East of the West - Competition 2005 / Otkradnati ochi / Bulgaria 2005
A repugnant campaign of the forced Bulgarianization of ethnic Turks (1985) leads to their mass exodus in 1989. The circumstances of triggering ethnic hatred and its subsequent repercussions frame the story of a difficult rapprochement between a Bulgarian soldier named Ivan and Ajten, a Turkish teacher.
1989. A motorcade of packed carscrawls towards the Turkish border under police supervision. A teacher named Ajten gets out of her brother’s car and heads back into the interior.... It’s now 1985, the year in which a repugnant campaign was launched to Bulgarianize the Turkish minority. Ivan, an intelligent, romantically-minded soldier, participated in the action. Renaming the people made them lose awareness of their identity. Rebellious Ajten organized a protest and lost her daughter during brutal military reprisals. Ivan participated in this tragedy as well. Soon afterward the two meet at a psychiatric clinic but years must go by before the woman can offer rapprochement and forgiveness.... This love story unfolds in an intense environment. The director shows exceptional tact in dealing with the mental differences between antagonistic ethnic groups still trying to overcome the traumatizing experience of intentionally promoted intolerance.
111 min / Color, 35 mm
Director Radoslav Spassov
/ Screenplay Neri Terzieva, Radoslav Spassov
/ Dir. of Photography Plamen Somov
/ Music Božidar Petkov/Bojidar Petkov
/ Editor Boika Popova, Evgenia Tasseva
/ Producer Galina Toneva, Kiril Kirilov
/ Production Gala Film, koprodukce/coproduction: Yaka Dde Film
/ Cast Vessela Kazakova, Valery Yordanov, Nejat Isler
/ Contact Gala Film Ltd.
Radoslav Spassov (b. 1943) gained experience at Boyana Film Studios in Sofia before graduating in camerawork from Moscow’s Film School (VGIK) in 1971. After returning home he worked continuously with top directors Rangel Valchanov, Eduard Zakhariev and Georgi Dyulgerov. He has won a number of domestic awards at the Festival of Bulgarian Feature Film in Varna (1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984) and at the Plovdiv documentary fest (1985), but has also been honoured abroad: at the IFF in Locarno (1972) and Karlovy Vary (1976). For his contribution to Bulgarian film he was distinguished with the Order of Cyril and Methodius, 1st class (1979). Spassov debuted as a director with A Day of Forgiveness (Sirna nedelya, 1993).
Gala Film Ltd.
1b, Strumitza str., 1000, Sofia
Bulgaria
Phone: +359 298 142 09
Fax: +359 298 129 71
E-mail: [email protected]
Galina Toneva
Producer
Radoslav Spassov
Film Director, Producer
Iliana Kitanova
Mira Staleva
Distributor, Festival Organizer, Other, Producer
Kiril Kirilov
Producer
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