Bulgaria's Official Entry for The 98th Academy Awards
Published: 10.10.2025
Reading time: 1.8 minutes
In a year when cinema continues to wrestle with borders both visible and invisible, Bulgarian filmmaker Milko Lazarov returns with Tarika, a haunting allegory about the forces that divide and unite us.
The film, Lazarov's third feature, has been selected as Bulgaria’s official submission for the 98th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. It marks both artistic recognition and cultural reflection.
Tarika first captured audiences at the BFI London Film Festival, where its meditative rhythm and stark imagery drew critical attention. The film later triumphed at the Kolkata International Film Festival, earning both Best Film and the prestigious FIPRESCI Award.
Lazarov, who made waves with his Arctic-set drama Aga (a Bulgarian, German, and French coproduction), approaches his new film with a different kind of boldness. “This time, the story may seem almost too straightforward for me,” he admits, “but it carries a quiet weight, a sense of fragility.” That tension between clarity and contemplation has become his signature.
Starring Veseka Valcheva and Zahari Baharov, Tarika is a co-production between Red Carpet, 42film, and Amour Fou, continuing the international collaboration that has defined Lazarov’s work. The project was first unveiled at the 2020 Berlinale European Film Market and later received support from an impressive roster of institutions, including the Bulgarian National Film Center, Creative Europe (MEDIA), MDM, ZDF/Arte, Film Fund Luxembourg, and Eurimages.
For international audiences, the film bears the title Tarika, though its original Bulgarian name translates as The Herd, a telling metaphor for its exploration of human behavior and belonging.
MG Film Boutiques is handling global sales as the film continues its festival journey and Oscar campaign. The Academy’s international feature shortlist will be revealed on December 16, 2025, with final nominations announced on January 22, 2026, ahead of the 98th Academy Awards ceremony on March 15, 2026.
With Tarika, Lazarov offers not just a film, but a meditation on the anxieties and hopes that ripple through our collective consciousness — a reminder that sometimes the simplest stories can hold the deepest truths.
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