idyllic distance from the war. Then a transit camp is set up for Jews arriving from Greece. When Ruth, one of the internees, asks Walter to help a pregnant woman, the two form an unlikely bond.
Tobacco (1962)
Tobacco (1962)
Boris Morev dreams of money and power, he’ll do everything to reach the top, including leaving his beloved Irina, to marry the daughter of the local tobacco factory owner. With the death of his father-in-law and the illness of his wife, Morev becomes the new owner of "Nicotiana" and rules with an iron fist, resulting in massive labour strikes and murder. He ropes Irina back into his life, first as a mistress and later as his second wife, but his ambitions still come first as he plans on emerging as the biggest tobacco seller once the war is over. Irina’s love for Boris is fading and she finds a lover in one of the Germans Boris is trying to strike a deal with. Set against the backdrop of World War II and communist partisans fighting against the Nazi-allied Bulgarian monarchy, the film is a screen adaptation of the Bulgarian classic novel "Tobacco" released in 1954.
In the Heart of the Machine (2022)
In the Heart of the Machine (2022)
Heat, iron, dust and the smell of oil. A typical workday of maximum security inmates will prove to be fateful for all of them. They find something extraordinary inside one of the machines, and an unexpected wave of compassion makes the prisoners take hostages and block the entrance to the workshop and risk their lives, because sometimes the desire to be human is stronger than the survival instinct.
The Capture (2024)
The Capture (2024)
Sami is a passionate visual artist with a keen eye for the world's untold stories. Tonight, he steps away from the comfort of artistic abstraction at a vibrant party, seeking authenticity amidst the chaos of a city in upheaval. Drawn to the raw energy of street protests, Sami finds himself in a reality far beyond the scope of his camera—a reality where the lines between observer and participant blur. As he navigates the complexities of truth, power, and freedom, Sami's journey becomes an exploration of resilience and the cost of integrity in the face of injustice. The Capture invites audiences on a gripping journey through the beauty and pain of standing up for one's beliefs, challenging us to question where we draw our own lines.
The Island (2011)
The Island (2011)
In Paris, Sophie and Daneel make a solid couple. Nothing, it seems, can separate them - until the day when Sophie tells her partner she has organised a surprise trip to Bulgaria. Daneel refuses to go, but Sophie insists and soon discovers just why her soul mate was so reluctant to set foot in the country...
To the North (2022)
To the North (2022)
Based on a true story. 1996, open sea. During his shift on a transatlantic ship’s deck, Joel, a religious Filipino sailor, discovers Dumitru, a Romanian stowaway hidden between some containers. If he is spotted by the Taiwanese officers running the vessel, Dumitru is at risk to be thrown overboard. Joel decides to hide him, as a sign of his gratitude towards God. Soon, a dangerous cat and mouse game begins. When his crew, his own friends, even God itself start to turn their backs on him, Joel learns that he has to face his cruel destiny alone.
Block (2023)
Block (2023)
Stories of love, murder, mystery and control interconnect in lock-down inside the confines of a Sofia apartment during the pandemic.
Rain over Santiago (1975)
Rain over Santiago (1975)
A semi-fictional account on the fatidic September 11, 1973, when the military commanded by General Pinochet took over the power from socialist president Salvador Allende, initiating a dictatorship that lasted until 1988 causing the deaths and disappearances of many people.
Gundi: Legend of Love (2024)
East/West (1999)
East/West (1999)
June 1946: Stalin invites Russian emigres to return to the motherland. It's a trap: when a ship-load from France arrives in Odessa, only a physician and his family are spared execution or prison. He and his French wife (her passport ripped up) are sent to Kiev. She wants to return to France immediately; he knows that they are captives and must watch every step.
Tilt (2011)
Tilt (2011)
TILT is a love story set against the backdrop of the changing political and social environment in Europe in the late 80's and early 90's. Can this love survive the challenges of emigration, a violent homeland and immoral social atmosphere thanks to a gang of adventurous friends?
Faith, Love and Whiskey (2013)
Faith, Love and Whiskey (2013)
Neli, a bright, young Bulgarian woman, engaged to a well-off American panics and runs back home. She reunites with her drifter friends and the wild life of her past. Among stray dogs and strip clubs, Neli falls in love with her passionate but alcoholic best friend. When her fiance arrives unexpectedly, Neli must make a choice between two opposing futures.
Fear (2020)
Fear (2020)
Svetla, 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.
Liuben (2024)
Liuben (2024)
Victor has a nice life in Madrid with his partner, José. However, after returning to his childhood home in the mountains of Bulgaria for his grandfather's funeral, he decides to stay for the summer. While reconnecting with his father and the village way of life, he unexpectedly finds love in the form of Liuben, an 18-year-old Roma boy. Despite their differences, and the conflicts surrounding them, Victor and Liuben find refuge in each other, while a romance begins to take form.
A Stinking Fairytale (2015)
A Stinking Fairytale (2015)
Moma is a hobo and suffers from depression. Ema is a hobo and had been treated for alcoholism. Moma lives in the abandoned factory premises. Ema lives in the shaft. Moma liked Ema at first sight. Ema liked Moma at second sight.
The Infinite Garden (2017)
The Infinite Garden (2017)
Philip looks like a man, who has it all: successful career and a beautiful girlfriend. However, he is still taking care of Victor, his sensitive brother, years after the death of their parents. Emma is slightly autistic, fallen out of time. At the night, she creates the model of a mystical garden in the back of her flower shop, where Victor works. Emma lives in spheres completely beyond Philip's reach. Through her garden, Philip realizes that he never felt so real until he met this otherworldly girl, he's falling in love with. His life is transforming - until Victor confesses that he, too, is in love with Emma. Torn between the love for his brother and for Emma, Philip feels the pain of loss for the first time. Under the surface of this contemporary urban drama, there are hidden invisible worlds, where unexpected miracles happen. "Perhaps the most tender Bulgarian film."
Because I Love Bad Weather (2024)
Because I Love Bad Weather (2024)
On a rainy spring day, Irina returns to the seaside town where she used to spend the summer holidays as a child. There she meets Boris, whom she has not seen for 20 years. The two set out to rediscover the past, which may change their future.
The Great Ambition (2024)
The Great Ambition (2024)
Secretary of the most influential Communist Party in the Western world, Enrico Berlinguer challenged the international balance by seeking to bring the Communists to government in Italy and achieve socialism in a democratic country. From 1973, when he escaped an attack by the Bulgarian secret services, to the assassination of his main ally Aldo Moro in 1978, not forgetting his trips to Moscow and the covers of Time: the story of a man who wanted to change the world, but failed.
Time of Violence (1988)
Time of Violence (1988)
In 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.
Victor Young Perez (2013)
Victor Young Perez (2013)
Victor Perez was a Jewish boxer who became world flyweight champion in 1931 and 1932, but was transported to Auschwitz concentration camp when Paris fell to the Nazi s in 1943. While there he was forced into slave labour and made to participate in violent boxing matches for the amusement of the Nazi guards. Surviving Auschwitz tells Victors astonishing, harrowing, brutal and incredibly moving true story.
Plague (2024)
Plague (2024)
At the beginning of the 19th century, the plague swept through the Bulgarian lands. Chorbaji Yurdan and his son Yono return from Hadzhilak and find the villagers starving and scared. The Black Plague brings to the fore the greatest human fears and atavistic survival instincts.
Stolen Eyes (2005)
Stolen Eyes (2005)
This is a story of strange, impossible, inexplicable love between a Muslim Turk woman and a non-Muslim Bulgarian man. Ivan (the Bulgarian) is a pure and romantic young fellow, who gets caught up in the so-called "regeneration process" (when ethnic Turks' names were forcibly changed to Bulgarian ones). He is responsible for the official seals, which is required to issue the new identity documents after the forced name changes. The schoolteacher Ayten tries to steal the seals, thinking that this way she can slow down the ethnic genocide. Their unexpected and unusual meeting brings these two characters together and makes them fell close, forcing Ivan to take a fateful decision -he must either "rename" Ayten, or face the consequences if he does not.
The Rest Is Ashes (2020)
The Rest Is Ashes (2020)
Atanas Burov (played by Assen Blatechki) is considered as the most influential politician in Bulgaria's history. The movie is about him and his love story with Dilyana Popova as the main female character.
Khan Asparukh - Part III - Land Forever (1981)
Khan Asparukh - Part III - Land Forever (1981)
The last part of the epic "Khan Asparukh" - "Land Forever" is an impressive finish to scale narrative, created for the nationwide celebration of 13 century anniversary of the Bulgarian state. The authors collected in final chord all storylines, culminating in the political strengthening of the young Bulgarian state. In the center of the film epic again is the image of Khan Asparukh - a lofty romantic hero who embodies the virtues and energy of his people.