Film & talk
5 November, Thursday
19:00 – 20:30
“Cartography of Memory: POMAK” which deepens the themes of erasure of Pomak identity, also known as Bulgarian Muslims, are a distinct ethnic group residing primarily in Bulgaria, North of Greece / Xanthi region and North of Turkey drawing attention to a muslim community whose history and cultural belonging have been repeatedly questioned and suppressed. By documenting their imagery, rituals, and oral histories, the project seeks to reclaim narratives that have been marginalized, challenging the forces that have sought to erase their presence from historical and national records. Within this framework, we developed a film essay, which has already started in pomak villages in Bulgaria in 2025 and continued in Xanthi and Kirkareli, whose content, imagery, and sonic language emerge from this research and development.
*The talk will be accompanied by the two short films: Carthography of memory: POMAK by Michaela Lakova & Andrea Cirio and “A veiled world” 1947 | 16min by Zhandov w/ the kind support of the Bulgarian National Film Archive.
Michaela Lakova (b. 1987, Sofia) is a visual artist and researcher based in Sofia and Rotterdam. Her work includes video and installations, and the themes she explores are erasure and memory. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Stage and Screen Design from NATFA (2011) and a master’s degree in Design and Communication from the Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam (2014).
Rayna Teneva (b. 1986, Kazanlak, Bulgaria) is an artist working between Sofia, Bulgaria, and Vienna, Austria. Reflecting on memory as a site of tension and continuous renegotiation between the personal and the political, Teneva creates works that unfold in cinematic, installation, or performative formats. Rayna Teneva holds a degree in Media Art from the University of Art and Design Karlsruhe, Germany, and a degree in Photography from NATFA, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Supported by:
Supported by National Culture Fund, Bulgaria @nationalculturefund Creation Program 2025
Culture Moves Europe @creative.europe.bulgaria