Rooted in Teodora Dimova’s acclaimed novel from 2005 and reframed for contemporary audiences, the Bulgarian drama series The Mothers (sold internationally as Shattered Bonds by Beta Film) takes an unflinching look at youth violence, fractured families, and the silent wounds passed down through generations. Brought to life by creators Alexander Chobanov and Lilo Petrov, and director Viktor Chouchkov, the adaptation transforms the novel’s emotional and literary power into a visually rich, dramatically grounded anthology.

With a strong social conscience, creative collaboration with UNICEF and local institutions, and a bold narrative structure, The Mothers is more than a series—it’s a call to societal reflection that explores the problem of the broken child-parent relationship and the resulting pain and life choices.

In this interview with Yako Molhov the writers Alexander Chobanov and Lilo Petrov (who is also the son of Teodora Dimova) and the director Viktor Chouchkov shared how they navigated the challenges of adaptation, the creative choices behind the storytelling, and their hopes for the series' local and international impact.



Alexander, Lilo, The Mothers is based on Teodora Dimova’s novel by the same name which has been translated into 11 languages and has won numerous Bulgarian and international awards. What made you choose this project in particular and does the TV script adhere strictly to the source material?

Lilo Petrov: In the context of rising youth violence which is not only a local Bulgarian issue, but a global one, we wanted to create a TV series that goes beyond its purely entertaining function. Teodora Dimova’s novel, unfortunately, is as up to date as it was 20 years ago when it was published. Violence towards children and amongst them is something we’re getting more and more used to hearing or watching about but not enough is actually done. A string of violent acts amongst adolescents was the wake up call for us as authors. Of course, we can’t change the overall situation, but we can tell stories and this is our main task with the series - telling the stories of how violence actually comes to be, because in most of the cases it arises from the families.

Alexander Chobanov: Adapting a novel for a screenplay is always a formidable task and this case was no exception. In first glance, the novel is “made for” a TV series - it’s an anthology telling seven different stories in separate chapters. However, changing the medium, changing the “language” of the storytelling inevitably forced us to modify some of the source material. Overall, we are closely following the novel as we find it extremely compelling.


Did the author participate in the creative process in any way?

Alexander Chobanov: Teodora Dimova worked with us from the very beginning of the journey - preparing the project for the Bulgarian National Film Centre, which was the first step we took with the series. Her presence was more of a guidance, a form of a verification that we’re on the right track. I want to seize the opportunity to thank her not only for allowing us to work on one of her bestsellers, but for the gentle guidance and presence which actually gave us the freedom to work creatively and to adapt the novel in the best way possible.


What were the biggest challenges in adapting the 2005 novel for television, and how did you approach preserving its emotional depth?

Lilo Petrov: It’s exactly the emotional depth that for me was the biggest challenge. The writing style of the author, especially in this novel, is exceptionally emotional - long sentences that dive deep into the characters’ feelings and sometimes reach an almost impossible length that achieves something extraordinary - reading the novel feels almost like breathing. Translating this into a screenplay is not an easy task because of the different medium. However, sticking closely to the storyline we managed to preserve the novel’s biggest feat - telling an important story in a very compelling way.


The series follows the consequences of fractured parent-child relationships. How did you ensure that these complex emotional themes were authentically portrayed on screen?

Alexander Chobanov: The novel and thus the series can be viewed as a snapshot of modern-day societies. The stories are not “pumped up” for extra dramatics, they are not sugarcoated either, they represent life as it is for different families. In this regard, the series could have an infinite number of episodes telling various stories about the broken bond between parents and children, which is at the foot of most emotional and psychological trauma. We managed to tell six of these stories in a form of dramatical realism which portrays life as it is - very often hard not because of social status or success (or the lack of it) but because of our inner demons, of our relationships with our closest ones and with ourselves.


The plot of the social drama follows the stories of six children who form a relationship with their new teacher Yavora who becomes the missing mother they all dream of. What other topics and issues are explored in the series?

Lilo Petrov: Following the storyline of the novel, we explore a large palette of topics ranging from relationships between adolescents to more specific ones as intergenerational trauma, the dynamics of displacement of societal values and the effect this has on individuals. Families are the building blocks of society, it’s smallest component, and when they become dysfunctional, society as a whole gradually finds itself unable to act as a corrective.


Bulgarian audiences have embraced locally produced dramas in recent years. What do you believe sets The Mothers apart, and how do you hope it will resonate with viewers?

Alexander Chobanov: The Mothers is quite different in many regards. Firstly, there’s the novel, of course - a bestseller by one of the best Bulgarian contemporary writers with numerous domestic and international awards, translations, editions. Then there’s the series’ structure - as an anthology, it differs by other series in a way that allows us to tell far more stories than usual. Thirdly, based on the second reason, is the cast, which is very powerful and includes some of Bulgaria’s best actors and the German star Jutta Speidel. There’s another reason as well – The Mothers is the first Bulgarian series to be supported and distributed by Beta, which is a huge thing for the Bulgarian industry.


What kind of discussions do you hope the series will spark about parent-child relationships in Bulgaria and beyond?

Lilo Petrov: The main purpose behind creating The Mothers was to go beyond just airing a strong and meaningful content. From the very beginning we wanted to ask the important questions as authors, to put these painful topics in the primetime. This led us to our cooperation with UNICEF Bulgaria, who are developing an awareness campaign aimed at providing solutions to the topics raised by the series and, more importantly, to start a discourse in society, forcing government and institutions to act. We have the strong support of the “Latchezar Tzotzorkov” Foundation who are already working for an improved judicial system for adolescents and have provided us with experts to work with on the series. Overall, the series has achieved its main goals - strong, meaningful and impactful content that raises the necessary questions. It’s up to us as individuals and as a society to act on this.


Viktor, as the director, what was your vision for the series in terms of storytelling, tone, and visual style?

Viktor Chouchkov: The role of the director is not limited to the visual aspect — that comes second. The visual style and concept must serve and be in harmony with the content; otherwise, we’re simply making a self-serving film with good visuals. Everything we do should convey the themes and the core idea of the project.

For me, as the person realizing the script and screenplay, it was essential to approach it with imagination and a clear vision, while also bringing my key collaborators — the actors, the director of cinematography Alexander Stanishev, production designer Vanina Geleva, editor Altaparmakov, and composer Lubomir Denev jr — into the same creative flow. At the same time, I aimed to draw on their individual talents in service of the film’s dramaturgy.


What cinematographic choices did you make to reflect the emotional intensity of the story?

Viktor Chouchkov: That's exactly the essence — to find the core and the meaning of the story, to understand what the film is truly about, so I can try to convey it on screen in a way that moves the audience. I envisioned these six episodes as emotionally powerful. I had a plan to blend a documentary style as a concept — to make us feel inside the story — but at the same time to achieve visual strength and beauty. I enjoyed the characters, I lived through the experience with the actors, I tried to step into them, into their souls, while also surrendering to my intuition.


Was it a challenge to adapt such a popular novel into a series?

Viktor Chouchkov: Yes, the biggest challenge I've had so far.