When Victor returns to Madrid after twelve years, he is confronted with a father who has become a stranger to him, a place that does not accept his sexual identity and a summer that changes everything. As he tries to find his way between family obligations, memories, and expectations, he meets Liuben: a young, freedom-loving Roma boy who makes a living doing odd jobs and dreams of leaving Bulgaria. This encounter develops into a quiet, powerful romance, carried by a mutual longing for closeness, belonging, and a place in life. In the midst of a village environment full of mistrust, rejection, and ethnic tensions, both must assert themselves not only against external resistance but also against their own fears. The question of whether love can survive where freedom is restricted is inevitably raised. LIUBEN is Venci Kostov's debut and the first Bulgarian feature film with an explicitly queer main character. The film was shown at several international festivals in 2023, including the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, and won the Pink Dragon Jury Award at the Ljubljana LGBT Film Festival, among others. With his restrained direction, clear visual language, and two intense lead actors, Kostov succeeds in creating a sensitive portrait of identity, origin, and the quiet hope for a different tomorrow.

Keywords

• LGBTQIA+
• Queer Romance
• Sexplicit
• eastern europe
• identity
• summer

Actors

• Dimitar Nikolov
• Bojidar Iankov Asenov
• Dimitar Banenkin
• Stoyan Radev
• Stefan Denolyubov

Director

• Venci Kostov