Patrick Smithuis is the author of a series of videos run on Youtube with the title The Truth about Bulgaria's Forests that show the bitter local reality as seen by a foreigner.
Patrick Smithuis first came to Bulgaria in 1992-1993 for joint work with Bulgarian textile companies. He later got into the construction and real estate business. Since 2007 he has been living in Bulgaria, is married to a Bulgarian woman and has two daughters. For a year now he has been active shooting documentaries and has also been involved in charity projects.
The inception of Patrick's documentaries was 50 km away from the city of Sofia at the southern edge of Iskar Dam. From that point he started a journey of Bulgaria asking questions… questions that most often get zero answers ... So far, Patrick has shot 14 films about various issues in the country - from problems with the construction of a landfill near the Iskar Dam to the problems of Bulgarian forests - their unlawful and widespread logging and the sale of timber for pennies.
Patrick Smithuis's first film My Personal Pain and Sorrow opens with that he has long accepted Bulgaria as his new homeland, and he often feels pain for what he sees every day. Since 1989 there have been hardly any positive changes happening here. Even after 25 years of transition the word jiggery-pokery still has a cult status at all levels of society. He wonders why young people leave for Europe or US and why the nature is ruined. What is the master plan for Bulgaria, Patrick asks with plenty of personal pain.
All films by Patrick Smithuis are available to watch at www.mynewhomeland.org
English: Daniela Konstantinova
More than 10 folklore groups, cooks and artisans from Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece will gather at the "Balkantea" festival in Sozopol from 16 to 18 September. The event will be officially opened by the Mayor of Sozopol, Tihomir Yanakiev, at the..
More than 32,000 Bulgarian children in 43 countries on 6 continents will be heading for the 396 Bulgarian Sunday schools around the world registered for the school year 2024-2025. More than 2,000 teachers will be teaching them to read and write in..
Twenty artists will take part in the Lucky Hunt Sofia Graffiti Festival on September 14 and 15. They will spray over 1000 square metres in Sofia. The event is dedicated to pets and classic cars, say the organisers - the Sofia Graffiti Tour team in..
Master confectioners will today create the longest bar of chocolate at the Choco Art festival in Plovdiv. All visitors are invited to munch on the giant,..
On the occasion of today's Stara Zagora Day, residents and guests of the city are invited to a free tour. During the "Parks tell their stories" tour,..
Sister Mary Grace is one of seven nuns at the Benedictine convent in Tsarev Brod village in Northeastern Bulgaria. She is 27 and is from Tanzania. The..
+359 2 9336 661