In Varna at the 29th Golden Rose Festival this week Bulgarian filmmakers who are facing severe cuts in government funding staged a protest against cuts to film funding led by Dimitar Mitovski director of the 2010 national box office topper Mission London. At the opening of the festival he read a declaration protesting the decrease in funding support that was signed by 34 directors and producers and supported by the Union of Bulgarian Cinema Workers.

Filmmakers in many countries across Europe are facing funding cuts as governments seek recover from the consequences of the global financial crisis. In Bulgaria less than half of the 9.5m Euros promised for 2010 for the film industry has been distributed so far.

According to the statement on the government's official web site (http://www.mc.government.bg/) the minister Vejdi Razhidov said he has asked for 9m Euros of national support for film to be assured in 2011". But in the preliminary state budget, that will be discussed in the Council of Ministers (http://www.government.bg/) and the Bulgarian Parliament (http://www.parliament.bg/) this amount was decreased as were the amounts of other sectors in the ministry. According to Vejdi Razhidov "the state budget was made under the conditions of continuous financial crisis. In order the Film law (that determines funding for the film industry in Bulgaria) to be respected a much higher budget for the Ministry of culture is needed."