COLLECTABLE STORIES: AND THAT'S FOR THIS CHRISTMASS

AND THAT’S FOR THIS CHRISTMAS  

Short Talk with Peter Vulchev (director) and Nevelin Vulchev (producer)

Drama / Bulgaria / 2024 / 14’41’’

Best National Film Category

21st IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival 2024

Synopsis: While preparing the details for his own funeral, an elderly man realizes that he will be celebrating Christmas alone. Unable to fall asleep, he decides to spend the holiday at the grave of his deceased wife.

Director's Biography: Peter Vulchev is a Bulgarian director, writer and producer. For the past ten years Peter created numerous short and documentary films, music videos and social campaigns. His films have strong international recognition and have been presented at prestigious film festivals. Peter is currently working on several short projects, a debut feature film and TV series.

 Peter Vulchev, Director

Raya Hristova (journalist): What is the symbolism around Christmas? Why does everything in your movie happen on Christmas Day? 

Peter Vulchev (director): Christmas holidays have very strong energy. When we gather for a family celebration the concentration of energy is such that the deepest things come to the surface. I started writing the script from the last frame in the trailer, where the old man is sitting at the cemetery. Тwo оr three years ago I saw a beautiful painting of an old person at what looked like Slavic, Eastern European cemetery and something clicked inside me. I wrote the script that day and then showed it to my brother, who is the producer.

Nevelin Vulchev (producer):  We shot the film in our grandmother's house, which was very meaningful for both of us. Old people in our home town often make advance preparations for their own funeral, which is a scary thing for me. We have neighbors, old friends, who tell us that they've set aside money for their funeral and have a photo of themselves for their tombstone. It's a type of ritual before their life ends. A very interesting cultural experience. It's one reason we decided to tell this story. We also wanted to show how lonely these old people are. To show them living and wanting to be alive.

Raya's Take: 

We associate Christmas with family gatherings. Оn such a joyful holiday we want to be with our loved ones. But here, Christmas is celebrated all alone. The film's main character is an elderly man who after the death of his wife lives alone. His children and grandchildren cannot come to Christmas lunch, because they have so much to do... and it is very cold outside... and the streets are covered in deep snow. They'll come to visit him another time. 

The film deals with the problem of rare meetings and lack of communication and attention to grandparents, but also focuses on a peculiar phenomenon observed in some cultures – elderly people making preparations for their own funeral while still alive. They save money for their burial and put a photo of themselves for their tombstone in a box or envelope. The events in And That's for This Christmas unfold against the graceful atmosphere of a snow-white winter. 

We sympathize and feel for the main character, witness his loneliness and sink into the surrounding melancholy. A touching film about a different Christmas reality. An impressive insight into human vulnerability.