29th Festival of Bulgarian Documentary and Animated Film “Golden Rhyton”
Wednesday, 17 December – Monday, 22 December
Lucky House of Cinema

Over the course of six days, more than 80 films will be screened, presented in competition and special programs. The festival traditionally brings together established names and young creators, turning into a vibrant platform for ideas, dialogue, and professional exchange in Bulgarian cinema.
The festival will open on 17 December with two special “Plovdiv” screenings: 70 Years of Radio Plovdiv by Mihail Kosev, and Theme with Variations, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Prof. Anastas Slavchev. The script and direction are by Lili Bărzeva, with cinematography and editing by Alexander Bogdan Thompson. The film is produced with the financial support of the Municipality of Plovdiv and offers an in-depth and personal perspective on the figure of one of the city’s most significant cultural figures. It unfolds like a musical theme with numerous variations devoted to honesty, dedication to art, and love for the human being — his most intimate “keys.”
Among the highlights of the 29th Festival of Bulgarian Documentary and Animated Film “Golden Rhyton” – Plovdiv are the presentation of the new issue of the journal Art Studies (4/2025) focused on “Contemporary Receptions in Art: Image, Text and Context”; a meeting with the author of the book Film Music Up Close, Prof. Dr. Klér Levy; as well as an encounter with one of the most colorful animation directors, Nastimir Tsachev – Nasti, who will present his book Animation Memoirs together with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Deyan Statulov.
A festival side event is the exhibition “Women Directors in Bulgarian Documentary Cinema of the 20th Century,” which will be opened during the festival. Through archival photographs, film stills, and brief informative texts, the exhibition restores the memory of Bulgaria’s women directors, their contribution, and the richness of documentary cinema in the country.

Festival Program: zlatenriton.bg

The event is organized in partnership with the Municipality of Plovdiv and is part of Plovdiv’s Cultural Calendar for 2025.