Films by Hristiana Raykova

Germany 2019, 90 min
by Hristiana Raykova

The documentary THE PIT revolves around a mineral water pool in director Hristiana Raykova’s hometown of Varna in Bulgaria. Situated right by the sea, this thermal pool is lovingly called 'the pit' by local residents. Sitting in the hot water, they lean back up against the pool’s edge and philosophise about their lives. Here personal and political convictions collide, and tell of both social change and stagnation at the periphery of Europe. (69th Berlinale Perspektive Deutsches Kino)

Germany 2015, 83 min
by Hristiana Raykova, Lisa Block

Who wants to live in the streets? Not Michael. Faced with the eviction notice he swears: “That would be the most shameful thing for me. An insult to my existence.” Ben, Knüppel and Chris disagree. For them the streets represent self-chosen freedom: a deliberate rejection of the “semi-detached”, dropping out of the system, anarchy. They resemble the 'Vagabonds' who founded a movement in the 1930s, though the film makes it clear that a lot must happen before someone takes this step. Hristiana Rayk