Kinomania turns 40 with a programme full of award winners
The festival opens on 12 November. Here are the films, guests and special screenings to put on your list.
Time to head back to the cinema.
Kinomania opens its 40th edition on 12 November, with screenings in four Bulgarian cities on the same evening. Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna kick things off with Martin McDonagh's new film, Wild Horse Nine, which earned John Malkovich the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at Venice. Burgas opens with Andrey Zvyagintsev's Minotaur. On 17 November, Stara Zagora joins in with Black Money for White Nights by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, a highlight among the Bulgarian premieres, with a chance to meet the team. Blagoevgrad's programme begins on 18 November with The Phantom of the Opera.
Three festivals, three golden prizes
Kinomania brings together the winners of Europe's three major festival prizes for 2026. May el-Toukhy's Woman Unknown took the Golden Lion in Venice, while its story of post-war Denmark also won Mathilde Arcel the Volpi Cup for Best Actress. Cristian Mungiu's Fjord won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, the Romanian director's second after 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days in 2007.
İlker Çatak's Yellow Letters (Gelbe Briefe), winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlinale, is a powerful story about holding on to personal dignity under political pressure. It is the first German film to take the festival's top prize in 22 years.
A special treat for film lovers
comes with a visit from one of cinema's most engaging guides. Critic and filmmaker Mark Cousins, known for The Story of Film: An Odyssey, is behind the ambitious new series The Story of Documentary Film, presented at Cannes. His view stretches well beyond the Western cinema that dominates so many film histories. Sofia audiences will see two episodes, covering the 1960s and the 1980s, and meet Cousins himself at Odeon on 25 November and Lumiere on 26 November.
Alongside its wide-ranging programme, Kinomania keeps social issues firmly in view. The French Film Festival runs under the banner Cinema of Today, while Kinoteka, presented in partnership with the Polish Institute, brings together contemporary Polish cinema and classics.
Children's Kinomania returns for a sixth edition
At Lumiere on 29 November at 11:00, the selected films will be screened and the young filmmakers celebrated with awards. The programme features short live-action films and animations made by children and teenagers aged 8 to 18.
The anniversary edition also supports an initiative to prevent violence against and among children. On 24 November, Lumiere hosts the awards ceremony for the Lachezar Tsotsorkov Foundation's socially engaged video competition, Childhood Is for Laughter, Not Fear.
The competition gives young creators a platform
to speak up through short video stories that aim to make a real difference. It brings together dozens of creators aged 18 to 30, schools and teams from across Bulgaria. Explore the full programme on the Kinomania website. Tickets for all announced titles are available HERE and at the NDK box offices.
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