Tanya Bozhinova’s journey into animation began with a request from her great-grandmother.

“I was always a good student in absolutely everything,” Tanya recalls, but excelling in high school left her without a clear direction. She had decided to take a gap year after graduation to explore her interests, but her great-grandmother—who had had few educational opportunities and whose life was marked by hard work in the fields—asked her to promise she’d continue studying.

“I’m the kind of person who, when asked for something, just can’t refuse,” Tanya explains. Without a specific plan, she enrolled in animation at New Bulgarian University, assuming it would be an easy way to explore without exams. Yet animation quickly became a passion, one that she describes as her calling.

While many careers paused during COVID-19, Tanya’s journey into animation accelerated. Tanya began working at a prominent animation studio in Sofia, where she contributed to campaigns for western markets. “The quality expectations were world-class,” she says, explaining how the experience broadened her perspective on what animation could accomplish.

Tanya’s love for animation is also deeply connected to her fascination with language. “Language is very important to me—the way we express ourselves, the way we use language as a communication tool,” she says. Early in her career, she created BUKVAlno, a popular series of illustrations that turned Bulgarian idioms into hilarious artworks, like the phrase “пепел ти на езика” (literally “ash on your tongue,” an expression rooted in superstition, used to caution someone not to say something bad lest it come to pass, ed.).

Her work highlights how language shapes and reflects culture, a theme she carries into her animated films. Her thesis film, for example, delves into male vulnerability and draws heavily on the works of a young Bulgarian poet. Tanya sees text as an essential tool for enriching her animation narratives, especially in her current project on the trauma of female puberty, which probes how physical changes impact a young woman’s self-image and societal perceptions. “Physical and hormonal changes affect how we see ourselves and how society sees us,” she says, explaining that animation provides a powerful way to engage with these sensitive subjects.

Tanya’s film shorts also extend to political themes. During the summer of 2024, Tanya participated in Nu Boyana Film Studios and Chris Zahariev’s 35 Seconds of Democracy challenge for young filmmakers, where she made the shortlist. In her entry, she drew an analogy between Bulgarian democracy and an unborn child—both full of promise, yet painfully delayed. “We’ve waited thirty-five years for this baby, democracy,” she says. Tanya used the project to express her frustration with Bulgaria’s slow progress toward a fully functioning democracy, hoping to inspire others to engage with the country’s political reality.

Tanya’s social responsibility extends to her views on patriotism. “I love my country,” she says, though she resents how certain groups monopolize patriotism, defining it narrowly and excluding critical perspectives like her own. Tanya feels that Bulgarian society has a long way to go, and she’s determined to address these challenges through her art.

Tanya hopes her work will inspire greater openness and empathy in Bulgaria, especially when it comes to the country’s painful past. She believes that “our patience plays a big role” in Bulgarian society’s slow progress. Having grown up in a time of political instability, she understands the emotional exhaustion that stems from a system still dealing with the weight of its past. “I want to be critical,” she says, emphasizing the importance of creative freedom, “to have an audience, to be seen, and to be heard.”

Her approach to storytelling is deeply connected to her love for people and their perspectives, particularly those she doesn’t yet understand. “The most interesting people to me are the ones I don’t understand,” she says. “That’s why I read so much and am curious about everything—politics, religion, and so on. I want to see the humanity in everyone.” For Tanya, animation is a way to investigate complex human emotions and experiences, from political disillusionment to the quiet struggles of adolescence.

Her vision for Bulgaria’s future is both hopeful and realistic. “The most important thing is to realize that we are not a nation with an easy history,” she says. “That means we have a lot to share.” Tanya’s commitment to portraying Bulgaria authentically and critically is at the heart of her work, a mission that’s part of the promise she made years ago to her great-grandmother. The journey her ancestor encouraged her to take has become Tanya’s way of bringing to life their shared hopes for the future—for a Bulgaria that offers opportunities to all and welcomes diverse voices, particularly critical ones like Tanya’s.

“I love being curious. I love being awake. I love reading,” Tanya says in conclusion. “And I believe there need to be a lot more people doing that—and creating.”

The 35 Seconds of Democracy challenge was supported by the America for Bulgaria Foundation and The Convo.