The documentary "Think Freedom: Freedom is an Action" portrays Denitsa Lyubenova, a lawyer, human rights defender and LGBTI activist from Bulgaria. Denitsa also appeared in the Human Rights Defenders Publication: Lawyers in 2022.
The documentary shows the process behind the scenes and the emotional journey of the people involved through one of the most prominent legal battles of the LGBTQI+ organization ‘Deystvie’ – the case of Baby Sara. Less than four years old, Baby Sara from a family of two mothers continues to be nobody’s citizen. She could not enroll in kindergarten, nursery, or school. To the law, the child is invisible.
It is completely absurd. In Europe, more than 100,000 children are born to same-sex couples every year. Although the LGBTQI+ organization ‘Deystvie’ won a case at the European Court of Justice and set a precedent in the European law for children with same-sex parents, Bulgaria blatantly ignores the European ruling. The new legal battles ahead of the family could take between 5 and 10 years.
The film depicts the palette of emotions of Denitsa during the case as a lawyer, activist and human being. What motivates Denitsa in her work is her relentless commitment to root out injustice from the ground up. For her, freedom is an action.
Within one year, the documentary was screened at eight film festivals in Europe and at several special screenings such as the ILGA conference in Bulgaria, a conference for human rights lawyers, and a gathering of LGBTQI + volunteers in Berlin, Germany. Think Freedom was awarded " Best LGBT Short Film: Spirit of Berlin Award" at the Berlin Short Film Festival 2023. The premiere of the film at the Sofia Pride Film Fest gathered over 100 people in 2022, and much more in the 2023 edition.
“I imagine freedom like the free flight of a bird.”
– Denitsa Lyubenova –
Tolerance for diversity