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- Baba Vanga, born Vangeliya Pandeva Dimitrova, in Strumica, North Macedonia, then the Ottoman Empire, in 1911, was a mystic, clairvoyant, and herbalist. Vanga lost her sight when she was 12. She was swept away by a mighty tornado. Later she was found alive, covered with dirt and stones, with sand in her eyes. She became blind as a result. In 1925 Vanga was brought to a school for the blind in the city of Zemun, in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, where she spent three years, and was taught to read Braille, and to play the piano. In 1927 she started making minor predictions about local phenomena. Her powers of foreseeing, clairvoyance, deepened and expanded after she turned 30. She attracted believers with her ability to heal and soothsay, fortune telling, a great number of people visited her, hoping to get a hint about whether their relatives were alive, or seeking for the place where they died. One of them was the Bulgarian Tzar Boris III. Another was Adolf Hitler. In 1942 Vanga married Dimitar Gushterov, a Bulgarian soldier, and moved to Petrich, Bulgaria, where she soon became well-known for her gifts and predictions. After the Second World War, Bulgarian politicians and leaders from different Soviet Republics, including Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev, sought her counsel. Several researchers have studied the phenomenon of Vanga in the attempt to establish whether she has any extraordinary capabilities. One of the first studies was initiated by the Bulgarian government and is described in the documentary "Fenomen" (1977). Fulfilling Baba Vanga's last will and testament, her house in Petrich was turned into a museum, which opened for visitors on May 5, 2008.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Trevor Martin was born on 17 November 1929 in Enfield, Middlesex, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Babel (2006), Three Golden Nobles (1959) and Doctor Who (1963). He was married to Hermione Gregory and Janet Moreton. He died on 5 October 2017 in Bulgaria.- Actress
- Director
Nevena, born in Dupnitsa on December 12, 1938, is keenly aware of the inequities of the world from a very young age. Her father Bogdan is a military officer in the Kingdom of Bulgaria. When the Communist-led Fatherland Front government takes power in the 40's, it consolidates its victory by persecuting the government and military elite of wartime Bulgaria as "enemies of the people". Her father spends several years in the labor camp. Even after his release, the stigma of being an "enemy's" daughter will haunt her throughout her life. With her family unable to live in Sofia, Nevena spends her childhood in the village of Kumarica, where she draws relentlessly and develops a passion for acting. After being fascinated by tales of a film shoot happening nearby, she is recruited as an extra and given a single line in the 1956 film "Two Victories". The experience is the final push that convinces the 18-year old Economics Institute graduate to audition for the National Institute for Theatrical Art in Sofia. In her audition, she gives a contemporary, unorthodox take on the study "woman sees a mouse in the room", which runs counter to the theatrical dogma of the time. That, possibly coupled with the stain on her father's name, contributes to her rejection. In her moment of discouragement, she received an offer for an apprentice position in the troupe of the country theatre. Nevena begins her stage career with classical ingénue roles, playing a bare-footed Juliet to great acclaim, fascinating critics with her unpolished, organic talent. She is cast in her first major screen role opposite Lyubomir Sharlandziev in the 1957 film "Years of Love". Lyubomir falls in love with her at first sight, and the 19-year old, inexperienced Nevena marries her first on-screen romantic partner. Her husband is not only an actor, he's a director. He directs Nevena in a multitude of plays, first in Gabrovo, then in Ruse, all the while acting as her unofficial acting tutor, constantly honing her skill. The screen adaptation of the novel "Tobacco" is a long and dramatic story. Author Dimitar Dimov is under tremendous pressure to rewrite portions of his work, to soften the impact of the characters within, while director Nikola Korabov has the uneasy task of reducing a 1500-page novel to a 150-page script. Kokanova has been in a few films already and Korabov hopes to have her play Irina, the female lead - a strong, independent, self-aware and ultimately self-destructive character. There is pressure from the Artistic Council of Cinematography to have another actress cast. Nevena is young, inexperienced, unschooled, provincial, and an undesirable to the Communist Party, which at the time exerts a tremendous amount of censorship and influence over anything produced in the country. There is even talk of bringing in a foreign actress to play Irina, but Dimov is against it. In the end, despite a tremendous amount of difficulty and at great risk to his career, Korabov secures Kokanova for the role. She has reservations herself, feeling unequal to the task of filling the shoes of the strong and experienced literary character that is Irina, but she is made for the screen and she becomes more confident with every shooting day that passes. "Tobacco" is presented at Cannes in 1963, with giants such as Federico Fellini, Alfred Hitchcock, Gregory Peck and Burt Lancaster in attendance. French poet Andre Morois kisses her hand on the red carper with the words "You affected me!" The criticism and envy leveled at her is quelled. The tremendous success of "Tobacco" makes her a household name in Bulgaria. Her second iconic film role will be anything but effortless. Vulo Radev, having been director of photography in several of her films, makes his directorial debut with a film version of Emilian Stanev's novel "The Peach-Garden Trespasser". Set just after WWI, the film is about a Serbian prisoner of war who sneaks into a Bulgarian colonel's private garden, meeting his wife there by chance and starting a torrid love affair with her. Nevena's beauty and her recent success fan the flames of envy and Radev has to put his reputation on the line and assume a tremendous financial risk to cast her. Moreover, she is in the middle of a theatrical engagement in the Satirical theatre in Sofia under director Metodi Andonov, at the same time that she is desperately needed to film "The Peach-Garden Trespasser" in Veliko Tarnovo. With Andonov's help, Kokanova manages to shoot for the film while still performing nightly in Sofia. Despite the tremendous risk of her being fired from the theatre, she is driven by car to Veliko Tarnovo (some 4 hours) after every performance in Sofia. She is filming until noon the following day, when she is driven back to be on stage again at 8 pm. Needless to say, this puts a tremendous physical strain on the young actress, who has very little time for sleep. By the end of the 60's, Kokanova is the most prolific Bulgarian film actress and a fashion icon. She's offered four roles in East Germany and accepts a terrific role in Italian director Liliana Cavani's "Galileo" in 1969. The next decade, spent on stage and on screen, is a happy one for Kokanova, resulting in some of her best work. She appears in films such as "The Boy Turns Man" (1972) opposite Filip Trifonov, "The Weddings of King Ioan Asen" (1975), the last film appearance of Apostol Karamitev and "Ladies' Choice") (1980), an ensemble comedy alongside Stefan Danailov, Tzvetana Maneva, Doroteya Toncheva and Maria Statulova. However, this decade ends with a crushing blow. In July of 1979, while directing "Three Deadly Sins", her husband Lyubomir dies of a heart attack. Devastated, she occupies herself with caring for their daughter Teodora and completes the film in his stead. In the stagnation and standstill that descends on the arts after the fall of Communism in 1989, and without any work prospects, she retreats to a village in the Balkan Mountains, rebuilding a small cottage and claiming sanctuary there. Kokanova continues to act, marking a belated 60th birthday in 1999 with a performance in the theatre "Revival". Days later, she is honored in the Hall of Cinema by a concert in her honor. Highlight reels of her great movie roles are shown and toasts are made to her health. Unbeknownst to everyone except her, these toasts are futile. She has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer several years earlier. By the end of 1999, she is a shadow of her former self, but ready to face her final challenge, her ultimate role, with grace and resolve. Nevena Kokanova, the radiant, lovely, loved, irreplaceable first lady of Bulgarian cinema, died on June 3, 2000 at the age of 62, immortalized on the silver screen and in the heart of a nation.- One of the most talented actors from Bulgaria. He was born in Sofia in 1942. In 1962 he graduated from famous Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts as an actor. His first appearance in the movies was in 1956 when he was a only a teenager. With the well known series Na vseki kilometar he gained international reputation.
- Actor
- Writer
Bulgarian stage and film actor, singer and showman. He graduated from "Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts" as an actor, just as many talented actors from Bulgaria did. Began his career in 1965, Kolev was best known for his roles in comedies like "Opasen Char", "Gospodin Za Edin Den" and "Dvoynikat" as well as for his songs and shows. His unique kind of acting won general approval in his country. In some ways, pretty much reminds Charlie Chaplin.
After the collapse of communism, he get involved in politics for a while and was a Member of Parliament.
Todor Kolev suffered from Lung Cancer for several years and died at the age of 73.- Writer
- Actress
Petya Dubarova was born on April 25, 1962 in Burgas. He began writing poetry at a very early age by her first publications in the newspapers " Septemvriyche " and " People's Youth", magazines " Native Speech " and " Youth ". Her spiritual mentors were poets Hristo Fotev and Grigor Lenkov . She studied at the English language school in Burgas, which is her dream - Petya says he loves the English language. She repeatedly gave readings of their works in front of their classmates. Despite the early glory, which defines her as "the youngest among the greatest artists of Bulgaria" , Dubarova remained loyal and good friend, diligent schoolgirl and naughty girl. She was very sociable and cheerful and had many friends. In 1978 she took part in the film directed by Georgi Djulgerov " Swap ". Year before the end of his life, Petya was overwhelmed by heavy thoughts associated with despair and disappointment with humanity. On December 4, 1979, under 18 years Petya committed suicide at his home in Burgas with sleeping pills. After her surprising and mysterious death slide various rumors about the causes of suicide. Even today there is a version in which the poet committed suicide because of a botched Komsomolsk charge of sabotage. The prosecution is damaged sprinkler occasion of automated line during secondary school brigade factory. With tragic choices girl shared the fate of many Bulgarian famous poets - Penyo Penev, Dimitar Boyadzhiev , Peyo Yavorov , Andrey Germanov , Veselin Andreev , Rosen Bosev and Hristo Banking . Poetry Petya is marked by its desire for a better, more honest, more dedicated world an unlimited, even boundless gifts of kindness, happiness and smiles. Her only book of poetry "Me and the Sea" was published posthumously in 1980, and a few years later by printing out the book "The blue magic" in which collected all her creativity, her personal letters and diary.- Ivan Georgiev Ivanov is born on December 16, 1951 in Asenovgrad, Bulgaria. He graduated "acting" in National Academy for Theatre and Film Art, Sofia, Bulgaria in the class of Professor Dimitrina Gyurova . Ivan Ivanov has played on the stages of Youth Theatre and Bulgarian Army's Theater until 1983 . The movie "Everything is Love" is the film, after which the actor Ivan Ivanov became a sex symbol of Bulgarian cinema. Besides Rado of "Everything is love," he is Assen in "Avalanche" ( 1982 ); Vas / Christo in the "Combine" (1982 ) and Trajan in "Measure of Remand" (1983 ). He starred in films of directors like Borislav Sharaliev ( "Boris I", 1985 ), Zako Heskiya ( "Night with the white horses", 1985), Ivan Andonov ( "Dreamers", 1987 ) and others. After the TV series "Burn, burn light" (1994) the actor released his first book of short stories and poems - "This life, that life." Then come two more - "Answer" and "Seven Hours Difference." By the first few years of the 21st century Ivanov has been engaged in dubbing movies and serials. In Bulgarian National Television he is voiced in the miniseries "Masada," in the films "Les Miserables" (the role of Jean-Paul Belmondo), "Love in the Clouds" (the role of Keanu Reeves) and others; for bTV he is voiced the role of Tim Daly in the series "The Fugitive." He is married to Petya Silyanova.Ivan Ivanov and Petya have a son - Stefan better known by his rap moniker Wosh MC and also the eldest son - George, who has managed as a metropolitan lawyer (judge).
- The Bulgarian actor Filip Trifonov was born on May 4, 1947. From 1969 to 1973 he studied acting at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Art, Sofia, Bulgaria in the class of Apostol Karamitev. Even before he finished his education in 1971 Filip Trifonov made his cinema debut in the film "The Test" (directed by Georgi Djulgerov). He played the main role - character Lio. Then he played the title role in "The Boy goes" (directed by Lyudmil Kirkov). Philip Trifonov has participated in over then 30 films, including "The Hare Census" (directed by Eduard Sachariev), "As a Song" (directed by Irina Aktasheva and Hristo Piskov), "Wardrobe" (based on the novel of Stanislav Stratiev; directed by Georgi Djulgerov), "Tool Is Bagpipe?" (directed by Asen Shopov), "Orchestra without a Name" (directed by Lyudmil Kirkov), "Avalanche"(directed by Irina Aktasheva and Hristo Piskov),"Forget this Case" (directed by Krasimir Spasov), "Echelons" (directed by Borislav Punchev), "Life on Demand" (directed by Kosta Bikov), "Protect Small Animals" (directed by Haim Koen),"AkaDaMuS" (directed by Georgi Djulgerov),"Rio Adio" (directed by Ivan Andonov), "Ivan and Alexandra" (directed by Ivan Nichev), "Walking with the Angel" (directed by Ivan Pavlov), "Madame Bovary from Sliven" (directed by Emil Tzanev), "Rhapsody in White" (directed by Tedi Moskov), "Bay Ganyo goes through Europe" (directed by Ivan Nichev). On stage, Philip Trifonov's debut was in the role of Andzor in "The process will take place" by A. Chheidze In Blagoevgrad Theatre in 1973. He worked in Blagoevgrad Theatre, Theatre "Sofia", "Boyana studios 2;. In 1992 he created together with director Nikolai Gunderov Natural Theatre "Trifonof & Gunderov." His performances are "Opening" and "Audience" by V. Havel and "Second Hand", "West Germany - my fatherland", "She", written by him.
- Petar Ivanov Popyordanov , known as Chocho Popyordanov, is Bulgarian theater and cinema actor. He was born on June 11, 1964 in Sofia, Bulgaria. He is a son of Ivan Popyordanov (born on 1938) - a longtime Chief of the cinema center Boyana Film Studios. He was also Chief of Bulgarian National Television in 1998. The Mother of Petar Popyordanov Katya was a doctor. The father's family originated from Veles, Vardar Macedonia. Chocho great-grandfather was a first cousin of the Macedonian revolutionaries - Chieftain Mile and his younger brother Jordan Popyordanov-Ortse, leader of Thessaloniki bombers. In 1989, Petar Popyordanov graduated National Academy for Theatre and Film Art, Sofia, Bulgaria in "Acting" in the class of Professor Krikor Azaryan and Todor Kolev. He studied at the Czech Republic one year. He has played in the troupes of Theatre "Sofia", Little City Theatre "Off the Channel" and in 1994 - in the National Theater. His most famous theater roles were in performances "Outcasts," "Midsummer Night's Dream," "At the foot of Vitosha Mountain," "The Tempest," "The man who makes the rain," "Kimono", "Decameron," "Ghosts in Naples, "" Hedda Gabler. " Chocho Popyordanov has involved in cinema productions, including "Yesterday" (1988), "Rio Adio" (1989), " The Love Summer of a Schlep " (1990), "Vampires, ghouls" (1992) "Canaries Season" (1993), "Frontier" (1994), "Spanish fly" (1998), "After the end of the world" (1998), "Danube bridge" (1999), "Sombrero blues" (1999), " Wolf Hunt" (2000). Petar Popyordanov has won numerous nominations and awards, including a nomination for "Asker" in 1996 and 1997 and the prize "Golden Bayar" in Belgium for Best Actor in the film "Border". He had also a presence on the small screen, starring in the TV show "UFO Club" on "Channel 1". In 2007 he began his participation in the series "Outcasts" for "Channel 1" of Bulgarian National Television. He has nephews Helen and Peter Koshnicharski. Albeit posthumously Chocho Popyordanov became a father of adopted him months earlier daughter Ekaterina Petrova Popyordanova. He died on May 5, 2013 in Boyana, Sofia Province, Bulgaria.
- Kosta Tsonev was a Bulgarian actor of Greek heritage starring in theatre, TV and cinema. He was born on 10 June 1929 in the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia. He studied at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts. He has been married three times: twice to Anahid Tacheva and then to his present wife Elena. He has a son, famed newsreader Dimitar Tsonev, and a daughter. His second oldest brother was the late Vasil Tsonev, a dry witted satirist who wrote many books, which have been published in several languages. His oldest brother was the late Iwan Tsonev (Iwan Zoneff) who moved to Australia in 1950 where he became one of the biggest property developers in South Australia during the mid 60 showing the diverse talents of the 3 brothers in each of their chosen fields. The father of the three brothers was a simple house painter. In 2001, Tsonev turned to politics and was elected to the National Assembly of Bulgaria as a representative of the former National Movement Simeon II. He was reelected in 2005. He is known for The Commander of the Detachment (1959), Freedom or Death (1969), The Indispensable Sinner (1971), The Weddings of King Ioan Assen (1975), The Swimming Pool (1977), The Conversion to Christianity & Discourse of Letters (1982), Crazy Day (2004) and My Father the House-Painter (1974). He died on January 25, 2012 in Sofia.
- Kiril Gospodinov is a Bulgarian actor . He was born on May 24, 1934 in Grozdyovo, Varna, Bulgaria. He worked 35-40 was successfully in theater and in cinema . He had applied (together with the future great Bulgarian cinema star Nevena Kokanova) in National Academy for Theatre and Film Art, Sofia, Bulgaria , but did not accept , because he had not a high school diploma. 30-year-old he was invited in Yambol Drama Theater. Kiril Gospodinov will be remembered with great performances in the films " Monday Morning " (1966), " Swedish kings " (1968), " Birds and Hounds " (1969), " Night of the White Horses ," " Three Reservists" (1971) " Bon Chance, Inspector! ", " Friday night " (1986), " The boy is going ." By far the most famous is his starring role in the movie " Past-Master " and its sequels. He had won many awards, including "Golden Rose" for the film " Three Reservists " (1971) and Best Theater Actor in the play "Man -eater" by Ivan Radoev. He died on April 17, 2003 in Varna, Bulgaria.
- Production Manager
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Janine M. Clark was born on 23 November 1967 in Lynwood, California, USA. She was a production manager and producer, known for Descent Into Darkness (2002), Antibody (2002) and Daybreak (2000). She died on 11 September 2001 in Sofia, Bulgaria.- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
Angel Wagenstein was born on 17 October 1922 in Plovdiv. In 1950 he completed a degree in Screenwriting in Moscow. He wrote the scripts for 50 feature, documentary and animated films. In 1950 he began work as a screenwriter for the Bulgarian Cinematography and for the DEFA Film Studio. The film Stars, based on his screenplay, was made in 1959 by the German director Konrad Wolf, and won the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Some of the best known films, whose screenplays he wrote, are Goya or the Hard Way to Enlightenment (1971), Amendment to the Law for the Defence of the State (1976), Stars in Her Hair, Tears in Her Eyes (1977), Boris I (1985) and After the End of the World (1998). In the 1990s he devoted his time to writing fiction and published the three novels Isaac's Torah, Far from Toledo and Farewell, Shanghai, receiving international literary recognition for the last two. His books have been translated in many foreign languages, including in French, English, Russian, German, Spanish, and Italian.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Marran Gosov was born 1933 as Tzvetan Marangosoff in Sofia to a German mother and a Bulgarian father. As a young man, he had studied to become a painter, but then, while in jail after a clash with socialist authorities, he wrote his first novel "The Indifferent". Partly because of the aforementioned political troubles, he emigrated to West Germany in April 1960. Shortly after settling down in Munich, he started writing radio plays and soon wrote and directed the first of 27 short films which he would make between 1964 and 1978, many of which he also photographed and edited. It is these short films which form his main body of work, and the five feature-length films he would go on to make between 1967 and 1972 could be seen as a kind of mainstream accompaniment to his shorts which typically reflected, humoured, bemoaned and dreamed about washed-up, eccentric or passionately lazy slacker characters, scroungers and smalltime criminals living, drinking and loving in Schwabing, at that time the Chelsea of Munich (but more bohème perhaps) and Gosov's new home by choice. In his heyday, Gosov was so well-reputed in Schwabing that even younger, aspiring filmmakers sought his advice and help, among them Rainer Werner Fassbinder (whom Gosov turned down when he applied for assistant director). Sadly, all of Gosov's outstanding short films have yet to be introduced to the digital world and can currently only be seen at occasional cinema showings in Germany, usually organised by Gosov expert Bernhard Marsch.
In 1967, Dutch producer Rob Houwer (who was based in Munich back then and who would later become young Paul Verhoeven mentor) gave him the opportunity to adapt his short film Sabine 18 (1967) into a feature-length film called Engelchen - oder die Jungfrau von Bamberg (1968) (aka "Angel Baby"), starring the then unknown Gila von Weitershausen in what would become her breakthrough role. The film turned out to be a surprise hit which earned Gosov some attention and led to two more Houwer-produced feature films, Zuckerbrot und Peitsche (1968) (aka "Sugar Bread and Whip") and 24 Hour Lover (1968). Gosov also wrote both films which starred some of Munich's most illustrious artists and filmmakers, such as Roger Fritz (another member "Munich Group") and Helga Anders who were a bit of a "scandalous couple" at the time. Harald Leipnitz, formerly known mostly for impersonating villains and police inspectors in adventure and crime films, was another Gosov regular and friend.
After falling out with Rob Houwer (possibly due to the fact that Gosov disliked a script for a sequel to "Angel Baby" - not written by him - which was later made into a film by Michael Verhoeven), Gosov was hired by titan producer Horst Wendlandt to direct That Guy Loves Me, Am I Supposed to Believe That? (1969), starring shooting-star Uschi Glas. The film's screenplay was written by another peer of the now so-called "Munich group", Klaus Lemke (who had also starred in "Sabine 18"). However, Gosov completely rewrote the script and very little of Lemke's original script remained. He nevertheless asked Gosov to be credited as screenwriter for financial reasons and Gosov, wanting to help out his younger colleague, obliged. By the time he had finished his fourth feature film, Gosov had become somewhat weary of long pre-production periods, weeks of shooting and arguments with producers and went back to his kind of filmmaking: more short films followed, all shot with Schwabing friends on the very little budget that sufficed perfectly for most of Gosov's ideas.
In 1972, however, he got the itch to make one more feature, this time on his own terms. Wonnekloß (1972) (a title which would be hard to translate into English) bore much more resemblance to his earlier short films. Since he could not convince any producers to supply funds and was thriving for complete artistic freedom, Gosov financed the film entirely himself, using up all of his private savings. Made in an intimate atmosphere without any interference by producers, with many of his close friends and long-time collaborators, the film proved one of the most unusual German comedies of its time. Crowned by a mesmerising performance by Dieter Augustin, a former waiter which Gosov had already cast in some of his previous shorts, the film delightfully ridicules the social reactions to the sexploitation film wave that was breaking in on Germany at that time and changes lightly from hysteria to dadaism but always maintains the subtle melancholy and humanitarian pessimism that can be considered Gosov's trademark. But just as he was unable to raise any funding for the film, he could not find a distributor and eventually had to handle the distribution of the film himself which ended in a terrific flop. The film played only for one or two weeks in most of the few cinemas where it was screened.
Indepted and frustrated, Gosov made a few more short films and then, to pay off his debts, started working for German television as a writer of crime series and, occasionally, as a composer (among other films, he scored Rosa von Praunheim's Horror Vacui (1984) in 1982). In 1990, he returned to Bulgaria where he has lived since, writing a couple of novels which, as far as I know, have not been published elsewhere. To this day, he is known to a dedicated handful German cineastes for "Angel Baby" (which still holds a minor cult status in Germany), but the majority of his work, both his short films as well as "Wonnekloß", remain obscure and, apart from occasional cinema screenings in some larger German cities, unexposed to the public. Considering his achievements, it is rather sad how neglected his films (and most other films of the so-called "Munich Group", for that matter) are today.- Animation Department
- Art Director
- Director
Proyko Proykov was a Bulgarian animator, director, and artist. Proiko Tenev Proykov was born on November 7,1927 in Pernik, Bulgaria. He graduated in "painting" in the class of Professor Iliya Petrov at National Art Academy "Nikolay Pavlovich", Sofia, Bulgaria (1951). He was a member of the Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers. He has made very important Bulgarian animated films. He has received the Order "Cyril and Methodius" (1977).He died on May 7, 2000 in Sofia, Bulgaria.- Writer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Valeri Nissim Mevorah, better known by his pen-name, Valeri Petrov, was born on April 22, 1920, in Sofia to a Jewish father and Bulgarian mother. Besides poems, novels and translations from Russian, Italian and English, Petrov authored numerous film scripts and plays - both for adults and for children. During World War II, he took part in the resistance against the pro-Nazi regime in Bulgaria and remained close to left-wing political thought through his life. In 1970, he clashed with the communist regime in Bulgaria after refusing to sign an official petition denouncing the awarding of the Nobel Prize to Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn. As a result, Petrov was not allowed to publish for years, so he turned to translating. Petrov was held in high esteem in his country and after the collapse of the totalitarian regime in 1989, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature by Bulgaria's Writers' Union.- Director
- Writer
- Cinematographer
Vulo Radev (1 January 1923 - 28 March 2001) was a Bulgarian film director, writer and cinematographer. Radev was born in a village Lesidren. In 1953, Radev graduated from the filming faculty of the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography in Moscow. His first film, a documentary, appeared in 1952. Radev later filmed Citizens of Dimitrovgrad (1956), On the Eve (1959, adapted from I. S. Turgenev's novel), and Tobacco (1962). In his first own film, The Peach Thief (1964, adapted from Emiliyan Stanev's novella), Vulo Radev expresses his anguish for modern man (along the lines of Godart and Antonioni) through the love story between the Serbian Officer Ivo, a prisoner of war at the concentration camp of the Bulgarians, and Lisa, the wife of the city's commander - a great love story amidst the inhuman hatred of war. The critics praise the excellent artistic knowledge; sensitivity in conception and structure of the subject matter; as well as excellent guiding of actors. As a chamber piece, the drama was made in the style of the then popular realistic psychological literature. Radev used the same style in his next film The King and The General (1966), a story of the conflict between King Boris III and General Zaimov, who tried in the beginning of the World War II to prevent both Bulgarian's alliance with Germany and its entry into the war against Soviet Union. Radev broke a number of conventions in this film too. Other films directed by him include The Longest Night (1967), Doomed Souls (1975, adapted from Dimitar Dimov's novella), and The Black Angels (1970). In 1981, he directed Adaptation, a film addressing issues of insanity. Radev received the Dimitrov Prize in 1969.- Djoko Rosic (born Dzhordzhe Mirko Rosic) was born on 28 February 1932 in Krupanj, which was then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, to a Bulgarian mother and a Serbian father. In 1951 he emigrated to Bulgaria and graduated in Economy, but completed also courses in Radio Journalism. After that he worked for 17 years as a journalist for the Bulgarian National Radio. He has acted in Bulgarian, Hungarian and Serbian films. He has been called "the legendary cowboy". He has acted in more than 110 films, The Eighth (1969), Aesop (1970), My Father the House-Painter (1974), Ivan Kondarev (1974), Captain Petko Voivode (1981), Khan Asparouh (1981), The Judge (1986), Time of Violence (1988), After the End of the World (1988), Tuvalu (1999), Zift (2008), Prima Primavera (2009), to name but a few. He received the Cyril and Methodius, 1st degree state order. In February 2010 the Ministry of Culture discerned the Golden Age Award to him for his outstanding merits to Bulgarian films. He was married to Lilyana Lazarova. He died on February 21, 2014 in Sofia, Bulgaria.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Nikola Korabov was born on December 7, 1928 in Ruse, Bulgaria. He studied at Moscow, VGIK. After coming back to Bulgaria, he has worked at Boyana Film Studio. Korabov is a Bulgarian film director and screenwriter. He directed thirteen films between 1956 and 1999. His film Tobacco (1962) was entered into the 1963 Cannes Film Festival. His film Bull (1965) was entered into the Fourth Moscow International Film Festival. His film Wrathful Journey (1971) was entered into the Seventh Moscow International Film Festival. He is known for Tobacco (1962), Destiny (1983), Ivan Kondarev (1974) and Yuliya Vrevskaya (1978).- Specializing in intense psychological dramas, Bulgarian filmmaker Metodi Andonov is best remembered for making one of his country's most popular films, The Goat Horn (1972). He also directed a pair of high-grossing detective dramas based on the novels and screenplays of Bogomil Rainov, There's Nothing Finer Than Bad Weather (1971) and The Great Boredom (1973). Andonov graduated from the Sofia Academy of Dramatic Art in 1955 after studying theater direction. Before entering the film industry, he directed productions at the Dramatic Theater in Burgas and at the Satirical Theater in Sofia. Andonov made his feature directorial debut in 1968 with The White Room, which was based on a Rainov novel. In addition to his work in theater and cinema, Andonov occasionally directed for television.
- George Ganchev, whose birth name is Gheorghi Petroushev, was born on 29 August 1939 in Plovdiiv. In the early 1960s he emigrated from Bulgaria. He graduated from the British Fencing Academy and the Hollywood Theatrical Institute. In the period 1973 - 1988 he was engaged in directing, play-writing, film and play producing in Great Britain and the United States. Ganchev claims to be the author of seven Hollywood screen plays and plays produced in Hollywood, to have written books and poetry. In 1970 and 1974 he became world champion in professional fencing. He also performed as actor, has been a basketball player. Published in Bulgaria is his autobiography "George". According to his own public statements, his hobbies are horses, music, and poetry. He became actively engaged in Bulgaria's political life after 10 November 1989. Leader of the Bulgarian Business Bloc /BBB/ since its establishment on 24 November 1990. George Ganchev ran for president in the January 1992 election and received 17 percent of the vote, which ranks him third among the candidates in the first round. Chair of the Committee on Radio, Television and the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency in the 37th National Assembly (Dec. 1994-Apr. 1995). In the presidential election of 2001, he received 3.38 percent of the vote. Ganchev speaks English. Divorced, with two daughters who live in the United States.
- Director
- Actor
Lyudmil Kirkov was a Bulgarian film director. Kirkov was among the prominent Bulgarian film and theatre directors from the last decades of the 20th century. He directed some of the most popular Bulgarian films of that time, most notably The Swedish Kings (1968), The Boy Turns Man (1972), A Peasant on a Bicycle (1974), Matriarchy (1977) and A Nameless Band (1982). He received the Silver Prize for the film Balance (1983) at the 13th Moscow International Film Festival. In the 1975, Kirkov was nominated for the Golden Prize at the Ninth Moscow International Film Festival for the film A Peasant on a Bicycle.- Ivan Laskin was born on 10 March 1970 in Sofia, Bulgaria. He was an actor, known for Nai-vajnite neshta (2001), Dunav most (1999) and Staklenata reka (2010). He was married to Miroslava Gogovska. He died on 6 January 2019 in Sofia, Bulgaria.
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- Director
- Art Director
Ivan Andonov graduated from the National Academy of Theater and Film Art in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1956. He is one of the most important Bulgarian cinema actors. Since 1965 he is a director and designer in animation. The films 'Difficulty', 'Esperanza' and 'Melodrama' bring him international awards and recognition. His début in features is in 1974 as a director of 'Difficult Love'. 'The Roof' won the Critic's Award in Varna, Bulgaria in 1978. 'White Magis' won Silver Prize in Cadiz, Spain. 'Dangerous Charm' won Grand Prix in Chianchiano, Italy, 1985 and Special Prize of the Jury in Chamrousse, France, in 1988. 'Dreamers' won First Prize in Varna, Bulgaria. 'Yesterday' won the Viewers, Award in Varna, Bulgaria, Grand Prix in San Remo, Italy, 1989, and Best Director Award in Moscow, 1989.- Luchezar Dimitrov Stoyanov is a Bulgarian theater and cinema actor. He was born in Sofia. In 1965, he graduated at Lazar Dobrich studios for circus artists. Then he was accepted into the class of Professor Dr. Krustyu Mirsky in National Academy for Theatre and Film Art, Sofia, Bulgaria. He graduated it and became an actor in drama theaters, but more popularity has brought him his participation in Bulgarian movies. He has played in more than thirty future films. Among his friends he was known as Luco the Stunt (Lucho Kaskadata). He died on June 3, 1991 in Sofia, Bulgaria.