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
Before leaving this world, Pope Francis chose "Migrants, missionaries of hope" to be the theme of this year's World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which the Catholic Church marks on 4-5 October 2025 . "With these words,..
In Argentine Patagonia, the city of Comodoro Rivadavia preserves the history of Bulgarian settlers, whose descendants still carry Bulgaria in their hearts today. Among them is Tzenka Guenova, who was born in Troyan, but arrived in..
Since 1980, 27 September has been celebrated globally as World Tourism Day, marking the anniversary of the adoption of the UN World Tourism Organization’s charter in 1970. Across Bulgaria, towns and villages host special events, although the local..
Twelve beautiful young minds of Bulgaria were honoured by President Rumen Radev at a special ceremony, in which the annual John..
The year 2025 is no exception to the statistics on natural disasters on the territory of Bulgaria. Drought, fires, and then floods..
Occasional showers
Rain
Scattered showers