From Bulgaria with love – of the American West!
Filmmakers Biliana and Marina Grozdanova on “Eastern
Western”
Henry’s Western Roundup
By Henry Parke
December 11, 2025
Henry Parke: Oh (the winter scenes), they're just
beautiful. The whole film is beautiful, and I was struck by the fact that your
cinematographer and editor are the same guy, Cameron Wheeless, which is very
unusual, although maybe that would help with the cutting ratio.
Biliana Grozdanova: We are a small production
team. We never hide that. We are very nimble on set and also in
post-production. And it did help. We cut the film along with our
cinematographer and editor, the three of us together in a room, making some
really hard decisions. A lot of scenes were left on the cutting room floor
because of the nature of how we film, the improvt. But it's a special way of
working. Maybe we're too close to the material; maybe he's too close to the
material because he shot it, but in the end, I think it really worked out
having a small team.
[Igor Galijaseviv]
Henry Parke: Was the epilogue sequence also shot
in Montana?
Marina Grozdanova: The epilogue actually is shot
in Bosnia and Hetzagovina. That portion of the film came out after we shot
everything, and we knew that we were not done yet with the story of this spirit
of the horse, of the child that grows up. We knew that there had to be some
connection to home and a return to Bosnia. Therefore, we said, let's go to
Bosnia. Let's shoot the end of this film and really make it a return to home.
And also demonstrate that the 1800s led the way into the 20th century. And we had
to also tell the story of the beginning of the 20th century, how the World War
really showcased a new use for horses. The horse, as it existed in the Western,
now had to go serve and help out the forces in Europe. And we thought that that
was something that had to be told to really tell the full story of the horse.
And also Igor's homeland Bosnia; you know, Eastern Europe is where everything
started for World War I.
Henry Parke: How many shooting days did you have?
Marina Grozdanova: We shot over the course of
three different chapters. The winter, then we took eight months off, shot in
the summertime. We wanted to showcase the seasons, and then the epilogue was
shot in the fall in Bosnia. So, we had approximately, gosh, 35 shoot days.
Which is probably more than you should have for an indie feature. But we were
small and nimble, so we could do that.
Henry Parke: Were you shooting film or digital?
Biliana Grozdanova: Definitely digital. We
actually have a great little doc style camera that really did wonders with the
style of the film, primarily filmed with one wide angle, prime lens. And
really, I think we're able to capture intimacy with the characters because we
got so close to them. Our cinematographer got so close to them, and the
vastness of Montana, really both of those and the nature in general were
captured well with the style that we chose.
Henry Parke: Any favorite memories of the shoot?
Marina Grozdanova: I would say the winter, only
because it was the start of the adventure. And the start is always, at least
for me, less stressful than the middle, because you don't quite realize the
avalanche you're gonna be a part of. And also, I really enjoyed the challenge
of filming in the snow. I did sound for about 70% of the movie, and all that
snow, right next to our cinematographer. We were running through fields and
that was fun.
[Marina Grozdanova]
Biliana Grozdanova: I would say filming with Adam
the Bear, who passed recently. Adam the Bear had a very great life, was part of
a sort of animal sanctuary in Montana that was really special. And working with
the horses in general and discovering things that we weren't expecting as part
of this magic of cinema. You know, some of the greatest lines in the film are
improvised. Like when they're having the dinner conversation, Duncan says, we
have to go west. Olivia ends that with, 'you Don't forget family.' That was not
scripted. And that was one of my favorite lines of the film. So the, the magic
magical moments that we didn't expect are, are some of my favorites.
Henry Parke: Most of the characters use their real
first names. I was wondering if that was to loosen them up, with that kind of
improvised dialogue?
Biliana Grozdanova: As directors we made that
choice to leave their actual names, because each character is a version of
themselves 150 years in the past. To a great extent they helped us create those
characters. So, Igor is Igor in the past. Duncan is Duncan in the past, and the
only person who doesn't carry the same name is little Evo, because he grows up
and he's played by two different real-life people. Everyone else carries their
own names.
Henry Parke: There’s very little music in the
film, and certainly not the sort of sweeping Western kind of score that people
tend to expect. What was your intention with your score?
Biliana Grozdanova: Thank you for noticing the
music. We really are proud of the choice that we made. Six out of the seven
tracks in the film are by a former Yugoslavian artist, Baranko Mathia, who
passed in the 2000s. He was an immigrant from former Yugoslavia to the American
West, I think California. And he built custom guitars, even for Johnny Cash. He
had only two albums, I believe you can find him on Spotify, but it was very
unique sound, which kind of fluctuates between the East and the West. It's a little
rough and analog-y, and it reminded us of certain tones of the Spaghetti
Western. And the fact that he was from Eastern Europe and came to America
really fit with the motifs in our film. So that's six of the tracks, and then
the seventh track that is during the gun battle is actually a Bulgarian
composition. We have polyphonic singers in Bulgaria that are a very special
type of niche music. And that's our stamp. The only Bulgarian element in the
film, besides us, is that Bulgarian composition during the gun battle.
Henry Parke: Among your previous credits is a
documentary about the heavy metal band Hessler.
Marina Grozdanova: It’s called Last Kamikazes of
Heavy Metal, which features Igor Galijazavic, the main character of Eastern
Western. He had a heavy metal band like 12 years ago in Chicago. We met him, we
toured, and it was lovely. We became really good friends and when we started
Eastern Western, we knew that we wanted him to play our lead cowboy.
Henry Parke: Does he want to have an acting career
now?
Marina Grozdanova: I think he really enjoyed the
process, and the fact that we made a film with his son, who is already now two
years older. I mean, we work in family obviously, and he really discovered his
love for acting since the Kamikaze days, but specifically with Eastern Western.
I hope we do get to work together again. And I hope he does get roles because
he's really talented.
Henry Parke: Is there anything else that I should
know about Eastern Western?
[Biliana
Grozdanova, right]
Biliana Grozdanova: Primarily to say that this
film lives in a space between fiction and documentary, and the majority of
everyone you see on screen there are non-professional actors. So, they really
left their souls on our screen and helped us create this truly ensemble
cast-based picture. So, we're really proud of our cast, and also really
thankful for our crew. And we hope to continue making cinema as sisters.Henry
Parke: I should say something about how good Duncan, your second male lead,
was. He's quite a find.
Biliana Grozdanova: Duncan is an incredible horse
wrangler and rancher from Montana. All the horses on screen are Duncan's.
That's his family, his wife, his daughters. He has had small roles in other
pictures where he's wrangling and maybe delivers a few lines but I know that
this is his biggest role yet, and he really did an incredible job and we loved
having cast him.
Marina Grozdanova: And I just want to add one last
thing. Thank you so much, Henry, for this interview. As independent filmmakers,
I think for all of us, other filmmakers besides us, it's a really tough moment.
And I think through articles such as this, and press, l think that audiences
should support independent cinema, and I really hope we're moving in that
direction.
Henry Parke: I sure hope so. It was a real
pleasure to speak to you both and, and to see your film and I wish you all
kinds of luck with it.
