site.btaGolden Linden Jury Member and Film Director Loser Shares His Lifelong Passion for Cinema and Bulgarian Film

Cinema has been a part of German author, director and musician Claus Loser's life since early childhood, Loser told BTA’s Pavlina Dudeva in an interview on Sunday as the Golden Linden film festival opened in Stara Zagora.

Loser shared that his grandparents owned a cinema in Germany in the 1930s, which sparked his interest in film, even though his parents were teachers with no connection to the profession. He said he chose to pursue film on his own.

Loser explained that in 1990 he established a cinema in East Berlin, motivated by the wish to finally see films that had been censored before the fall of the Iron Curtain. He started his career making experimental short films in East Germany during communism, then began writing and curating films for screening at major events. Later, Loser started writing about cinema and studying cinematography.

Asked about joining this year’s Golden Linden jury, Loser said he gladly accepted, as he is always open to new adventures and opportunities, whether through reality or on screen. He highlighted his interest in watching Bulgarian films and meeting Bulgarian colleagues, noting there is a Bulgarian film festival in Berlin. “This festival aligns with my overall work. I am curious how the changes of 1990 are reflected in contemporary Bulgarian cinema,” he said.

Loser also noted that he is considering returning to filmmaking, this time with a more artistic focus. In addition to his work as a director and musician, he is also a published poet in Germany. He recently rekindled his interest in poetry and read his work at a literary festival in Ruse in October.

Since 1990, Loser has run the programme at Berlin’s Brotfabrik cinema. He has been an independent film critic since 1992, and in 1996 founded the film archive ex.oriente.lux for East German subculture. That year, he published the book Gegenbilder — Filmischer Subversion in der DDR  (Contradictory Images: Cinema as a Subversive Element in the GDR). In 2009, he was selector for the Berlinale Retro: Winter Ade festival.

Nine films from across Europe are competing in the main program of the 12th Golden Linden International Film Festival for New European Cinema, which takes place in Stara Zagora from May 31 to June 4. The international jury and the festival audience will present awards in categories such as Best Film, Best Director, Best Male Actor, and Best Female Actor. This year’s lineup includes films from Hungary, Austria, Italy, France, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Denmark, and Bulgaria. Two Bulgarian films—Before I Forget by Stanislav Donchev and Wedlock by Magdalena Ralcheva—are in the competition. Other films featured in the program include Sleeping with a Tiger (Austria), It’s Not My Film (Poland), Unsinkable (Denmark), Don’t Rock the Boat (France), Ten Minutes (Italy), and But What About Tomi? (Hungary). The winners will be announced at the festival’s closing ceremony.