Bulgaria should adopt Ireland’s model for developing its animation cinema, experts from the Association of Bulgarian Animation Producers (ABAP) said on Monday at a Ministry of Culture discussion on best practices and financing systems for the animation industry in the EU.
“About 15 years ago, Ireland had no established animation industry, but today it is Europe’s fastest-growing and one of its most developed”, said ABAP Chair Dimitar Petrov. The process began with a single feature film earning an Oscar nomination, which prompted Ireland’s Ministry of Culture to recognize the sector’s potential. They commissioned an agency to carry out an in-depth analysis of the cultural sector and formulate a ten-year strategy for its development, improvement, and for preserving Irish culture and language. An evaluation is carried out every few years to assess progress and determine next steps, Petrov added.
Petrov explained that the recommendations now put forward are based on an analysis of what delivered the greatest impact and return in Ireland over the past decade.
“We use the Irish model because, until recently, Ireland had no industry in this sector but successfully developed one through targeted initiatives. The population size is similar to Bulgaria’s, and the sector now employs 1,100 to 1,500 people, which is an attainable target for us. The required financial investments are also feasible. We are not considering tens of millions or billions, but a manageable number of projects each year. The investments we pursue are comparable to the budget of a single Bulgarian feature film, and returns can reach four to six times the initial investment,” Petrov said.
“Our aim isn’t just to spend money; it’s to create products with added value, especially cultural value, that will feed back into Bulgaria’s economy and generate further financial resources. That’s how you get real growth,” Petrov explained.
He stressed that Bulgaria is now in a much better position than Ireland was at the start of its process.
“Back then, Ireland’s industry had only 50 or 60 people. Bulgaria’s animation industry now numbers in the hundreds. We have experienced professionals, team members with backgrounds in international projects, and graduates returning from abroad. These individuals would choose to stay in Bulgaria if stable job opportunities were available, which means we have significant potential ready to be developed, or risk losing it to emigration.”
Deputy Culture Minister Georgi Sultanov emphasized the need for solid inter-institutional links at this stage.
“I hope we’ll discuss these issues with other institutions so we can channel spending more effectively and support the industry’s growth through various forms of financing,” he said. “This genre is an integral part of the broader film industry.”
National Film Centre Executive Director Petar Todorov expressed strong belief that Bulgarian children want local animation provided it is available and of high quality. “I firmly believe that if Bulgaria attains international recognition in cinema, it will be through animation,” Todorov said. He pointed to the Latvian film “Flood,” which won an Oscar with a budget of EUR 3.5 million, below Europe’s average for such productions.
Todorov said animation remains the genre in which Bulgaria lags behind all other European countries. “In feature films, we are now ahead of Croatia and Cyprus and roughly on the same level as Romania, possibly even slightly ahead. The situation is similar for documentaries. However, in animation, we remain clearly in last place,” Todorov said.
Bulgaria’s animation ecosystem has solid anchors. The World Festival of Animated Film (WFAF) in Varna, run with support from the Culture Ministry, Varna Municipality, and the National Film Centre, held its 21st edition on September 3-7, 2025, screening 70+ films from over 20 countries. Alongside WFAF, Sofia’s Golden Kuker – International Animation Film Festival is an established platform for the sector. Bulgarian animation has been earning recognition at home, e.g., Asparuh Petrov’s Trace took a top award at the Golden Rhyton documentary-and-animation festival in 2023 and abroad, with two Bulgarian animated shorts representing the country at EU Film Days 2025 in Japan.
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