Bulgarian historical films and tv series
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- DirectorLudmil StaikovStarsAntony GenovAnya PenchevaDjoko RosicRefresh of the original movie: Aszparuh (1981) with new sound effects, re-recorded music and visuals. The main story is kept the same: The creation of First Bulgarian Kingdom and the first Bulgarian ruler Khan Aszparuh.
- DirectorLudmil StaikovStarsStoyko PeevAntony GenovVassil MihajlovThis is an epic screen presentation showing the creation, the consolidation and the power of First Bulgarian Kingdom and the first Bulgarian ruler Khan Asparuh.DATE SET- 7th century
reigining monarch- Kubrat ,Asparuh,
Constantine IV
backdrop- Battle of Ongal - DirectorLudmil StaikovStarsStoyko PeevAntony GenovVania TzvetkovaIn 651, Khan Kubrat died and the Khazars accelerated their raids upon Great Bulgaria. His five sons split the Bulgarian tribe and each led his to find new land where they could live in peace. Khan Asparukh, the youngest son, went west and, after an arduous journey lasting for years, southward across the River Danube, into Moesia. In 680-81, in alliance with the Slavs, he inflicted stunning defeats on the Roman legions and forced the Byzantine Empire to recognize the formation of the new state of Bulgaria in the lands where it still exists today.DATE SET- 7th century
reigining monarch- Kubrat ,Asparuh,
Constantine IV
backdrop- Battle of Ongal - DirectorVladislav IkonomovStarsVassil MihajlovLyuben ChatalovGeorgi Georgiev-GetzLegendary Bulgarian Khan Krum was a ruler in the beginning of the ninth century. In this period, Bulgaria ranked third in Europe in terms of territory and military power. It is Khan Krum who contributed to the union of Bulgarians and Slavs. He enforces unseen to that day laws against calumniators, thieves, violators. It stirs discontent among his closest men. The ruler is smart and just, but isn't he too severe? At what cost can one ensure order and progress in a state?
- DirectorBorislav SharalievStarsStefan DanailovBoris LukanovAneta PetrovskaThe picture features the life and deeds of Boris I - strong historic personality, which completes his mission to the full and at the end of his life receives holy orders. Prince Boris I is ruling in the late 9th century. In his youth, he, the brilliant statesman and diplomat, is experiencing heavy defeats in the wars he wages against his neighbors. Nonetheless, he manages not to cede any territories to the enemies. Under his rule, Bulgaria breaks with paganism and joins the Christian community, paying an exorbitant price, a heavy death toll, but there is no other way. The adoption of Christianity in 864 was a historical event of great significance. It guaranteed Boris I much need peace with the Eastern Roman Empire and allowed him to merge the numerous tribes inhabiting the country into a unified nationality and later to found a state. Boris I introduced the Slav script, thus turning Bulgaria into the cradle of Slav culture. Stiff resistance, however, met his actions. The former pagan, now Christian king was forced to crush it. Almost half of the then privileged aristocracy - 52 Bulgarian families - were mercilessly killed. Guided solely by his great ambitions Boris blinded and imprisoned his first-born son Vladimir-Rasate who dared against him and instead crowned his youngest son Simeon. It was during his reign that the Golden Age of Bulgarian culture began. This is an epic work dealing with the spiritual ups and downs of a nation and the drama of a great statesman.
- StarsMarius DonkinRumyan LazovPetko PetkovThis is an 11-episode television film on a historical theme. The action takes place in the 9th and 10th centuries during the reign of Simeon. This period is known as the" golden age " in Bulgarian history. In the time of Tsar Simeon, the independence of the Bulgarian Kingdom was established. Church books are translated into Bulgarian. Bulgarian bookishness is being created.
- DirectorVili TzankovStarsApostol KaramitevKosta TsonevIvan KondovThe film takes us back into the times of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom - 13th century. The Bulgarian Emperor - Tsar Ioan Assen - is trying through several marriages to enlarge the State and to support the peace in it.
- DirectorNikola ValchevStarsBogomil SimeonovGinka StanchevaTzvyatko NikolovBulgaria. 13th century. The people, driven to utter despair, rise in arms. They elect Ivaylo - a poor peasant but gifted military commander - as their leader. Ivaylo's army overruns the Tatar invaders and the royal troops. In a decisive battle with the royal army, Ivaylo defeats and slays King Konstantin Asen. To prevent a betrayal on the feudal nobles, who intend to open the gates of the royal capital to Byzantine army, Ivaylo sacrifices his personal happiness, abandons his sweetheart and agrees to marry the widowed queen.
- DirectorYuriy ArnaudovDako DakovskiStarsVasil StoychevBogomil SimeonovSpas Dzhonev1197. King Kaloyan ascends the throne in hard times for Bulgaria. The country is still recovering from a century of Byzantine subjugation. He is forced to carry out a very flexible foreign policy in order to strength his positions. Pope Innocent III recognizes him as Emperor (Tsar), but a little later the fourth Crusade crosses the country under Emperor Baldwin. A new conflict is coming. Tsar Kaloyan wages the decisive battle at Adrianople and wins.
- DirectorZahari ZhandovStarsPetar DespotovLyubomir DimitrovBoyka VelkovaThis is a film about the moral and philosophical sides of the life and the art, about the complex relations between the artist and the rough rules of the time in which he lives.
- DirectorGueorgui StoyanovStarsRousy ChanevMarin YanevNaum ShopovThe action takes place back in the 9th century - a time of trouble and constant changes. The central dramatic character is that of Constantine the Philosopher -a thinker, a diplomat and a man of letters. He becomes aware of the seeds of destruction in the flourishing Byzantine civilization and senses the future role of Slav Dom. Long before the advance of the Renaissance he becomes convinced about essential equality of people, irrespective of their language and nationality. However, the vine of philosophy is often laced with the poison of politics. Cunning statesmen think of Constantine simply as a weapon in their hands, but they are soon to realize that they have been tragically deceived. The philosopher and humanist towers high above their immediate practical goals. His literary work gets out of the control of politicians. The alphabet intended as a weapon against the young nation proves to be its strength. Together with his brother Methodius, Constantine created the Slav alphabet, which precipitated the development of Slav culture. The film is happy combination of impressive set pieces and artistic taste as it recreates this historical period.
- DirectorYuriy ArnaudovStarsStefan GetsovVancha DoychevaRuzha DelchevaThe late 14 century. The Bulgarian Kingdom declines as castles, cities and entire provinces fall to the Turkish conquerors. King Ivan Alexander has been improvident enough to divide his realm between two sons. The elder of them, Ivan Stratzimir, has quarreled bitterly with his stepbrother Ivan Shishman. Left alone, Ivan Shishman is doomed to face a succession of humiliations, plots and defeats. He is forced to accept the status of an Ottoman vassal and give away his sister Mara as a wife to Sultan Murad. However, this will not save the realm. In 1393, the invaders attack the metropolis. After a siege of three months, the defenders can no longer hold out against an enemy. Before he dies, the captive King drinks the cup of sorrow to the lees: he sees his country enslaved.
- DirectorPetar B. VasilevStarsStefan DanailovGeorgi CherkelovVioleta GindevaAt the end of 13th and the beginning of the 14th century twenty-four-years old, Prince Svetoslav Terter takes the helm of the state. The young Prince engages in a intricate political game, into getting his way by means of court intrigues, and is forced by circumstances. Svetoslav Terter is remarkably shrewd and consistent. He is perhaps the only head of state at this time to take the liberty of impeaching the primate of the country's church. He tries to rally the neighboring Slav people to a joint resistance to the Turkish conquest. Terter lives through a great personal tragedy. He becomes estranged from his dearest person, Mariya, who is too weak to join him on the difficult road of his choice.
- StarsRousy ChanevGrigor VachkovStefan MavrodiyevEarly 20th c. This is an era of seething passions, aspirations for freedom and national self-identification. Uprising are incited, blood is shed. The picture features national leaders who become heroes as early as in their lifetime. The protagonist is rank-and-file Macedonian who is unwittingly swept by the events. Later, it was his conscious choice. He was a witness of changes, crucial for the nation. He comes across legendary personalities. He gets enchanted and disappointed. He is seeking for the right answers, rethinks what he saw and experienced to tell his story in his simple, but candid and wise words of his own. Along with the character of main protagonist Tanas the film features several prominent revolutionary leaders, such as Gotze Delchev, Yane Sandanski, Gyorche Petrov and Hristo Chernopeev, as well as a host of mythological creatures organically integrated into the fabric of the story.
- 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.
- 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.
- StarsVassil MihajlovPlamen DonchevProdan NonchevBulgarians, Greeks and Turks, with different cultures, faiths and languages, are united in their reverence for one hero - Captain Petko Vojvoda. He is a fighter for freedom all over the world, for the independence of Bulgaria, for peace and equality in the Balkans.
- DirectorZahari ZhandovStarsPetar SlabakovDorotea TonchevaStoycho MazgalovThe action takes place during the Ottoman rule over Bulgaria. The ferocious outlaw Shibil rules over the whole mountain. Everyone is afraid of him and no one ventures to trespass on his territory. A big prize has been promised for his head. One day a group of women passes through the gorge. For the first time Shibil does not take their gold-coin necklaces. He falls in love at first sight with Rada, the pretty daughter of the wealthy farmer Veliko. Shibil gets transformed by love. He no longer thinks of robberies, and his fellow brigands desert him. Shibil is ready to come down into the village alone and ask Rada's father for her hand, though he knows that it will mean entering a trap. The village is under the surveillance of a large number of Turkish police. Rada goes out to meet her beloved without suspecting that her father has turned him in. Everybody, including the cruel Turkish commander, admire the courage and the looks of Shibil, but Veliko does not want his daughter to get married to him, an gives the agreed signal. The shots cut down the two lovers.
- DirectorBorislav SharalievStarsRadko DishlievAntony GenovStoyan StoevThe film is 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 film manages 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 film examines 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.
- StarsIlia DobrevGeorgi KaloyanchevKosta TsonevThis 10-episode TV movie tells the story of the fate and adventures of the elusive "demon" of the Turkish Empire-Vasil Levski. The film tells about the struggle of the Bulgarians for national independence.
- 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.
- DirectorMaxim GenchevNikolai Maksimov GenchevStarsVeselin PlachkovSimeon FilipovMaxim GenchevThe movie is about the great historical figure Vasil Levski. It follows five different plot lines: his attitude towards himself; his attitude towards the religion; the relationship with his mother, Gina; the relationship with his loved one, Ana; and the plans for freeing Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire. The movie starts in 1848 and follows Vasil Levski's whole life until his hanging in 1873.
- DirectorGeorgi DjulgerovStarsRousy ChanevGrigor VachkovKatia IvanovaEarly 20th c. This is an era of seething passions, aspirations for freedom and national self-identification. Uprising are incited, blood is shed. The picture features national leaders who become heroes as early as in their lifetime. The protagonist is rank-and-file Macedonian who is unwittingly swept by the events. Later, it was his conscious choice. He was a witness of changes, crucial for the nation. He comes across legendary personalities. He gets enchanted and disappointed. He is seeking for the right answers, rethinks what he saw and experienced to tell his story in his simple, but candid and wise words of his own.
- DirectorDako DakovskiStarsMiroslav MindovLili PopivanovaPetko KarlukovskyFollows the Bulgarian people's struggle for national independence in the period from 1875 to the Liberation from Otoman bondage.
- DirectorPeter Donev