Vintage Bulgarian Film, Theatre & Propaganda Posters

After the Second World War, Bulgaria joined the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc. The new one-party socialist state was heavily influenced by the Soviet Union. The Bulgarian state encouraged playwrights, filmmakers and artists to create works of art, as long as they towed the official party line.

Propaganda posters often focused on the enduring friendship between Bulgaria and the Soviet Union, not only as countries, but as sister nations, sharing common values and beliefs. Under the watchful eye of Soviet censors, Bulgarian film, theatre and propaganda posters were screen printed in limited runs. The results were inventive posters laced with cautiously coded with visual metaphors.