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
Exactly a month after the Bulgarian National Radio solemnly celebrated its 90th anniversary, history continues its dialogue with us, its authors. With a special event on February 25, the exhibition "90 Years of the Bulgarian National Radio - The Radio..
Exactly 3 years ago, on February 24, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began – an event that woke up Europe 77 years after the end of World War II and called into question one of the main goals of the EU – preventing a new armed conflict on the continent...
The festive service for the consecration of the new Bulgarian Orthodox church in London is led by His Holiness Daniil , Patriarch of Bulgaria, who also officiated at the Ressurection Vespers on Saturday. Hundreds of lay people-official guests and..
Exactly a month after the Bulgarian National Radio solemnly celebrated its 90th anniversary, history continues its dialogue with us, its authors. With a..
Cloudy
Partly Cloudy
Mostly Cloudy