The State Institute for Culture is a Partner of the Sixth Edition of SofiaDocumental 2025
SofiaDocumental – the documentary film festival with a focus on human rights, will be officially opened on September 25, 2025 under the domes of Sofia Largo with the Bulgarian premiere of the film “Divya” by Ukrainian director Dmytro Khreshko. The film is a sound, meditative odyssey through the war-torn landscapes of Ukraine – an impressive and deeply affecting story of the destruction and quiet defiance of nature, which never stops recovering.
The sixth edition of the festival will be held under the motto “Natural Intelligence Strikes Back”, and its program will bring together some of the most significant international documentaries focusing on themes of freedom, rights, and the future.
Among the main initiatives is the professional training program for documentary film “BDC Discoveries”, which for the sixteenth consecutive year offers a platform for the development of young European documentarians. “BDC Discoveries” is also the only similar program in Bulgaria, supported by leading European institutions and funds. The seminar brings together young professionals from all over Europe with documentary film projects with international potential. The second and most important module of the program will be held in Sofia – between September 29 and October 5, 2025, within the framework of the festival. On October 3, the participants will present their film projects to an international jury.
The grand prize for the best project will be awarded on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and is in the amount of 2000 euros, provided by the State Institute for Culture. With this partnership, the State Institute for Culture once again strengthens its role as an active supporter of cultural exchange and the development of documentary cinema in Bulgaria and Europe.
The participants in this year’s edition of “BDC Discoveries” are from Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Montenegro and Greece, and leading film experts will support the development of their ideas according to established European practices.