19/01/2026 - The film stars leading actors from Bulgarian cinema, such as Ivan Barnev and Alexander Triffonov, alongside Ivana Papazova who’s known for her long-standing theatre career

Principal photography on the Bulgarian-Italian co-production Cold kicked off in the Bulgarian countryside on 6 January and is scheduled to continue until mid-February, with filming taking place in the Smolyan and Rudozem regions, as well as near Sofia.

Written and directed by Ana Kitanova based on a screenplay by Iliana Kitanova, the film not only marks the feature film debut of the director and the screenwriter, but also of cinematographer Angel Balakchiyiski. Cold is adapted from stories in an as-yet-unpublished book by local writer Bone Rusinov, and follows the intertwining lives of residents in a small border village in the Tran region during the late 20th century. The story unfolds across four episodes set in different periods: three winter stories following a group of villagers who meet at their local pub, and a final spring chapter. Spanning 1968 to 2000, the film traces the gradual depopulation of the village, culminating in its total abandonment.

“Cold speaks to the irretrievable nature of time gone by; it’s an attempt to touch upon the world of my parents and grandparents, to feel and understand their worldview,” explains Ana Kitanova, who further describes the project as a tragicomedy in three parts: the first dominated by comedy, the second balancing comedy and drama, and the third turning fully dramatic, with only sparse elements of humour.

Producer Stefan Kitanov emphasises the project’s cultural resonance: “Stories about Tran aren’t a common focus of Bulgarian cinema, and Bone Rusinov’s tales are extremely authentic,” he explains, noting that the characters “speak in their own dialect while warming themselves from the blizzard and the cold by drinking Rakia in the village pub.” He adds: “We want to tell this story now because the generations are changing and disrupting their connections with the past. People have moved to the bigger towns; in some villages, only a few elderly inhabitants remain. We need to preserve this people’s knowledge, their life, their language and their stories.”

The lead actors include Ivan Barnev, Alexander Triffonov and Ivana Papazova. Barnev is well known to European audiences for films such as I Served the King of England [+see also:
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Cold is being produced by Bulgaria’s RFF International and Italy’s Pilgrim, and was developed with support from the Creative Europe – MEDIA programme, the Bulgarian National Film Centre, the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture and the Friuli Venezia Giulia Film Commission, in partnership with Dolly Media Studio and Magic Shop (Bulgaria).