site.btaSixth Edition of “OKO” Ethnographic Film Festival Opens in Bolhrad

The opening ceremony of the sixth edition of the International Ethnographic Film Festival OKO took place Friday at the Centre for Culture and Leisure in Bolhrad, drawing local residents and guests from Bulgaria.

The festival was officially launched on September 5 on the banks of the Dnipro River in Kyiv. The programme featured ritual performances by the Kukeri group Bessarabia from Bolhrad, songs and dances by the Izvor folk ensemble from the Bulgarian village of Horodne, Odesa region, as well as musical sets by Ukrainian bands LUIKU and HulyaiHorod.

The ceremony in Bolhrad was hosted by Tetiana Piankova, who highlighted the spirit of Bessarabia as a place where ethnographic cinema “resoundingly reminds that every culture, language, and ritual is part of a great mosaic that must be preserved and passed on.”

Among the speakers on stage were Bolhrad’s First Deputy Mayor Andriy Harvalov, festival director and founder Tetiana Staneva, and head of the Department of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports Zhanna Suslina.

Staneva spoke of a symbolic “homecoming” and of the year-long preparations for the festival programme. She recalled the festival's opening event in Kyiv, which featured Bessarabian cultural elements such as the traditional Kukeri and Malanka rituals, and noted that Bolhrad will host “the best of the best” from the 2025 selection.

Suslina praised the organizers for their dedication during challenging times and welcomed the Bulgarian delegation, underlining the significance of cultural partnerships between Ukraine and Bulgaria. “The OKO Festival proves that cinema matters to our city. We thank the team for continuing this unique tradition even in wartime conditions,” she said.

Over the next three days, audiences in Bolhrad will watch Ukrainian, Bulgarian, and international films, take part in discussion panels and workshops, and attend a closing ceremony featuring the announcement of winners in the “Our OKO” and “OKO SHORT” competition categories.

Since 2023, OKO has been a Ukrainian-Bulgarian initiative. The festival’s name, an acronym in Ukrainian meaning Association of Creative Personalities, brings together filmmakers, folklorists, cinema enthusiasts, and those who value customs and traditions.

Specializing in ethnographic and anthropological documentaries and feature films, OKO explores the everyday life of small and large peoples, communities, and residents of both rural and urban areas. The festival provides a platform for filmmakers, folklorists, ethnographers, and anthropologists to connect, exchange ideas, and plan future collaborations.