« Thoughts are free » (« Les pensées sont libres ») – Isabelle Birambaux and Florent Hayet
At 80, Friedemann, a former opera singer, shares the extraordinary story of his imprisonment alongside his wife in a secret Stasi prison in East Berlin in 1974. Their crime: refusing to denounce a friend’s escape plan.
Subjected to isolation, brutal interrogations, and psychological pressure, they resisted the regime’s attempts to break them. Despite the Stasi’s threats that he would never sing again, Friedemann preserved his voice and his dignity.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Stasi archives exposed the scale of surveillance and betrayal that had shaped their lives. Years later, Friedemann transformed his trauma into a mission by becoming a guide at the former prison, now a memorial.
Through his testimony, the film explores the fragility of democracy, the dangers of authoritarianism, and the importance of preserving memory for future generations.
Four Seasons of hope – Deyan Parouchev
What happens when culture enters a place neglected by society? Can music truly change the course of a child’s life? Through moments of tenderness, resilience, and aspiration, the documentary project « Four Seasons of Hope« , directed by Deyan Parouchev, explores how music can become both a refuge and a bridge toward a different future.
In one of Bulgaria’s most marginalized Roma neighborhoods, internationally renowned violinist Georgi Kalaidjiev returns home to teach classical music to disadvantaged children, offering them a path toward dignity, discipline, and hope. « Four Seasons of Hope » is a poetic and emotionally resonant documentary that follows a year in the life of a grassroots initiative called « Music Instead of the Street« , that Georgi Kalaidjiev has founded in the Roma district of Nadezhda. Across four seasons, the film intimately captures the daily struggles and victories of children growing up amid poverty and exclusion, while discovering confidence, structure, and belonging through music. As rehearsals, family life, and the rhythms of the neighborhood unfold, the documentary reveals the transformative power of art in a community too often abandoned by institutions and public policy.
About the director Deyan Parouchev is a Bulgarian-French director, cinematographer, and photographer known for his visually poetic approach to documentary and contemporary art cinema. Born in Bulgaria in 1982 into a family of artists (He is the son of painters Yordan Parushev and Elena Parushevahe). He has lived in France since 1991, collaborating with major international brands and institutions including Google, Warner Classics, ARTE, the Opéra national de Paris, L’Oréal, and Audi. Parouchev made his documentary feature debut with Timeless Beauty (2018), a visually driven exploration of diversity and changing ideals of beauty in the fashion industry. The film premiered internationally at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and was later presented at the Sofia International Film Festival
The film project is right now produced in Bulgaria and looks for international coproductions.
To see the teaser, please click here.