CineLibri 2026: big-screen stories and literary company
More than 70 films, international guests and a festival where books and cinema have plenty to say to each other.
Ongoing · 15 Oct – 8 Nov 2026 · Sofia and other Bulgarian cities
CineLibri has a strong claim on our autumn diaries.
Running from 15 October to 8 November, the festival brings Sofia and other Bulgarian cities into a sprawling conversation between cinema, literature and the arts. More than 70 films are on the programme, alongside visits from actors, directors and writers. This year,
the festival takes its theme from a book that still has plenty to tell us:
Mario Vargas Llosa’s Notes on the Death of Culture, published in Spanish as La civilización del espectáculo. The noise of mass culture, information overload, the struggle to work out what matters, irony as a filter and absurdity as a way of life all feed into CineLibri 2026. Omana Katsarska is behind this year’s striking visual identity, while the programme draws on titles from Cannes, Venice and Berlin.
Ink, Danny Boyle and the combustible world of the press
One of the programme’s most talked-about titles is Danny Boyle’s Ink. Set in 1969, it follows Rupert Murdoch, played by Guy Pearce, as he acquires The Sun, and ambitious editor Larry Lamb, played by Jack O’Connell, as he turns it into an aggressively populist tabloid.
It was the film chosen to open CineLibri 2026,
with the opening ceremony held at NDK Hall 1 on 15 October. That gala is now past; the festival itself continues into November.
Thomas Mann through Paweł Pawlikowski’s lens
Another highlight is Pawlikowski’s Fatherland, screening at NDK Hall 1 on 3 November at 19:00, alongside the festival’s awards ceremony.
The Oscar-winning director is due to present the film in person.
A spare, emotionally charged black-and-white drama, Fatherland follows Nobel laureate Thomas Mann, played by Hanns Zischler, on his return to Germany in 1949. The festival lists the film in German, French, English and Russian, with Bulgarian subtitles.
Bulgarian and international books meet the screen
Bulgarian cinema has a substantial place in the programme too, including the long-awaited adaptation of Rene Karabash’s She Who Remains, the novel shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize.
Karabash also features among the festival’s literary guests.
There’s also Fred Cavayé’s new take on Les Misérables, with Vincent Lindon and Tahar Rahim. Once again, CineLibri gives literature and cinema a lively shared home. The festival runs until 8 November; check individual screenings for dates, languages and subtitles. You can find the programme and tickets here.
The books we’re reading this autumn
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