In an almost deserted Bulgarian village on the border with Turkey, known for centuries as ‘The Great Gate’, there are only 38 voters left. Among the candidates running for mayor is Ivan the postman. He has come up with an unconventional and generous-minded plan to breathe new life into his village. Since the times of the Roman and Ottoman Empires, refugees have been entering Europe through this ‘gate’. So why not offer the passing Syrian refugees a home and a new beginning in the empty village?
Ivan’s main rival is against the idea, and it’s not entirely clear what the incumbent mayor thinks. The film follows the three candidates’ campaigns as they attempt to appeal to their elderly electorate. In this tragicomic portrait of a sleepy village that suddenly finds itself at the center of current affairs, we see how the villagers’ fears and worries compete with their hope and compassion.
GOOD TO KNOW
Director: Tonislav Hristov
Length: 82 minutes
Subtitles: English subtitles
The films are screened by Solar Cinema, the first and only Dutch solar powered mobile cinema.
Attention! the film starts at sunset (around 9.30 pm)
Rain: If it rains we will screen the film in our (covered!) Genèva Room
On our terrace nice drinks and snacks are sold for during the film.
What others thought of this film
On the Dutch media platform De Correspondent, The Good Postman received a very enthusiastic review: ‘in a slow pace and in extraordinary beautiful images, supported by enchanting music, the Bulgarian-Finnish director Tonislav Hristov portrays sympathetically, but without romanticizing, the struggle of the villagers with the disappearance of their village, the refugee crisis, the loneliness, and with existence.’
According to Variety, The Good Postman is a ‘superb documentary study of electoral process in a small Bulgarian village that pulses with wider-world resonance.’
All our Open Air Cinema films
- August 3: The Good Postman
- August 10: Gaza Surf Club
- August 17: Singing with Angry Bird
- August 24: Zaatari Djinn
- August 31: Miss Kiet’s Children
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