Short Film and Video Art

The short format allows for more spontaneity and room for experimentation, with it I have created anything from animation to video dance. Currently I am focusing on short films and video art and I keep exploring different ideas and styles through this form. Below are excerpts from my work.

The microcosmos of a courtyard situated in the centre of a city. A unique perspective on Sofia (Bulgaria), where calmness is followed by storms, quietness by laud football matches. Where cats play and people party.

Пъпът на София/Sofia’s Epicenter (13min, 2020, Bulgaria, Canada)

The microcosmos of a courtyard, situated in the centre of Sofia, Bulgaria. The story unfolds from the perspective of one window. The film catches the spirit of life during the pandemic, where the focus has shifted to everything local. Airplanes, parties and loud football matches appear like a distant dream.

Puzzling Flame/Озадачаващ Пламък (15 min, 2020, Bulgaria, Canada)

I was experiencing an illness that was making it hard for me to love. I embarked on a quest to gain perspective - I asked people close to me how they saw love, in every sense of the word. Puzzling Flame is a cinematic poem, and a contemplation on the meaning of love from the perspective of two cultures - Bulgaria and Canada.

With Air and Salt, Unbreakable Health

(7 min., 2018, Canada , Switzerland)

A building and a poem, both existing in a danger zone, raise the question of our role in cultural preservation. How do we choose what to save and what to leave to perish? What price do we pay for either choice?

Study - The Colours of the Engiadina

(3 min, 2018)

This is a short experiment exploring the colours of the Inn River in the Engiadina Valley in Switzerland through video and watercolours. The piece was influenced by Abstract Expressionist painting.

Created at the 25th Process Space Art Festival, Ruse, Bulgaria - 2016 Choreography and performance Serena Chalker Direction, Camera, Editing Maia Iotzova In the video dance 'From the Outside, In - Study of Ruse #3', we are presented with an image of the “Spirit of Ruse”, who moves, dream-like through the city, discovering the layers of time, the beauty and decay that weaves the city's history. The video examines a moment where past and present visions of a place might meet, and the potential destabilizing force of time. Ruse, a city port situated on the Danube River, was the largest city in Bulgaria in the late 19th Century, reflected in its beautiful neoclassical architecture. The city was also known as “Little Vienna”. However in the 20th century river trade declined, and the country went through 45 years of a communist regime followed by a rocky transition to democracy. Today Ruse is faced with a hard economic and social situation. In the city you clearly see the effects of time, the way that past and present co-exist in a complex relationship, and the open question of the future.

From the Outside, In - Study of Ruse #3 - Video Dance

(5:41 min., 2016, Canada, Bulgaria)

In the video dance we discover the layers of time, the beauty and decay that weaves the city's history. The video examines a moment where past and present visions of a place meet in Ruse, a city port situated on the Danube River in Bulgaria.

Krasimir Manev, a poet and writer, has been employed to guard the endangered species of Egyptian Vultures in Rusenski Lom Nature Park, Bulgaria since 2012. Through his masterful storytelling Manev paints a picture of the love life of the vultures from his three years of observations of these mystical birds. Recounting courting rituals and the different dynamics of the couples when it comes to love making and taking care of their young, Manev reveals a rarely seen perspective of the prey birds that have traditionally been associated with ferocity and death.

Vulture's Love/Любовта на лешоядите

(6 min., 2016, Bulgaria)

Recounting courting rituals and the different dynamics of the couples when it comes to love making and taking care of their young, Manev reveals a rarely seen perspective of the prey birds that have traditionally been associated with ferocity and death.

"Lela" de/from contes Turbo Folk Stories © 2013 Maia Iotzova & Bahtalo Records/Brigamusic Briga falls for the guy that falls for her best friend, Lela. Briga tombe pour le gars qui est amoureux de sa meilleure amie, Lela.

Lela - Music video

(3 min, 2013)

"Lela" is a song by the band Briga from Album Turbo Folk Stories Bahtalo Records/Brigamusic

Briga falls for the guy that falls for her best friend, Lela.

Love is, to be willing to do this

(7:20 min., 2017, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia)

In this part social experiment and part documentary, passersby on the city streets of Rjeka, Croatia are asked the question "What is love?” Their responses paint a picture not just of the way they see this noble emotion, but also of Croatia itself.

In Development

Sofia’s Flowers/Цветята на София

A Short film documenting the gardens of Sofia created by its citizens.

Home