Sofia
Grand boulevards, socialist modernism and new glass towers. Doubles for most Central and Eastern European cities.
Nacora StudiosProduction servicesBulgariaFor agencies and production companies
From London
About 3 hours, direct
Time difference
2 hours ahead of the UK
Currency
Euro, since January 2026
Your producer
Based in Cambridge
Shoot in Bulgaria. Deal with Cambridge.
Production services for UK agencies and production companies. We crew, kit, cast, permit and build your shoot in Bulgaria. You deal with one producer in the UK who answers in your time zone, from the first budget to the last hard drive.
More shoot days for the same budget.
Hollywood has been shooting in Sofia for twenty years, so the crews are deep and experienced in every department. Day rates for crew, kit and studio space are well below London's, and the saving usually buys you extra days, a bigger build or a second location.
It's in the EU, it's on the euro, and it's a three-hour direct flight from Heathrow. Your kit can come with you on an ATA carnet, or we source it locally and you fly light.
One thing worth knowing upfront: Bulgaria's 25% film rebate covers features, series and documentaries, not commercials. For ads, the saving is in the rates, not a tax credit. We'd rather you heard that from us.
Line productionBudget, schedule and cost reports in pounds or euros, signed off in writing at every stage.
CrewEnglish-speaking heads of department and full crews, from a five-person product shoot to a studio build.
Camera, grip and lightingSourced in Sofia, so you don't have to ship it.
Studios and setsStages, backlots, art department and set builds.
Locations and permitsScouting, photo recces, permissions and location fees.
CastingLocal talent and extras, with model releases that cover your usage.
Travel and logisticsFlights, hotels, unit transport, catering and carnet paperwork.
Director and creativeIf you need more than a service company, Alex can direct and our studio can develop the idea with you.
Nu Boyana Film Studios, Sofia.
When a shoot needs a stage or a backlot, we build at Nu Boyana, one of the largest film studios in Europe. The Expendables, Olympus Has Fallen, Hellboy and Doctor Who were all shot there.
Its standing sets are why commercials come here. A New York street, a London street, a Middle Eastern street and an ancient Roman set are already built, dressed and waiting. You don't pay to build what's already standing.
SiteAbout 30 hectares
Sound stages10
Water workUnderwater stage
Standing setsNew York, London, Middle East, Ancient Rome
On siteProps, costumes, set dressing, vehicles
Mountains, sea, old towns and concrete, in one country.
Plovdiv
Cobbled streets, painted merchant houses and a Roman theatre, about two hours from Sofia.
Rila and Pirin
Alpine peaks, glacial lakes and pine forest. Snow in winter, meadows in summer.
The Black Sea
Long sandy beaches, cliffs and fishing harbours, with a summer that runs well into September.
The Rhodopes
Stone villages, river gorges and forest roads that look untouched for a century.
Fields and vineyards
Rose fields, sunflowers and vineyards across the Thracian plain. Big skies, empty roads.
Typical day rates, side by side.
We send a full London-versus-Sofia rate sheet with every first budget, so you can see the saving line by line before you commit.
Send us the script or treatment. Within 48 hours you get a first budget for Bulgaria next to the cost of shooting at home.
Photo and video recces of every option, so you can choose from London. Fly out only when it's worth it.
One UK producer owns the schedule, the bookings and the paperwork. Every change is signed off in writing.
We run the floor in Sofia, send rushes back each night, and close the budget with a final cost report.
Alex Partulov founded Solent Film, a Sofia production service company, and spent 14 years making commercials. He knows the crews, the studios and the roads.
Sylvia Koycheva runs production from Cambridge, so your budget, your contracts and your calls stay in the UK. Between them, they speak English, Bulgarian and French, and they've spent long days on big commercial sets in both countries.
Send us the script. We'll tell you if Bulgaria is worth it.
Sometimes it isn't, and we'll say so. When it is, you'll have a budget comparison within 48 hours.