Unlike in many other film festivals around the world, at the Berlinale, Bulgaria has maintained a presence in participation over the past many years – not constant, mind you, but enough not to let you forget that it exists. And the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival, which takes place from February 5 to 15, is no different.

This year, three Bulgarian feature films will be screened, along with three films in which Bulgaria was a co-producer, Sofia International Film Festival said in a February 2 2009 press release.

Peter Popzlatev's 1989 film Az, Grafinyata (The Countess/Аз, Графинята) will be shown as part of the programme After Winter Comes Spring – Films Presaging the Fall of the Wall, which is organised by the German Federal Cultural Foundation and the Deutsche Kinemathek. This screening programme, along with others at the festival, marks 20 years since the Berlin Wall came down.

Carrying on with its international success, the most recent film of Stefan Komandarev, The World is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner (Светът е голям и спасение дебне отвсякъде) is being presented at the European Film Market 2009. The movie, a co-production of Bulgaria, Germany, Slovenia, Hungary and Serbia, is based on the autobiographical novel by Ilija Trojanow, and has received rights for screen time in 10 European countries to date. It will also be shown at the festival on February 9.

The 2008 film Dzift (Дзифт, which means "tar", though is often used as slang for "shit"), by Yavor Gurdev is being included in the European Film Market and will be screened on February 7. Back in Bulgaria, Dzift has topped all national box office records of the past 15 years, drawing in more than 35 500 viewers since it was released September 2008.

Co-productions with Bulgarian participation at the 2009 European Film Market are Hayat var (My Only Sunshine) by Reha Erdem (2008), a project of Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey, which is also taking part in the Forum; Пленный (Plennyy/Captive) by Alexei Uchitel, a co-production of Russia and the Bulgarian production company Camera; and Prima Primavera, directed by János Edelényi, where Hungary was joined in producing by Bulgaria (Geopoly), The Netherlands and the UK.

According to the website of the Berlinale, in 2008, there were 15 930 accredited guests and 4152 accredited journalists; 384 films (including shorts) were shown, and 240 098 cinema tickets were sold.

In the past, Bulgaria has been represented on the international jury (in 1995 by Georgi Djulgerov, in 1989 by Vladimir Ignatovski, in 1980 by Angel Wagenstein) and has submitted films like 1988's Stari Kubcheta (Стари кубчета/Wooden Building Blocks) by Dimitar Petkov, which participated in the 1989 Competition programme; 1966's Ponedelnik Sutrin (Понеделник сутрин/Monday Morning) by Irina Aktasheva, included in the 2002 Retrospective programme; and 1988's Parcheta Lyubov (Парчета любов/Fragmented Love) by Ivan Tscherkelov, which was part of the Forum in 1989. In 1984, an eight-minute film, entitled Choudesa (Чудеса/Miracles), by Hristo Topouzanov was included in the Kinderfilmfest / 14plus.

Djulgerov's film Avantage (Авантаж) in the 1978 Competition programme seems to be Bulgaria's earliest participation.