Bulgarian classics
Bulgaria has some really good and interesting movies! Enjoy!
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- DirectorYana TitovaStarsValentina KarolevaDimitar NikolovAleksandar AleksievThe real story of the journalist Vesela Toteva (in the role is her daughter - Valentina Karoleva) searching for her own happiness during the dynamic and uncertain '90s in Bulgaria. A tale about drugs, fall, fear and redemption.
- DirectorMetodi AndonovStarsKatya PaskalevaAnton GorchevMilen PenevThe film sends us to the 17th century when Bulgaria was a part of the Ottoman Empire. Four hoodlums break into the house of the shepherd Karaivan, raping and killing his wife in full view of their little girl, Maria. Karaivan decides to take the law into his own hands and becomes enslaved by his violent wish for revenge. He burns their house with his wife's body inside and abandons the gentle life they had shared, choosing instead to take his daughter to live in a rough hut high in the hills. He raises Maria as a boy, training her to fight so that she can kill in cold blood and help her father avenge her mother's murder. Nine years pass before the two locate and kill three of the four perpetrators. At each body they leave a goat horn as the symbol of their revenge. While on a mission to kill the last one at his rich oriental house, Maria becomes the unwitting witness of a love scene and change comes over her. Now, from time to time she secretly dons a beautiful women dress and exults in her newly found femininity. She falls in love with young shepherd and the hate begins to melt from her heart. When Karaivan discovers the change that is taking place in her it is already late. He tries to bring Maria back to him and their life of revenge, with disastrous results.
- DirectorYana TitovaStarsMargarita StoykovaPetra TzarnoretchkaJaklin DochevaDida, a rebellious girl, faces violence and school struggles. She dreams of reuniting with her mother in the USA. Obsessed with saving for a New York ticket, a cruel revelation shatters her plans, leading to an unimaginable act.
- DirectorStephan KomandarevStarsPredrag 'Miki' ManojlovicCarlo LjubekHristo MutafchievThe story of Alex, who, with the help of his charismatic grandfather, Bai Dan, embarks on a journey in search of his real self.
- DirectorIvan AndonovStarsHristo ShopovGeorgi StaykovSofiya KuzevaThe 1960s was the time of Beatles and Rolling Stones, the time of sexual revolution. These events have their echo in Bulgarian English-learning school. The school order provokes a protest of the students due to the narrow-minded teachers.
- StarsNikolay Angelov MikeyRadko DishlievAntony GenovThe TV series are based on Zahari Stoyanov's "Notes On Bulgarian Uprisings", a classic late-19th-century memoir. The narrative revolves round the preparation, the ups and downs, and the crushing of Bulgarian uprising against the Ottoman domination, which broke in April 1876. An event of great significance for the awakening of the national consciousness of the Bulgarian people, it attracted and held the attention of the European public. People across the continent were shocked by the bloody outrages of the oppressors. The TV series manage to present a sweeping picture of the complex and contradictory nature of the events it deals with. Revolutionary fervor, self-sacrifice and breath-taking heroism had to fight against crushing odds: the immense numerical superiority of the enemy, as well as certain instance of cowardice, dastardliness and even infamous treason. The TV series examine the personal experience of the leaders of the uprising, its heroes and martyrs (very successfully impersonated by a cast of young actors) against a background of fearsome upheavals and in the face of moments of greatness and downfalls, triumphs and defeats.
- DirectorLyudmil KirkovStarsVelko KynevFilip TrifonovPavel PopandovThe misfortunes of a couple of guys who form a music group and think they can get rich and famous easy.
- DirectorZako HeskiyaStarsNikola AnastasovKiril GospodinovGeorgi PartsalevIn 1945, on the battlefields in Hungary, three Bulgarian soldiers from the reserve have to fight for the liberation of the country. They are totally unprepared for the war and have no desire to take part in the battles. The three reservists are the sad sight and initially their commander wants to send them back to Bulgaria. But their attitude is changed after the witnessed tragedies. Without knowing it, they all turn into heroes.
- DirectorMartin MakarievStarsAlexander SanoJulian VergovIgor AngelovHumanity hides in the deepest, darkest places.
- DirectorBorislav SharalievStarsIvan IvanovYanina KashevaValcho KamarashevA boy from a poor Sofia neighborhood - Rado who is orphan and has committed several petty crimes - is sent to a borstal, or, to put it otherwise becomes a juvenile prisoner. Unfortunately, however, he cannot reconcile his uncomplicated pride, sense of justice with the kind of education provided by people who are more often than not deprived of sensibility and human warmth. The order there is repulsive, the boy is seeking for freedom and often makes escapes. During one of the escapes he meets the love of his lifetime. Suddenly Rado falls in love with Benny, a student, the daughter of well educated and sophisticated family (at least, this is the first impression) and this intensify his desire for freedom and independence. Naturally, conflict is not slow to appear. The parents of Benny are panic-stricken when getting aware of the fact. They are resolved to separate the couple. Their parental love is sincere but the reality is phony and cruel. The boy's hopes are thwarted for good and vacuity reigns in the mind of the girl. Dead set on putting an end to the 'unequal' union, Benny's mother forces the girl to have an abortion. The fruit of a 'reckless' love is killed and the first genuinely powerful feelings between two young people betrayed. The makers of this dramatic and moving film (also remarkable for the superb performance of the actors) denounce the old-fashioned social prejudices and present lobe and faith in man as scared symbols, which everyone should treasure.
- DirectorNikolay VolevStarsTodor KolevYordanka StefanovaItschak FintziThis film is a comedy about a poor man, named Poorco. Poorco always fails in his attempt to escape from poverty. The film illustrates the social and the moral atmosphere in Bulgaria during the 1930's.
- DirectorIvan AndonovStarsFilip TrifonovVania TzvetkovaPetar PopyordanovThe authors of the film discuss the question where the limits of moral compromise lie.
- CreatorTeodora MarkovaStarsAlexander SanoZachary BaharovVesela BabinovaThe scandalous journalist Dimo and his wife Kalina separate, and their separation seems quite peaceful and amicable at first. Dimo starts a new life, free of responsibilities and full of distractions. He only wants to keep seeing his son Bobby, whom he loves very much, but Kalina has been hurt and turns the child against him. Bobby develops the Parental Alienation Syndrome and starts despising his father. Dimo is shocked by his ex-wife's behavior and throws himself into a desperate battle over his son, while being denied access to him for months on end. He comes face to face with the absurdities of a biased court, the clumsiness of the social services, and with public opinion, which takes the side of the mother by default. The battle between his parents makes Bobby angry with everyone and everything, and he starts misbehaving at school. Would Bobby be able to overcome the trauma?
- DirectorLyubomir SharlandzhievStarsNevena KokanovaPetar SlabakovGrigor VachkovYoung literature teacher starts at the evening school. Her students are people with various professions who wish to complete their education. They are grown-up with different characters, with problems in both their personal and professional lives. In order to get to know them better, she assigns a paper with topic 'The Kindest Person I Know'. What her students write is candid and comes from their hearts. The teacher probes deeply into their pain and concerns; she tries to understand and help her students. The things she learns about life give a new meaning to her moral criteria.
- DirectorNikolay VolevStarsIrini JambonasHristo ShopovRashko MladenovMargarit and Margarita are high school senior students. They are madly in love. And so proud and independent that they are often in trouble with their parents and teachers. They quit school to live life their own way, only to face a world or corruption and brutality. Margarit would make no compromise and would not get involved in a game with shady rules. Margarita is more willing to do so in the name of their future together. A big manager takes her under his wing and shows himself to be a corrupt womanizer. Margarit cannot stand the debauchery of their 'protector' and kills him. After his sentence he puts an end to his life and unable to live her life this way, so does Margarita.
- DirectorIvan MitovStarsDelly AllenHarry AnichkinZachary BaharovOperation Shmenti Capelli is one of the most unique filmmaking stories in Bulgaria during the last twenty years. The long awaited eccentric comedy is a personal dream of popular Bulgarian actor Vladislav Karamfilov-Vargala. The title is based on the idiomatic expression "shmenti capelli" characterizing actions of people who like to shuffle and bamboozle others with superficial commitments. Karamfilov choose it as a metaphor for people with huge economic and political power. The funny comedy incorporates a tragic story in which Karamfilov plays two roles: the Big Guy and the Little Guy. Big is tied to the Mafia and the secret services. Little is an unemployed teacher, squeezed and crushed by the system, which stops his heating and electricity, has his home emptied by a bailiff, and uses him as a tool in a game.
- DirectorKonstantin BurovStarsLora DekovaPetar GenkovDeyan GeorgievIn 1988, Plamen finds himself in a reformatory school for juvenile criminals. There he meets Ivan, Gudata and Chernio and together they tread the path that leads to thefts and burglaries. With the fall of Communism in 1989 the political system changes dramatically. Still, are these four able to change?
- DirectorKonstantin BojanovStarsAnjela NedyalkovaOvanes TorosianMartin BrambachTwo troubled teens hitchhike across Bulgaria.
- DirectorAtanas HristoskovStarsPhillip AvramovIvaylo ZaharievNikolay StanoevAn elite school and a normal state school share the same building. They constantly fight each other, while one of their teachers, Stefan is trying to convince them that fighting is a temporary relief and is not going to make their future a better one. After one of the boys is beaten by the rival gang things get serious.
- DirectorIvaylo HristovStarsIvan BarnevYana TitovaAssen BlatechkiAt the airport, Slavi tells his life's story to a young customs officer. As children, Nelly promises Slavi to marry him. The two teenagers are passionately in love with each other but after some time Nelly falls in love with another guy. Slavi takes up drinking and gets into trouble with the Bulgarian militia (police) because of his family background. This is when he decides to defect to the West. After staying at a refugee camp in Austria and another desperate love, he sets out to the United States. There Slavi makes some new friends who help him buy a truck. He hits the roads of America, where he comes across an Indian who sells him an arrow. The vendor tells him this amulet will bring his love back. Eventually, Slavi comes back to Bulgaria, where communism has collapsed. His beloved Nelly lives alone with her daughter. One day Slavi meets her again...
- DirectorNikolay VolevStarsTodor KolevPavel PopandovYordanka KuzmanovaProf. Denev is a talented scientist, but he cannot divide his time between the social and the scientific life. Suddenly he gets the idea to bring his cousin Ivan from the village. They look exactly alike. Ivan makes appearances at social events while the professor is working on his research. Initially not very confident, but with enthusiasm Ivan carries out his duties and his desire for material gains becomes huge. When the double threatens Denev's personal life, he throws him out.
- DirectorIvan AndonovStarsTodor KolevNevena KokanovaStefan MavrodiyevHe is well educated, charming, and gallant - a dream for each lonely lady. In reality he is a skillful swindler, who robs naive women. Cheating merchants with guilty consciences are his targets as well. This is the elusive protagonist of the movie. He constantly changes his name, stages his own death, and travels from town to town. His exploits are myriad and his life is an endless adventure. Yet, he remains an amiable swindler, an unrealized actor, whose only goal is make his life more interesting.
- DirectorLudmil StaikovStarsRousy ChanevIvan KrystevAnya PenchevaIn the 17th century, a Bulgarian Christian region is selected by the Ottoman rulers to serve as an example of conversion to Islam. A Janissary who was kidnapped from the village as a boy is sent to force the reluctant inhabitants to convert. The Turkish governor seeks a peaceful solution, but ultimately torture, violence, and rebellion break out.
- DirectorVladimir YanchevStarsNaum ShopovKonstantin KotsevStoyan StoychevA tenement house needs to have steam heating installed. The residents find the necessary workers to do it, sign the contract and pay them in advance. The workers show up and start their job, but disappear immediately. Panic-stricken, the residents set up to search for them, only to find the workers in jail. Totally desperate, their only chance is to come up with an ingenious plan how to bring the work to the end.
- DirectorZornitsa SophiaStarsVesela KazakovaAssen BlatechkiZlatina TodevaA 16-old girl runs away from a dangerous man and gets into a faraway village near the border. Soon she finds out the only inhabitants there - nine old men and women - make their living by growing marijuana and the village is actually an illegal plantation belonging to the man she runs away from. However, she decides to stay there and nothing remains the same. A girl is afraid of her past, both disgusting and attracting her. She is afraid of her present, both suffocating her and giving her wings. And she is afraid of the future as it projects both her nightmares and her dreams. This film is about the only 'bullet against fear' - love.
- StarsDesislava BakardzhievaJulian VergovMaria JaciA 'Sitcom' Comedy TV Series following the story of Silvie and Marto - an unmarried couple living together.
- StarsDimitar GanevMoris AssaYevgeniya Bozhikova'The Hedgehogs' are a group of youngsters who are trying to gain control of the empty space between the blocks of flats, which they want to convert into a basketball court. The resistance of the neighbors is soon overcome and the court is laid down. Training courses in basketball for kids are set up. The ambitious coach is selecting only those of the boys who are able to carry out his most absurd orders. Two of them happen to be late, so he immediately fires them from the team. Thus the 'hedgehogs' war' against the indifference of the adult breaks out. The boys do not give up readily. They win the war through inventiveness, wit and with the help of the 'good guys' among the adults. But presently a rude pushy neighbor, who has no other concern but the safety of his expensive Ford car, returns from abroad. He wants to build a garage for his beloved car on the place taken up by the basketball court. A garage or a playground - this argument arises from the long-standing conflict between the pragmatic and artistic human spirits, between the lack-lustre world of philistine and the carefree world of the child. While the truck is unloading bricks and sand onto the court, the children are complaining (with some justice) to various administrative bodies. Eventually the hedgehogs lose the battle, but not the war. They are given another playground, but what is more, in their conflict with the adults they have acquired some of their ways, and learned how to load the dice.
- StarsKitodar TodorovVladislav PetrovGeorgi MamalevKitodar Todorov does monologues in front of the camera regarding Bulgarian social and political behaviors. In each monologue, the actor adopts a personification of different types of Bulgarian mentality. The monologues have comedic twists, but inspire thinking about the absurdity of Bulgarian politics and typical social behaviors.
- CreatorTeodora MarkovaGeorgi IvanovStarsIvaylo ZaharievZachary BaharovVladimir PenevTrained young policeman goes undercover in the gang of the most dangerous mafia boss in Bulgaria.
- DirectorJavor GardevStarsZachary BaharovTanya IlievaVladimir PenevMoth is freed on parole after spending time in prison on wrongful conviction of murder. Jailed shortly before the Bulgarian communist coup of 1944, he now finds himself in a new and alien world - the totalitarian Sofia of the 60s. His first night of freedom draws the map of a diabolical city full of decaying neighborhoods, gloomy streets and a bizarre parade of characters.
- DirectorPetar B. VasilevStarsGeorgi PartsalevSashka BratanovaValentin GadzhokovDimo Manchev is the head of a family with conservative concept of education and morality. Fearing his explicit ban, his daughter Lily secretly marries Plamen. The young couple is now wondering how to notify the father of their marriage. But eventually, life follows its own logical course and parents should resign.