Източни пиеси

Bulgaria

Synopsis

Two brothers who’ve lost all contact are suddenly brought together when they have opposite roles in a racist beating: while Georgi who’s recently joined a neo-Nazi group participates in the violence, Itso witnesses and rescues the Turkish family. Georgi, now being asked to participate in larger events, starts to question his implication in the movement and Itso wonders if the beautiful Turkish girl he saved could be his ticket out from his sad life in Sofa. Only by reuniting will the two brothers be able to assess what they really want from life.

Director's Statement

The idea of making a film about Christo had been on mind for quite some time. We grew up together in the same town by the sea. And then we lost touch for a long time. A few years ago we ran into each other and had so much to talk about. He didn’t seem to have changed, at least physically; but slowly he began to confide in me and I realized the depths of his despair. The difference between his seemingly peaceful and nonchalant self and his dire inner suffering fascinated me. He had no energy left to confront this destructive force inside. In the narrative, I used many elements from Christo’s real life; most of the scenes actually happened and were shot in the places he lived: his apartment, his streets, his workplace. His girlfriend Niki was his real life partner. The characters of Georgi, the little brother, and Isil, the Turkish girl, are entirely fictional. I wanted to juxtapose Georgi with Christo, in order to observe and understand how confusion and alienation are born. Family, friends, city and country take part in conditioning human beings, and then these conditioned beings are in constant conflict with the very same environment that conditioned them. What interested me in this comparison was to follow how the little brother became like his older brother.
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Cast & Crew

Directed by: Kamen Kalev

Written by: Kamen Kalev

Produced by: Fredrik Zander, Kamen Kalev, Stefan Piriyov

Cinematography: Julian Atassanov

Cast: Christo Christov (Itso), Ovanes Torosian (Georgi), Saadet Isil Aksoy (Isil)

Nominations and Awards

  • Feature Film Selection 2009