JAR OF TIME

Short Talk with Nevena Semova (director) and Swapnil Arjun (director)

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY FILM Category

22nd IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival 2025

Bulgaria, Fiction, 27:25, 2025

Synopsis: Ayshe and Djemal lead a humble life, raising cows in the beautiful yet harsh Rhodope Mountains. Their livelihood depends on selling dairy products, but strict regulations are making their daily life increasingly difficult. As autumn arrives, hard times follow - they are forced to slaughter part of the herd. Ayshe takes the loss hard, but the meat provides sustenance through the long winter. Before winter sets in, the two set off on foot to Birkova - a journey filled with drama, hardship, and hope. Winter is harsh, but as spring approaches, nature awakens once more. The birth of new calves brings joy and a sense of new beginning - a fleeting, yet priceless moment of happiness.

Biography: Nevena Semova is a Bulgarian filmmaker and founder of Attic Films. Her directorial debut, 1000 is based on theories from her Master’s thesis, “The Power of the Non-Existent Acousmêtre”, premiered at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and screened at In the Palace and IDSFFK in India. This was also the first collaboration with Swapnil Arjun as a DOP.

Swapnil Arjun is an Indian cinematographer based in Bulgaria with a Master’s in Cinematography from the Kinoeyes Master’s programme and eight years of experience. A Sir JJ Institute of Applied Arts graduate, he blends fine arts with filmmaking. Nevena and Swapnil met during the KinoEyes Master’s Programme and are now co-directing their debut feature documentary.

Nevena Semova, Swapnil Arjun, directors

Evgenia Timova: This is a remarkable film, raw, immersive, and deeply evocative of life in the Rhodope Mountains and the Pomak community, which is so often underrepresented in the Bulgarian context. It feels like this documentary took quite some time to make. Were there scenes you loved but had to cut, those “kill your darlings” moments? Could you describe one and explain why it didn’t make the final version?

Nevena Semova:  I feel a great sense of responsibility in creating Jar of Time with Swapnil. It’s been an incredible journey, we’ve been following our protagonists for over two years now, and we’re still following them. Their lives continue to unfold in such compelling ways, with narrative threads we’re eager to explore further on screen. We did have to cut a lot. I think we have about two hours of edited footage that didn’t make it into the final film.

Swapnil Arjun: But we hope to use some of that in the future. There’s one scene that really stands out. It was when the cows didn’t return home in the evening, and we had to go into the forest to find them. It was dark, and he was listening carefully for the sound of their bells from afar, that’s how he tracked them. As a cinematographer, that was a very special moment for me. I was just following him in the dark, not knowing what was on the ground, completely immersed in that environment.

Semova: And keep in mind, Swapnil doesn’t speak Bulgarian. He shot this whole film based on instinct, feeling, and reading body language.

Evgenia Timova: That’s incredible, especially since the topic is so rooted in Bulgarian culture. Swapnil, how did this story resonate with you personally?

Arjun: That’s a great question. I belong to a nomadic tribe in India. My ancestors lived a life similar to Ayshe and Djemal’s. But my grandfather moved to the city for financial reasons, and we’re no longer nomadic in practice, only in spirit. So I really connected with their lifestyle. I see my ancestral values reflected in them. For me, filming this was a personal mission, it wasn’t just about telling someone else’s story, it was about reconnecting with something deeply familiar.
How something so specific to one region becomes universal through shared experience. We’re really looking forward to seeing more of their story and hopefully the unused footage as well.

Semova: Thank you, and I just want to give a big shout-out to the entire team that helped bring this together. It wasn’t just us. We worked with some incredibly talented people. Our main editor, Ros-Mari Hinkova, did a wonderful job. Our sound designer, Sangam Panta from Nepal, really elevated the sound design, which wasn’t always easy given the material we had. And our composer, Christian Georgiev, created a beautiful score that captured the heart of the story.

Arjun: Yes, thank you to everyone. It’s an amazing team.

Interviewer: Evgenia Timova

Editor: Martin Kudlac