ASSOC. PROF. DEYAN STATULOV, PhD, FROM THE SCREEN ARTS SECTOR RECEIVES THE VASIL GENDOV AWARD

On 16 May, at an official ceremony at the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, the 2024 Awards of the Union of Bulgarian Film Makers in the name of Vasil Gendov were given. 

Assoc. Prof. Deyan Statulov, PhD, Head of the Screen Arts Sector, was awarded the award in the Book or Theoretical Text category for the book (Pre)Ordered Films. Propaganda Practices in Bulgarian Feature Cinema (1944–1989).

The monograph focuses on the leading institutions and basic mechanisms that were used to promote the communist ideology with the means not only of feature films, but also other aspects of the state film industry in the country – such as display and distribution. Specific examples of ordered films and programmes are given, which became an emanation and a vivid example of the use of feature films as a tool for imposing a specific policy.

For the third time in a row, Bulgarian cinema formalized its achievements with the Vasil Gendov Awards, awarded by the UBFM. They were created in 1975, but for the past five decades they have been distributed intermittently. In 2022, they were renamed in honor of the pioneer of our national cinema. Assoc. Prof. Teodora Stoilova-Doncheva, PhD, and Prof. Petya Alexandrova, DSc, were among the nominees in the Best Documentary Screenplay category for the film Deafening Silence.

This year’s awards were under the sign of the 90th anniversary of the Union of Bulgarian Film Makers. The host of the ceremony was the actor Ivan Burnev.