History

Golden Chest International Television Festival is one of the longest-standing and most prestigious international festivals in Europe. It was founded in 1968 through the initiative of “Television Drama” Department of Bulgarian National Television. The ancient chest as symbol of the festival is not a random choice: in the past, our grandmothers kept in it their most cherished and dear objects, that is, their emotional stronghold in life. Therefore, we hope that we carry over the years the positive suggestions drama transfers to people via the post powerful messenger – television.

The festival focuses on the genre of television drama, which has changed in form and contents through the years – from the specific character of television drama to television films and serials. In 1978, the main two categories in the competition program were established: “Television Drama for Adults” and “Television drama for Children and Adolescents”. In 2000, the competition enriched to include a new genre category – “Television Documentaries and Television Reports”.

For 38 years, Golden Chest International Television Festival is one of the few centers in South-East Europe, where international artists can meet and discuss their ideas and experience. The participation of numerous television organisations and independent producers from Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Australia has made the festival a window to the world for many Eastern European television artists.

Over the years, the Golden Chest Grand Prix in the three categories have gone to Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, Korea, Poland, Spain, Russia, the UK, the USA, and many other countries.

Since 1978, the Festival has been annually held in October in the city of Plovdiv. The ancient city of Plovdiv is a peculiar cultural capital of Bulgaria. Here is where the millennia-long histories and cultures of Thracians, Romans, Greeks, and other ancient civilizations meet. And today, during all seasons of the year, it is a center of different cultural feasts.