Movies Similar to Starting from the Scratch

Triumph(2024)

A military satire inspired by wild real-life events from the 1990s when, in the chaotic aftermath of the fall of communism, a task force comprised of high-ranking Bulgarian army officers and psychics embarked on a top-secret military operation in the small village of Tsarichina to dig up an elusive alien artifact that would change the course of history and make Bulgaria great again.

The Lesson(2014)

An honest, hard-working schoolteacher in a small Bulgarian town is driven to desperate measures to avoid financial ruin.

Tarika(2024)

The film centres on a young girl living with her father and her grandmother in a small hut near the border far away from the local village. Marked by her “butterfly wings”, a rare bone condition she inherited from her mother, the girl has been the source of the community’s superstition forever. When the local cattle are struck down by a mysterious disease, fear starts spreading among the villagers.

Class ‘90(2025)

Schoolmates who graduated in 1989 in Bulgaria gather at a small hotel in the Rhodope mountain to celebrate their 30th high school anniversary. What is supposed to be a festive event turns into painful experience as old secrets and trauma still haunt them. The sum of their life experiences, their unfulfilled dreams and current goals reflect the upheavals of the post-communist society during the 30 years after the fall of the Berlin wall.

XIIa(2017)

The movie XIIa is the sequel of the super successful XIa. In XIIa the journey continues. After two years break, Lina is back to school to teach a new class - a new class, new problems. At home, the situation is also not better. Lina is separated with her cheating husband and her dominating mother is constantly bullying her, Lina's son is maltreated by classmates - at times the tension reaches extreme limits and Lina is about to collapse. Fortunately, she finds support in the sports teacher, a former boxer. The school director is also on her side, so are some of the students. Though the problems with the new class, especially with the beautiful and difficult Megan and between Lina and one of her colleague teachers deepen more and more. The prom is getting closer, the situation is about to escalate

Block(2023)

Stories of love, murder, mystery and control interconnect in lock-down inside the confines of a Sofia apartment during the pandemic.

All She Wrote(2018)

When Aaron, an ex-fighter, turns to music after years of being knocked around and left with permanent mental disabilities, he falls for Jana, an off-centered Bulgarian immigrant living in New York. While he recognizes that she is as crazy as he is, Jana does not share the same opinion. But her brother, Bobby, an up and coming wannabe fighter, decides to convince her she is that crazy in order to get Aaron in the ring against him.

The Judgement(2014)

This is the story of Mityo and his son Vasko, who live in a poor area, near to the Bulgarian-Turkish-Greek Border. Mityo had lost everything that has mattered to him – his wife, his work, the confidence of his son, Vasko. In order to get him back, Mityo has to find forgiveness and pay for his sin, done 25 years ago.

Мераклии(2025)

The Island(2011)

In Paris, Sophie and Daneel make a solid couple. Nothing, it seems, can separate them - until the day when Sophie tells her partner she has organised a surprise trip to Bulgaria. Daneel refuses to go, but Sophie insists and soon discovers just why her soul mate was so reluctant to set foot in the country...

Thirst(2015)

A couple and their teenage son eke out a living on a hilltop, doing the laundry for local hotels, despite the intermittent water supply. Their simple life is overturned by the arrival of a father-and-daughter team of diviner and well-digger, who promise to bring an end to this precarious existence by finding a source on their arid hill. But ultimately, these newcomers quench a thirst far greater than than the simple need for water.

The Good Driver(2023)

Ivan, a Bulgarian taxi driver living at the Golden Sands tourist resort, is saving money in order to go back to Finland to meet his ex-wife and son, and to make amends for his past mistakes. But money is tight, and eventually Ivan will resort to extreme measures.

Rhapsody in White(2002)

This is a film about the fight against the terrible invincible enemy - the banality of life. Chekhovian provincial hopelessness will creep in, broken by sharp turns of Chaplin-esque humor. A bow to silent cinema and Chekhov.

Liuben(2024)

Victor has a nice life in Madrid with his partner, José. However, after returning to his childhood home in the mountains of Bulgaria for his grandfather's funeral, he decides to stay for the summer. While reconnecting with his father and the village way of life, he unexpectedly finds love in the form of Liuben, an 18-year-old Roma boy. Despite their differences, and the conflicts surrounding them, Victor and Liuben find refuge in each other, while a romance begins to take form.

The Art of Falling(2022)

Bori (17) refuses to be harassed by the boys. Her artistic, but unstable mother does not give her the support she needs. Her caring grandfather enrolls her in a judo school. There, she realizes that before beating others, one must win the battles within oneself.

Living Legends(2014)

Group of friends meet again, 13 years after their prom because of a problem of one of them, and face the opportunity to experience the things in life they have always put aside in life so far.

Ashes Over Sun(2020)

Dr. Stefanov is in the middle of a huge media scandal due to a patient's death. Antonia is a young journalist who bravely embarks on a journey to uncover what truly happened.

Gundi: Legend of Love(2024)

The great Bulgarian football player Georgi Asparuhov and his greatest love - his wife Lita go through a number of trials of life, football and the political system.

XIa(2015)

XI "A" follows the story of Lina - a former dancer, who goes in for her dream job, namely to become a literature teacher.

The Pig(2019)

The story of a 13-year-old Rumen, nicknamed: "The Pig". He is being molested everyday by his schoolmates. Alone and closed in himself outsider, he has used to the insults and to not return back. While one day, he instinctively strikes a single, maybe fatal, blow.