GEOGRAPHY IS DESTINY
Rayna Teneva I 2026 I Documentary I 5.1 I '69 I DCP
Bulgarian with English subtitles
Set in the Bulgarian Rose valley, Geography Is Destiny tells a kaleidoscopic story of precarious bodies and invisible labour in times of profound uncertainty. The valley itself has long depended on rose cultivation but also weapons production, —two industries shaped by geopolitical shifts and climatic instability.Returning after many years, Rayna Teneva embarks on a journey to unpick the histories that determine the rhythms, vulnerabilities, and livelihoods in her hometown. Kazanlak, at the foothills of the Balkan Mountains and surrounded by the Rose Valley, is famed for its Rosa damascena. Tucked between its flower fields lies one of the largest arms factories in the Balkans, revealing a hidden history of militarisation, labour, and inherited inequality.The film follows the filmmaker’s movement between these worlds—from starting work at the Arsenal firearms factory, as the war in Ukraine expands labour demand, to the rose harvest, where Roma workers protest low pay. Through gesture, movement, memory, and the landscapes that sustain both realities, the film examines the psychogeography of a place suspended between beauty, violence, and the uncertainty shaping everyday life.
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Auf die Frage, wofür Kazanlak steht, antworten die meisten Menschen: Waffen und Rosen.
Diese Symbole für Liebe und Hass, für Gut und Böse sind der Alltag vieler Menschen Kazanlaks, der Heimatstadt der Regisseurin, die wegen der Dreharbeiten für ihren Film dorthin zurückkehrt. Da es unmöglich ist in der Fabrik zu filmen, sucht sie nach Arbeit in der Fabrik. Als sie endlich einen Job bekommt, beginnt schon die Rosenernte. Da sie keine Zeit an beiden Orten gleichzeitig zu filmen, beschließt sie, ihre Kamera den Arbeitern auf dem Feld zu geben.
Team
Rayna Teneva – Writer & Director
Tilmann Rödiger, Salim Assenov, Rayna Teneva – Cinematography
Marie Falke – Montage
Mustafa Emin Büyükcoşkun, Rayna Teneva – On Set Sound
Cristi Iorga - Sound Design
Sophia Schiller - Dramaturgic Consultation
Sophia Schiller, Rayna Teneva – Producer
Filmwerk Kalliope, Bureau Artrecord – Produced by
Exhibitions & Festivals
61. La Biennale di Venezia –Bulgarian Pavilion, 2026
GEOGRAPHY IS DESTINY
Rayna Teneva I 2026 I Documentary I 5.1 I '69 I DCP
Bulgarian with English subtitles
Set in the Bulgarian Rose valley, Geography Is Destiny tells a kaleidoscopic story of precarious bodies and invisible labour in times of profound uncertainty. The valley itself has long depended on rose cultivation but also weapons production, —two industries shaped by geopolitical shifts and climatic instability.Returning after many years, Rayna Teneva embarks on a journey to unpick the histories that determine the rhythms, vulnerabilities, and livelihoods in her hometown. Kazanlak, at the foothills of the Balkan Mountains and surrounded by the Rose Valley, is famed for its Rosa damascena. Tucked between its flower fields lies one of the largest arms factories in the Balkans, revealing a hidden history of militarisation, labour, and inherited inequality.The film follows the filmmaker’s movement between these worlds—from starting work at the Arsenal firearms factory, as the war in Ukraine expands labour demand, to the rose harvest, where Roma workers protest low pay. Through gesture, movement, memory, and the landscapes that sustain both realities, the film examines the psychogeography of a place suspended between beauty, violence, and the uncertainty shaping everyday life.
_
Auf die Frage, wofür Kazanlak steht, antworten die meisten Menschen: Waffen und Rosen.
Diese Symbole für Liebe und Hass, für Gut und Böse sind der Alltag vieler Menschen Kazanlaks, der Heimatstadt der Regisseurin, die wegen der Dreharbeiten für ihren Film dorthin zurückkehrt. Da es unmöglich ist in der Fabrik zu filmen, sucht sie nach Arbeit in der Fabrik. Als sie endlich einen Job bekommt, beginnt schon die Rosenernte. Da sie keine Zeit an beiden Orten gleichzeitig zu filmen, beschließt sie, ihre Kamera den Arbeitern auf dem Feld zu geben.
Team
Rayna Teneva – Writer & Director
Tilmann Rödiger, Salim Assenov, Rayna Teneva – Cinematography
Marie Falke – Montage
Mustafa Emin Büyükcoşkun, Rayna Teneva – On Set Sound
Cristi Iorga - Sound Design
Sophia Schiller - Dramaturgic Consultation
Sophia Schiller, Rayna Teneva – Producer
Filmwerk Kalliope, Bureau Artrecord – Produced by
Exhibitions & Festivals
61. La Biennale di Venezia –Bulgarian Pavilion, 2026