Sofia International Film Festival

This year at the Sofia International Film Festival Agitprop has two  documentary premieres for Bulgaria – The Boy, Who Was a King by Andrey Paоunov and Dad Made Dirty Movies by Jordan Todorov. Both films were shot by the tandem Misirkov/Bogdanov. Jordan Todorov’s film is intended for distribution along with the Hollywood classics of the 60s – Orgy of the Dead. As a distinctive style of his production house, we can expect he perfect juggling between genres.

Do always the Bulgarian producers and directors have to think about the market?

Martichka Bozhilova: I
try to think about the market and o find the story I personally like
and I can not help myself not to do it. I also hink of whether will it
be watched and whether it can be funded.

What is the object of reflection in these movies?

The Boy Who Was a King
is a reflection, meditation, on what happened in Bulgaria and why
ultimately the Bulgarian people chose their former King for
Prime-minister. The film has many levels. It tells about the king and
his kingdom. There is a gallery of characters who are very cinematic and
expressive, and sometimes ridiculously funny.

The other film, Dad Made Dirty Movies,
is dedicated to a director and producer in Hollywood. We can find a lot
of the stylistics of Hollywood of the ‘60s – there are great records,
which are animated in a very sentimental retro way. The film is very
enjoyable for watching by a wide audience.

Is there an independent Bulgarian cinema and how does it work in the conditions of the
current filmmaking policy?

An
independent Bulgarian cinema exists, it existed and always will exist.
Despite the difficulties of state funding, good movies will always find a
way to be realized. In the past three years, very few movies that I
produced were financed by the state. The market of the  documentary
filmmaking is very obvious. It is primarily and only intended for
television. Televisions are our main partners. I wish Bulgarian national
televisions to have a special slot for documentaries. In Bulgaria it is
still a dream, unlike other European countries.

Read the whole interview on SIFF's website.