Angel Vagenshtain

Angel Wagenstein: Art Is a Weapon

As a teenager in wartime Bulgaria, Wagenstein commanded a daredevil Jewish partisan brigade, surviving capture and torture by fascist police. At 94 years old, screenwriter, author and revolutionary Angel Wagenstein offers an account of his life in film and politics. Film clips contextualize historical moments and history contextualizes the films as Wagenstein provides witty and insightful commentary throughout.

Binka: To Tell a Story About Silence

A film pioneer, Binka Zhelyazkova was at the forefront of political cinema under Bulgaria's Communist dictatorship. Though she remained faithful to the communist ideals she became an avid critic of the regime and brought upon herself the wrath of its censorship. As a result four of her nine films were shelved and released to the public only after the fall of the regime in 1989, and Binka Zhelyazkova became known as the bad girl of Bulgarian cinema. A provocative portrait that reveals the pressures and complexities that arise when art is made under totalitarianism.

Pantheon

In 1987, a group of students broke the Pantheon of dead anti-fascists in the sea garden of Burgas. Due to the public position and the authority of the parents, the incident was hidden, and the photos of the documentary investigation were suspended.

Die Zeit die bleibt

A documentary about German director Konrad Wolf (1925–1982).