Ministry of Culture (Bulgaria)

History

The Ministry of Culture was established as a separate institution on 6 February 1954, previously being part of the Ministry of Enlightenment. It was then active under various names until promoted back to a ministry in 1990, but once again briefly united with the Ministry of Education and Science in 1993.

Ministers

Marian Bachev was appointed as Minister for Culture in 2025.

Agencies

Bulgarian National Film Center

The Bulgarian National Film Center (BNFC or NFC; also spelt Centre) is an executive agency under the Minister of Culture that helps to fund filmmaking and related activities. It is supported partly by the government's budget and partly by revenues from its own activities. Its functions include the support and/or organisation of the following:

• creation, distribution, and showing of Bulgarian films both nationally and internationally
• film festivals of Bulgarian and foreign films at home (such as the Sofia International Film Festival) and showing of Bulgarian films abroad
• training and qualification of film industry workers
• activity of Creative Europe Media-Bulgaria
• cooperation with similar organisations in other countries and various programs of the Council of Europe (for which it is the coordinator for Bulgaria in the European Audiovisual Observatory) and the European Union
• protection of copyright and related rights in the film industry
• legislation relating to the film industry
• data collection and dissemination to the public relating to the Bulgarian film industry
• production rights

Funding is provided for film projects selected on a competitive basis by an expert National Creative Committee. Grants provide at least 30% and up to 80% of the film's budget.

Since 2005, the BNFC has represented Bulgaria in the European Film Promotion organisation. It also works in cooperation with public broadcaster Bulgarian National Television, the Bulgarian National Film Archive, the Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers and other organisations in the field of audiovisual in the production, distribution and preservation of Bulgarian films

The NFC is located at 2A Dondukov Blvd in Sofia.

Academy Award selections

Bulgarian entries for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film have been submitted since 1970. Until 2007, they were selected by the Bulgarian National Council on Cinema, and from 2007, by the Bulgarian National Film Council. The body was referred to as Bulgarian National Cinema Council in 2019, when it was presided over by producer Vladimir Andreev, and selected Ága as the Bulgarian entry.

In 2024, the film Triumph was selected as the Bulgarian entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, by a unanimous decision of a five-member selection committee appointed by the BNFC.

Bulgarian National Film Archive

The Bulgarian National Film Archive is another legal entity under the Ministry of Culture. It was established to acquire, restore, preserve, and store film and film-related archival artefacts of Bulgarian and international culture.

References

References

1. (20 November 2024). "Bulgarian National Film Center".
2. Goh, Kerrine. (19 April 2011). "Bulgarian National Film Centre (NFC)".
3. "BULGARIAN NATIONAL FILM CENTRE".
4. (11 January 2019). "Home".
5. "Partners".
6. "Bulgarian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film - RYM/Sonemic".
7. (10 September 2019). "Milko Lazarov's Ága is Bulgaria's entry for Best International Feature Oscar Award".
8. Hipes, Patrick. (10 September 2019). "Bulgaria Selects 'Ága', Bosnia And Herzegovina 'The Son' For International Oscar Race".
9. (4 September 2024). "FNE Oscar Watch 2025: Bulgaria Selects Triumph as Oscar Candidate".
10. "The film Triumph is Bulgaria's nomination for Oscar".
11. "Law base".
12. "About us".