Cannes‑Winner ‘The Dreamed Adventure’ Wins Bulgaria’s Oscars 2027 Bid

Bulgaria’s National Film Center announced that Valeska Grisebach’s gritty gangster drama *The Dreamed Adventure* will be the country’s entry in the Best International Feature Film category at the 2027 Academy Awards.

The film earned the Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival before being chosen by a five‑member selection committee. The decision positions *The Dreamed Adventure* as Bulgaria’s first contender in a category where it has never received a nomination.

*The Dreamed Adventure* unfolds in the border town of Svilengrad, a small community near the Turkish and Greek frontiers. The story follows Veska, an archaeologist played by Yana Radeva, who encounters an old acquaintance, Said, portrayed by Syuleyman Letifov.

After his car is stolen, Veska brings him to the excavation site where she works, and the plot drifts into Said’s underworld of organized crime that lies beneath the town’s surface.

The selection panel was chaired by Mira Staleva and included Savina Petkova, Julian Kostov, Pavel G. Vesnakov and Kalin Kalinov. The film is a co‑production among Germany, France, Bulgaria and Austria. , the movie was shot entirely in Bulgaria with local actors; its dialogue and action are rooted in Bulgarian culture and language.

## Background & Context

Director Valeska Grisebach has spent five years exploring the Svilengrad region to craft her sophomore feature after her 2017 film *Western*. The Dreamed Adventure’s narrative captures a drab, lawless border town that echoes the final days of the collapsing communist era and the subsequent rise of mafia‑style economics, .

The movie’s setting near Turkey and Greece provides a backdrop for the gritty underworld that Veska is drawn into when she brings Said to her archaeological dig.

The production’s international collaboration is noteworthy. While it is a German‑filmed effort, the screenplay and many performances were tailored to Bulgarian characters and circumstances.

The film’s authenticity was highlighted by the National Film Center, which noted that the action develops among genuine Bulgarian actors and in the Bulgarian language.

## What People Are Saying

A review praised *The Dreamed Adventure* as a “remarkable piece of work,” noting its realistic portrayal of a border town and the paranoia that permeates its atmosphere. The critic likened it to “Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil” in terms of its tense, lawless setting.

The film’s U.S. distribution rights are held by Janus Films, and it is scheduled to screen at the Toronto Film Festival’s Centerpiece lineup tonight before appearing later this month at the New York Film Festival.

While the film has already garnered critical acclaim on the festival circuit, its journey to the Oscars will test whether Bulgarian cinema can break into a category where it has historically struggled.

In 2009, Bulgaria’s submission *The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner* reached the Oscar shortlist, but no film has yet secured a nomination.

## What Happens Next

The 15‑film Oscar shortlist for Best International Feature Film will be released on December 15, with the final nominations announced January 21, 2027. If *The Dreamed Adventure* advances to that stage, it would mark Bulgaria’s first nomination in the category.

The 98th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 14, 2027 at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, where the film could potentially earn international recognition for Bulgarian cinema.

The national film community is watching closely as *The Dreamed Adventure* represents a new chapter for Bulgaria’s presence on the global awards stage. Whether it can secure a nomination remains to be seen, but its journey from Svilengrad to the Oscars reflects a significant cultural milestone.