110 years of Bulgarian cinema celeberated on January 13

January 13 marks the 110th anniversary of the screening of the first Bulgarian feature film, which is considered the beginning of cinema in Bulgaria. The screening of 'Bulgaran e Gallant' by writer and director Vassil Gendov took place on January 13, 1915.

The event was held in the capital's Modern Theatre, the first cinema in the country. In the silent, black-and-white film about the romantic misadventures of the bon vivant Bulgaran, Gendov also played the lead role, with actress Mara Lipina from the National Theatre as his co-star. The plot was influenced by the popular comedies of the time, especially those by Max Linder.

The film itself has not been preserved on tape to this day, only one or two frames of it remain. Although the date of the screening of "Bulgaran e Gallant" is clear, there is still a dispute about the year of its production - 1910 or 1915, the Bulgarian National Film Library said.

Gendov's second film, Love Is Madness, was screened in 1917 at the Odeon cinema and is the earliest surviving Bulgarian feature film. Gendov also made Bulgaria's first sound film, The Uprising of the Slaves, completed in 1933, which was the first cinematic portrayal of the life of Bulgarian revolutionary Vasil Levski.

Other pioneers of Bulgarian cinema include Boris Grezhov, Alexander Vazov, Petar Stoychev, Vasil Bakardzhiev, Vasil Poshev, Simeon Simeonov, Stefan Petrov, Minko Balkanski, and Velko Stoev.

January 13 is celebrated as the Day of Bulgarian Cinema. The decision to celebrate the professional holiday of the filmmakers was taken by the government in 2005.

Source: BTA