Atanas Kiryakov
Directing
Biography
After graduating film directing in Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC) in 1963 he works at Bulgarian National Television (BNT) between 1966 and 1970 and "Time" studio (Студия "Време") between 1970 and 1982. Over his career Kiryakov has produced two features and over 150 documentary films. He continued working as a director and screenwriter until 2022.
Known For
On February 12 1990 the freshly established Union of Democratic Forces (SDS/СДС) launches Bulgaria's newest daily publication - "Democracy". Atanas Kiryakov documents the fledgling independent press office as dream turns into reality, the first issue is printed and crowds flock to buy it.
Democracy News
The story of a struggling fisherman and a blind lady trying to save their village.
Barter
One of the first examples of documentary media from post-socialist Bulgaria. Shortly after the July student strike of 1990 the "Largo" square becomes a tent encampment. Students, elders, journalists, lawyers, performers, cooks, clergy and more picket to demand the resignation of president P. Mladenov, to uncover the truth about socialist labor camps and to demolish G. Dimitrov's mausoleum.
In the Name of Truth
A story about the longest armed resistance against communist rule in the Eastern bloc - that in Bulgaria, and about the fate of the participants in it - the Goryans. The author has collected invaluable stories of surviving participants in the Goryan movement in the most active regions of the country - Kyustendil, Pirin region, Srednogorie, Ruse and Sliven. Their authentic account of the events of more than 60 years ago is complemented by relatives of the dead Goryans. The film also includes important documentary evidence of the large-scale operations undertaken by the Bulgarian Communist Party against the Goryans through the Committee for State Security and the militia in order to break their resistance.
Goryans
In the weeks and months surrounding the overthrowing of Bulgaria's socialist dictatorship, the public's taste for democratic discussion begs to be sated. Kiryakov's camera walks through Sofia's South Park as it turns into a hotbed for ideological debate and picketing, where citizens from all walks of life share their hopes despite the winter weather.
Something like Hyde Park
The problems of transparency, freedom of speech, and bureaucracy in the field of ecology.
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
The first film about people living with HIV/AIDS in Bulgaria. А powerful and deeply moving documentary that exposes the harsh treatment faced by people living with HIV/AIDS in Bulgaria at the hands of the state, medical institutions, and society at large. Told through the voices of several HIV-positive men, healthcare professionals (including gay cardiologist Chavdar Dragoychev), and poet Miryana Basheva, the film is a powerful call for compassion and justice.