A Provincial Hospital 

A provincial hospital serving a town with a population of 50,000 in western Bulgaria: here in the Covid ward the eccentric Dr Popov and his team are fighting to save lives. Award-winning Director Ilian Metev (Sofia’s Last Ambulance, Antenna 2013), naturally isn’t aiming to depict human suffering. Their survey of an ordinary Bulgarian hospital environment instead draws our attention to the everyday pressures produced by a country’s obsolete and underfunded healthcare system, reminding us of the unusual attitudes that emerge when faced with an unknown threat. Though taking on a significant theme of our lives through the last few years, the filmmakers produce a surprisingly intimate film – profound, moving, and full of refreshing observations of human behavior and character in a life-threatening situation, with a characteristically Balkan twist.