Eastern Plays

Eastern Plays (Iztochni piesi) is a 2009 Bulgarian drama and the feature debut of writer-director Kamen Kalev. Set largely in Sofia, it follows two estranged brothers whose paths cross during a racist attack. Itso, a recovering drug addict who supports himself as a woodcarver, rescues a Turkish family targeted in the assault, while his younger brother Georgi, newly recruited into a neo-Nazi group, stands among the attackers. As Georgi begins to question his place in the movement, Itso wonders whether the young Turkish woman he saved could offer him an escape from his own bleak existence. Only when the brothers are forced together can each reckon with what he truly wants. Shot mainly in Sofia with some scenes filmed in Istanbul, the film premiered at the Directors' Fortnight of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first Bulgarian film in Cannes' official selection since 1990, and was chosen as Bulgaria's submission for the Academy Awards. It stars Hristo Hristov, Ovanes Torosyan, Saadet Aksoy and Nikolina Yancheva.