Film is one of the most powerful forms of marketing in the world. Not because people enjoy advertising, but because they love stories. A great film can do more for a country’s international reputation than a hundred tourism campaigns, thousands of advertisements and years of official slogans. It can awaken curiosity about a country’s history, people, landscapes and culture without the audience ever feeling that someone is trying to sell them something.
We have seen it happen time and again. Countries, kings, queens, princesses, warriors and historical events have been portrayed in English by British, American or other English-speaking actors. This has rarely been viewed as a problem. On the contrary, the English language has made these stories accessible to an international audience.
The latest example is Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. The story of Odysseus belongs to the ancient Greek cultural world, but the film was created as a major international production featuring world-famous actors and English as its primary language. Parts of the film were shot in several other countries, yet Greece still receives much of the cultural value. It is Greek mythology, history and identity that have once again been placed at the centre of global attention.
People who previously knew little more than the names Homer, Troy, Ithaca or Odysseus begin searching for information. They look at maps, read about the ancient world and consider visiting the places associated with the story. The film therefore becomes far more than entertainment. It becomes a gateway into an entire country.
This is where I see an enormous opportunity for Bulgaria.
Bulgaria Already Has the Resources
Bulgaria does not need to start from scratch. The country already has an internationally established film industry, professional film crews, extraordinary natural locations and one of Europe’s most capable film studios.
Nu Boyana Film Studios in Sofia has sound stages, a water tank, construction workshops, stunt teams, special-effects departments, costumes, props, vehicles and advanced post-production facilities. There are standing sets capable of representing Rome, London, New York and the Middle East. Hundreds of international films and television series have been produced with the support of the studio and Bulgarian film professionals.
Bulgaria has already proven that it can deliver productions of international quality.
But this creates a strange paradox.
Bulgaria helps the world tell other countries’ stories, while almost nobody tells Bulgaria’s story to the world.
Sofia is used to represent Moscow. The Bulgarian mountains become an anonymous fantasy landscape. The studio’s Roman streets provide the backdrop for stories that have nothing to do with Bulgaria. Bulgarian technicians, set designers, builders, stunt performers, extras and film crews contribute to impressive international productions, but when those productions reach the audience, Bulgaria remains invisible.
The country certainly gains jobs, experience and production revenue. All of that is valuable. But it does very little to create a lasting international image of Bulgaria.
Bulgaria is the factory, while someone else owns the product.
My Proposal Is to Reverse the Perspective
I believe Bulgaria should initiate an international film or drama series based on the country’s own history. It should be produced in English, meet the highest international standards and feature both Bulgarian actors and internationally recognised names.
It must not be a tourism commercial. It must not be a rigid history lesson, and it certainly must not become nationalist propaganda. First and foremost, it must be a genuinely compelling story.
The audience should be drawn in by power, love, betrayal, war, survival, family conflicts and difficult human choices. But when the story ends, viewers should also know something about Bulgaria that they did not know before.
That is how effective cultural marketing works.
People rarely travel to a country because they have seen an official slogan. They travel because they have developed an emotional connection to a place. They want to see the castle, city, mountain or valley where their favourite character lived, struggled, loved or died.
Film gives a place a memory before the visitor has even been there.
English Does Not Make the Story Less Bulgarian
I understand that some people may object to using English. If the story is about Bulgaria, should the actors not speak Bulgarian?
From a cultural perspective, this may sound reasonable. From the perspective of international distribution, however, it would limit the project’s potential.
English should not be seen as a rejection of Bulgarian identity. It is a way of opening the story to the world. Kings, Romans, Vikings, French revolutionaries, Russian aristocrats and people from ancient Greece have spoken English on screen for decades. Audiences accept this because the language of a film is an agreement between the story and the viewer.
The important question is not which language the actors speak. The important question is who owns the perspective.
Bulgarian historians, writers, production designers and cultural experts must be involved from the beginning. Bulgarian actors must be given significant roles. The clothing, symbols, landscapes, religion, power structures and historical details must be treated with knowledge and respect.
An international star can open the door to Netflix, HBO, Amazon, Apple or major theatrical distribution. But once that door is open, it must lead into Bulgaria.
Which Story Should Be Told?
Bulgaria has an almost overwhelming abundance of material.
There are the Thracians, their kings, tombs, gold treasures, rituals and complex relationships with the Greeks, Persians and Macedonians. A major film about a Thracian king or queen could reveal a visually spectacular world that international audiences have rarely seen before.
Alexander the Great could appear at the edge of the story, providing the audience with a recognisable point of entry. But the perspective would be Thracian. For the first time, this part of Europe’s ancient history could be portrayed as a civilisation in its own right rather than merely a backdrop to Greece or Rome.
There are also the stories of the First and Second Bulgarian Empires, the Christianisation of Bulgaria, the Preslav Literary School and the development and spread of the Cyrillic script. Millions of people use Cyrillic letters today, but how many people outside the region know about the political and cultural struggle behind their development and expansion?
Vasil Levski could also become the subject of an international production. However, it should not be a conventional, reverential film about a national hero. His story could instead be shaped into an intense political thriller about a revolutionary building a secret network under the surveillance of an empire.
Levski must be allowed to become a human being – not merely a monument.
Kaloyan and the Fourth Crusade
Personally, I see the story of Tsar Kaloyan and the Fourth Crusade as one of the strongest possibilities.
In 1204, the Crusaders captured Constantinople and established the Latin Empire. The region was filled with competing powers, religious tensions, betrayals and rapidly shifting alliances. Bulgaria found itself between Rome, Byzantium, the Crusaders and its own internal conflicts.
The following year, Kaloyan defeated the Latin Emperor Baldwin I at the Battle of Adrianople and took him prisoner.
This story contains every element required for a major international historical drama: kings, emperors, popes, warriors, diplomats, families, religion, love, cruelty and a struggle over the future of Europe.
A series could be titled The Crown of Tarnovo and consist of eight episodes. Kaloyan could be played by a powerful Bulgarian actor, while internationally recognised performers could portray Baldwin, the Crusader leaders and the representatives of Rome and Byzantium.
It would not need to be a story in which Bulgaria is always good and everyone else is evil. Quite the opposite. The more human, contradictory and morally complex the characters are, the stronger the story will become.
Bulgaria does not need a simplistic heroic legend. Bulgaria needs a drama the world cannot stop watching.
The Film Must Become the Beginning of Something Bigger
An international production should not be treated as an isolated cultural project. It can become the centre of an entire ecosystem.
Even before the premiere, Bulgaria could develop historical routes, digital maps, museum exhibitions, documentaries, podcasts, educational materials and international press visits. Veliko Tarnovo and other relevant locations could prepare guided tours and experiences connected to the story.
Visitors should be able to follow the characters’ journeys through the country, see historical artefacts, understand the events and encounter modern Bulgaria.
The film production creates employment during filming. Tourism, education and international interest can continue for decades.
Naturally, such an initiative would require a professional organisation. Historians, writers, film producers, international distributors, tourism organisations and the municipalities involved would need to work together. The project must also remain independent of short-term party politics. No international audience wants to watch two hours of government-sponsored self-congratulation.
The story must be free enough to remain credible.
Bulgaria Needs Cultural Self-Confidence
I see Bulgaria from both the inside and the outside. As a Swede living in the country, I notice things that many Bulgarians may have become too accustomed to seeing. Bulgaria possesses a history, natural environment, culture and level of human expertise far greater than its current international image suggests.
But Bulgaria often waits for someone else to discover it.
That is not enough.
The country must define what it wants the world to see. Not through another campaign featuring beaches, skiing, roses and a glass of wine, but through a story that makes people feel something.
Bulgaria has the studio. Bulgaria has the film crews. Bulgaria has the locations, stories, conflicts and characters. It also has internationally established Bulgarian actors and creatives who can build bridges to the global film industry.
What is missing is a shared decision to move from being a production country to becoming a storytelling country.
My proposal is therefore simple: develop a major international English-language production based on Bulgarian history. Begin with a professional screenplay, an international series bible and a short pilot produced at Nu Boyana. Then take the project to global distributors, investors and streaming platforms.
Bulgaria should no longer be merely the place where other countries’ films are made.
It is time for someone on screen to say:
“This is Tarnovo. This is Bulgaria.”
And it is time for the world to understand why that matters.
By Chris...
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