Life is better there on the other side
The grass is greener there on the other side
And I, I get even there on the other side
And everything will turn out all right on the other side
I’m crossing over now to the other side
The other side…
from the album The Other Side, by Morphine 1993
Documentario in forma di road movie girato in pellicola 16 mm dedicato alla percezione dei confini nella remota regione della foresta della Strandja e lungo la costa del Mar Nero, il “green border” tra Bulgaria e Turchia che separa la Fortezza Europa dal resto del mondo che si apre a sud est.
In Anna de Manincor’s narrative approach, the distinction between a territory and its borders dissolves, as the natural landscape continuously extends without regard for artificial divisions. The concept that “nature knows no boundaries” emerges as a central theme, interweaving personal narratives with the fluidity of the environment.
Produced in the frame of the European project B-Shapes – Borders Shaping Perceptions of European Societies, the film focuses on the sparsely populated region of Strandja, specifically the Rezovo River area, which serves as the natural division between Bulgaria and Türkiye, as well as the coast of the Black Sea, one of Europe’s southernmost borders. Residents of this borderland consistently speak of barriers – both physical and metaphorical. These barriers are not mere geographical demarcations; instead, they are intimately intertwined with the inner self of the individuals who inhabit this space, shaped by the complex relationship between the land and its people. In this liminal space, the past and its enduring legacies remain palpable, persistent and impossible to overlook.
Shot in 16 mm film with the original method of observation and contemplation that has characterised ZimmerFrei’s work for years, Anna de Manincor’s work invites audiences to reconsider borders as more than just lines on a map, but as powerful forces that shape human experience, provoking new questions and leaving lasting emotional traces.
Episode 2: Artistic Journeys In-Between Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey
Venue: National History Museum in Sofia, Bulgaria
Artists: Esra Ersen, Boris Missirkov & Georgi Bogdanov, Ivan Moudov and ZimmerFrei (Anna de Manincor)
https://www.lungomare.org/projects/b-shapes/
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concept ZimmerFrei
directed by Anna de Manincor
produced by Lungomare
within the framework of the research project B-Shapes project
cinematography Ivano Lollo
sound recordings Anna de Manincor
sound design Massimo Carozzi
interpreter Nikol Delcheva
with the participation of Ali Mehmedaliev Mehmedov, Gabriela Boncheva Tsotsarova, Nikol Delcheva, Gancho Filipou, Emin Ilyazov, Gülbeyaz Ilyazova, Roman Krastev, Svilen Lozev, Angel Penkov Ilev, Cveta Petkova, Ivan Simeonov, Mihail Simeonov, Katya Manolova Simenova, Raiko Simenova, Kremena Stoyanova, Milena Todorova, Zdravko Todora, Kiril Yordanov, Stoyan Yordanov
16mm cameras by Shado
cinematography consultant Luca Pignatti
film scan Mirco Santi – Home Movies
color grading Paolo Lancellotti
post production consultant Massimiliano Bartolini
translations Nikol Delcheva
music Massimo Carozzi, Holger Czukay, Katya Manolova Simenova, Morphine
mix ZimmerFrei studio
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duration 42′
image format 16:9, digital scan from 16mm film
audio stereo
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