Exhibitions, cinema and literature at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Berlin

The Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Berlin has announced its programme for September. It features two exhibitions, a literary premiere, a film premiere, and two-day Bulgarian language courses for children.

The latter is being organised to mark the International Day of Languages. The Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Berlin has organized language courses on September 24 and 25 at several libraries across Berlin.

According to information from the Institute, language learning will be enhanced through a practical activity: a short course on writing the Cyrillic letters, which will introduce students to the graphic features of the alphabet.

At the end of the workshop, all participants, under the guidance of Militsa Todorova, will present what they have learned in a joint exhibition by writing their names in Cyrillic. The mini-courses will take place at Schiller-Bibliothek (Müllerstr. 149) and Fahrbibliothek (Götzstr. 8/10/12).

Here is more information about other Bulgarian events in in the German capital, organised by the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Berlin:

The exhibition “Traces in Space”, curated by Hanna Schwarz and Petar Mitev, remains open to visitors until September 8. The exhibition features more than 30 stage design projects and works created for theatrical productions that transcend the boundaries of the stage and take on an independent life as works of visual art. The projects on display reflect both universal human themes embedded in classical drama and pressing issues facing contemporary society. 

Fans of Bulgarian literature will have the opportunity to attend the presentation of Evgenia Krasteva-Blagoeva’s novel “Rivers of Time”. The novel traces the invisible threads of the past that bring together the fates of two families who lived through the Balkan Wars, the Second Balkan War and the First World War, as well as the horrors of the Kutsiyan and Belene labour camps.

The book paints a moral portrait of a generation that lived through the wars for national unification and fell victim to communist terror, yet managed to preserve its values and pass them on to its children.

The book presentation will take place on September 8, with the participation of Boris Despodov, Goran Blagoev and Desislava Bobenkova.

The exhibition “GRENZENLOS” (BOUNDLESS) explores the concepts of freedom and materiality, raising an important question: what happens when we move beyond imposed boundaries—physical, spiritual, social and creative?

Through their works, 12 established Bulgarian artists engage in a visual and philosophical dialogue beyond fixed boundaries—where limitations disappear and infinite horizons open up. Transparent and translucent materials become a medium that refracts light, captures memory and reveals what is hidden.

The exhibition, curated by Prof. Orlin Dvoryanov, will open on September 11.

The film “The Dreamed Adventure”, directed by German filmmaker Valeska Grisebach, will premiere on September 24 at Kino International, located at Karl-Marx-Allee 33.

The story follows Veska, an archaeologist who has returned to her hometown of Svilengrad to take part in archaeological excavations. Unexpectedly, in the Bulgarian border region with Greece and Türkiye, she encounters Said, an old acquaintance from the Rhodope Mountains who has been drawn to the town by shady business dealings.

Gradually, stories from the time of the great changes of the 1990s emerge—stories of freedom and shattered dreams, violence and easy money. Supported by her friends in Svilengrad, Veska begins to write her own story.

The film was shot in the Svilengrad area in the summer of 2024, with all the roles played by Bulgarian non-professional actors. It is Valeska Grisebach’s second film set in Bulgaria.

Edited by Diana Tsankova

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov