Meetings with Modernist Architecture explores emblematic modernist buildings in Bulgaria. Told through the “voices” of the buildings themselves, the film sheds light on their creators, histories, and architectural features. The sixth episode takes viewers through the colourful corridors of the Mining Headquarters in Pernik, designed in 1932 by architects Kosta Nikolov and Iliya Popov. With its lavish eclectic mix of Art Deco, Neo-Gothic, Neo-Renaissance and National Romanticism, the building evokes an era when the Pernik mines were a dominant force in the region.

YANA ALEXIEVA began her film career as a first assistant director, working for more than ten years in Bulgarian and international feature films, shorts, music videos and commercials. She directed five episodes of the short documentary series Meetings with Modernist Architecture. As a filmmaker, she is interested in observational cinema and human rights. School for Hope is her debut full-length documentary.