Bulgarian National Film Archive

The Bulgarian National Film Archive (Bulgarian: Българска Национална Филмотека), also known as the Bulgarian Cinematheque and informally as the Bulgarian National Film Library, is an organisation formed to acquire, restore, preserve, and store film and film-related archival artefacts of national and international culture. History Since the year of the making of the first Bulgarian feature film Bulgaran is Gallant is disputable, the exact date of foundation of the Film Archive also varies in the memories of the people who worked there. Howsoever it corresponds with the period when the first national film archives were established. For instance, it is reported that the first film archives are found during 1935 in London and New York City followed by the French one in 1936. When the communist regime took the rule in the country, the Bulgarian film-making was nationalised. Subsequently. Collection The Bulgarian Cinematheque holds the national film archive, which as of 2025 consisted of 15,000 titles, with more than 40,000 copies or 300,000 film reels . As of 2025 there are 9,528 Bulgarian films, including: 5,844 documentaries and popular science films 2,364 newsreels 700 feature films 620 animations, newsreels, chronicles, and periodicals The foreign collection includes 4,348 items from 54 countries: 3,589 feature films 625 documentaries 134 animations The collection is enlarged and enriched mainly with films made by studios around the country, international exchange, or donations.