CineLibri 2026 opens in Varna: book-to-film programme until 8 November

The 12th CineLibri festival of films based on books opened its Varna edition on 23 October 2026 with a French comedy starring Isabelle Huppert, Varna Municipality announced. Screenings at the Festival and Congress Centre (FCC) continue until 8 November, mostly at 19:00 or 19:30, according to the festival’s Varna schedule. Tickets, times and visitor tips are in our CineLibri listing on Varna Now.

How did the Varna edition open?

The opening film on 23 October at 19:30 was a comedy by director Marc Fitoussi, in which Huppert plays an unnoticed film extra while Sandrine Kiberlain and Diane Kruger play themselves. The municipality describes it as a humorous look at the line between real talent and access to the right social circles. This year’s motto is “Civilisation of the Spectacle”.

What else is on the programme?

According to the municipality’s announcement and the festival’s Varna schedule, the highlights include:

• a comedy by Michel Leclerc bringing together Molière, Cyrano and the young king (26 October);
• a drama awarded for directing at Cannes and with audience awards in Toronto and San Sebastián (25 October);
• a film with Toni Servillo (28 October) and a German satire about a “hero” of Friedrichstrasse station (29 October);
• an adaptation of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables (30 October);
• an adaptation of Valérie Perrin’s bestseller Fresh Water for Flowers (31 October);
• Klara and the Sun, from Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, directed by Taika Waititi (7 November);
• a bittersweet wedding comedy by Christophe Honoré (27 October).

Which Bulgarian films are shown?

• 2 November — a documentary about the life and work of writer and screenwriter Angel Wagenstein;
• 3 November — “Ostaynitsa”, a drama by Kostadin Bonev based on the novel by Rene Karabash;
• 4 November — “Taxi to Paradise”, a black comedy by Ivan Nitchev and Todor Chapkanov after Dimitré Dinev’s novella “Night Vigil”.

What closes the festival?

On 8 November the Varna edition ends with a psychological thriller based on a novel by Laurent Mauvignier, starring Hafsia Herzi, Monica Bellucci and Benoît Magimel.

Why does the festival matter for Varna?

In Varna the festival is backed financially by the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Tourism, the National Film Centre, Varna Municipality and the EU’s Creative Europe – MEDIA programme, the municipality said. It is one of the main cultural events of the autumn at the Festival and Congress Centre. At the same time, Varna Jazz Days brings international jazz to the Drama Theatre until 29 November.

Tickets and screening times are in our CineLibri listing on Varna Now; other events are in what’s on in Varna in November.