Co-produced by Red Carpet (Bulgaria) and Wood Water Films (Germany), a documentary Silent Observers by Eliza Petkova is currently in production. Filming began on March 29th in an isolated Bulgarian village in the Pirin mountain range. The film is scheduled for release in 2024.
Silent Observers is set in a village where the inhabitants and their animals live together in mutual dependence, but this bond, based on ancient secular traditions, is slowly disappearing. For her film, Eliza Petkova chose to take the point of view of five animals (a horse, a dog, a goat, a cat and a donkey) who observe the life of the inhabitants from the mountains.
In an interview with Film New Europe, the director said: “My goal is to make a film in which the viewer identifies with the animals and where the animal is presented as a subject revealing its individual soul to the camera. Our visual approach carries an aesthetic which evokes the animals’ perspective on their surroundings. What interests me is a story about a human community through the eyes of the animals in it.”
Funded by the Bulgarian National Film Centre and Eurimages, the film’s budget is estimated at €215,000. Two versions will be developed for cinemas and television (Arte/RBB)
Sources: Film New Europe, Wood Water Films
