Valeska Grisebach’s long-awaited follow-up to Western (2017) is another exacting and absorbing tale from Bulgaria’s southern borderlands — in this case a small town edged in between Turkey and Greece. It’s a site rife with ancient history, which is what draws archaeologist Vesna back to her youthful stomping grounds. When an old friend becomes involved in some shady dealings, Vesna tries to help, only to become embroiled with a group of local gangsters from her past.
Not a thriller or genre movie per se, The Dreamed Adventure is nonetheless constructed from a shared understanding of popular crime, noir, and romance films, while remaining firmly grounded in a distinct time and place. Under Grisebach’s alert and sensitive direction, the gestures, expressions, and interactions of his mostly non-professional cast speak volumes, especially Yana Redeva as Vesna — a real geologist and former casino manager in her offscreen life. While its runtime is just short of three hours, the film’s depth and subtlety ensure we’re invested in every moment.
Jury Prize, Cannes 2026
Showcase Series Supported by
Yana Radeva, Syuleyman Letifov, Stoicho Kostadinov, Nikolay Shekerdjiev, Denislava Yordanova, Tiana Georgieva
Austria/Germany/
France/Bulgaria
2026
In Bulgarian with English subtitles
At SFU Woodwards
At Fifth Ave
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
Jonas Dornbach, Janine Jackowski, Maren Ade
Screenwriter
Valeska Grisebach, Lisa Bierwirth
Cinematography
Bernhard Keller
Editor
Bettina Böhler
Production Design
Sabina Christova
Valeska Grisebach
Valeska Grisebach studied film directing at the Vienna Film Academy. Her graduation film, Be My Star, was nominated for the 2002 Adolf Grimme Prize and won the Critics’ Award at TIFF. Her second feature film, Longing (2006), premiered in the Berlinale competition and received numerous awards, including the Special Jury Award in Buenos Aires and the Special Jury Award at the Warsaw International Film Festival. Her third feature film, Western, premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and received, among other honours, the German Film Critics’ Award for Best Feature Film.
Filmography: Be My Star (2001); Longing (2006); Western (2017)
Missing VIFF? Check Out What's Playing at the VIFF Centre
The Haunting
Directed by Robert Wise in 1963, The Haunting is a classic exercise in the suggestive power of cinema, adapted from Shirley Jackson's 1959 best-seller, The Haunting of Hill House, a provocative blend of supernatural and psychological horror.
Once Upon a Time in Harlem
Once Upon a Time in Harlem splices together footage shot by William Greaves in 1972 of a group of Harlem Renaissance luminaries in conversation at Duke Ellington’s townhouse. The film is a living archive of memory, disagreement, style, and Black genius.
Possible Love
Lee Chang-dong’s first film since Burning (2018) is a sardonic, slow-burning satire about two couples: a documentary filmmaker married to a wealthy businessman, and a working-class family struggling to make ends meet after the husband has been laid off.
Get Out
Guess who's coming to dinner? Daniel Kaluuya is the Black boyfriend justifiably anxious about meeting his white girlfriend's folks for the first time in Jordan Peele's satiric modern horror classic, one of a series curated by our VIFF+ Premium members.