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Binka: To Tell a Story About Silence
Portrait of Bulgarian director Binka Zhelyazkova, one of the first women directors on the Balkans
Directed by Elka Nikolova
Produced by Vreme Film Studio
Video: Binka: To Tell a Story About Silence opening scene
Overview
Genre
Portrait, Foreign Worlds, Social Issues, Politics, and Arts
Synopsis
Bulgarian film director Binka Zhelyazkova (1923-2011) never shrunk from controversy. A film pioneer, she was at the forefront of political cinema under Bulgaria’s Communist dictatorship. Her allegorical and urban dramas examined human rights, artistic freedom and the legitimacy of the political system itself. While she was well regarded abroad and her work reached such film festivals as the Expo 67, Montreal, Cannes Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, Cartagena Film Festival, Moscow Film Festival, Karlovi Vari Film Festival, in Bulgaria she was met with suspicion and distrust. The double standard applied to Binka Zhelyazkova was evident. While openly, the communist government awarded her artistic achievements, behind the scenes she was fired from the film studio, her films were banned and her projects rejected every time she dared to ask questions and not comply with the accepted rules. Four out of her nine films were stopped from distribution and barely seen by audiences after 1989.
Treatment
Show treatment
Stage
finished
Running time
48 minutes
Links
Official Website
Binka: To Tell a Story About Silence Official Website
Credits
Vanyo Georgiev
... Cinematographer
Elka Nikolova
... Director
Hristo Bakalov
... Cinematographer
Ivan Andreev
... Sound Designer
Roumen Boiadjiev
... Composer
Roumen Boiadjiev Jr.
... Composer
Svetoslav Vladimirov
... Editor
Vreme Film Studio
... Producer
Elka Nikolova
... Writer
Production Details
Prod. Co.
Vreme Film Studio
Country
Bulgaria
Production years
2005
Locations
Sofia Bulgaria, Los Angeles, New York, USA
Prod. Partners
Bulgarian National Film Center, private funding
Distribution Details
Release year
2007
Festivals
April 4, 2007 MoMA, NY US Premiere; South East European Film Festival, LA 2007; Golden Rython Festival for Nonfeature Films, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, 2007; FIFA International Festival of Films on Art Montrel, 2008, The Brave Film Festival, Poland, 2010
Awards
The audience Award SEEFF, LA, 2007; Best debut film, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Golden Rython Festival for Nonfeature Films, 2007; "The bitter Cup"- The award of the department of communications, Sofia University, Bulgaria
Broadcast (Acq.)
Bulgarian National Television Channel 1
Language
Bulgarian, English
Subtitles
English subtitles
Produced by Vreme Film Studio
Video: Binka: To Tell a Story About Silence opening scene
Overview
Genre
Portrait, Foreign Worlds, Social Issues, Politics, and ArtsSynopsis
Bulgarian film director Binka Zhelyazkova (1923-2011) never shrunk from controversy. A film pioneer, she was at the forefront of political cinema under Bulgaria’s Communist dictatorship. Her allegorical and urban dramas examined human rights, artistic freedom and the legitimacy of the political system itself. While she was well regarded abroad and her work reached such film festivals as the Expo 67, Montreal, Cannes Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, Cartagena Film Festival, Moscow Film Festival, Karlovi Vari Film Festival, in Bulgaria she was met with suspicion and distrust. The double standard applied to Binka Zhelyazkova was evident. While openly, the communist government awarded her artistic achievements, behind the scenes she was fired from the film studio, her films were banned and her projects rejected every time she dared to ask questions and not comply with the accepted rules. Four out of her nine films were stopped from distribution and barely seen by audiences after 1989.