Petar Valchanov
Petar Valchanov | |
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| Born | Petar Valchanov May 15, 1982 |
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| Years active | 2004–present |
| Partner | Kristina Grozeva |
Petar Valchanov (Bulgarian: Петър Вълчанов; born May 15, 1982) is a Bulgarian filmmaker. He is best known for his cinematography on feature films such as The Lesson (2014), Glory (2016) and The Father (2019).
Biography
Valchanov was born on 15 May 1982 in
Career
Valchanov has worked on many projects alongside his partner Kristina Grozeva including the short film Family Therapy (2008), the television film Emergency Landing (2010), Samburu (2011) and others.
In 2012, the pair co-wrote and co-directed the short film Jump, which was nominated for Best Short Film at the European Film Awards and won the Grand Prix at the Brussels Short Film Festival as well as best film at the Bulgarian Film Academy Awards in 2013.[1]
Their debut feature film The Lesson (2014) received international recognition at numerous film festivals around the world, including festivals in Toronto, San Sebastián, Warsaw, Tokyo, Thessaloniki, Gothenburg, Sofia and many others, and is the most awarded Bulgarian film of all time. The Lesson is the first part of a trilogy inspired by newspaper articles. Valchanov and Grozeva were inspired by real events during the development of the script. They recalled:
We are inspired by real stories that are absurd. The absurdity in reality is the element that unleashes our imagination and ignites our creative passion. And there is a lot of it in the newspapers. Tragicomism, the most important ingredient in our films, is born from it. In both The Lesson and Glory, the real story serves us only as a springboard from which to jump and whip up our imagination.[2]
The second film from the trilogy, Glory, which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival was positively received by critics.[3] Its plot revolves around a cantoner who finds millions on a railway line and then hands them over to the police. Glory won awards at many international film festivals and was selected as the Bulgarian entriy for the Best International Feature Film at the 90th Academy Awards
Before the last film of the trilogy, the pair directed 2019's The Father, which features a brief appearance by their then-student Maria Bakalova and won the Crystal Globe Award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.[4] Although the film is not autobiographical, Grozeva and Valchanov stated that the story was very personal to them and that the script was ready even before that of Glory.[5] The Father wаs selected as the Bulgarian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards.[6]
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Family Therapy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film |
| 2010 | Emergency Landing | Yes | No | No | TV film |
| 2012 | Jump | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film |
| 2014 | The Lesson | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2016 | Glory | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2016 | Stolen Life | Yes | No | No | TV series |
| 2019 | The Father | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| TBA | Triumph | Yes | Yes | Yes |
References
- ^ "JUMP / SKOK - Film - European Film Awards". European Film Awards.
- ^ "Петър Вълчанов: Така е в България – радваме се и на 15 човека в салона". Ploshtad Slaveykov (in Bulgarian). 17 August 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ^ "Glory (2017) Reviews - Metacritic".
- ^ "Българският филм "Бащата" триумфира в Карлови Вари". Monitor (in Bulgarian). 7 July 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ^ "Петър Вълчанов и Кристина Грозева: Филмите ни не са по действителен случай". Film Society (in Bulgarian). 21 April 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ^ ""Бащата" на режисьорите Кристина Грозева и Петър Вълчанов е българското предложение за наградата "Оскар"". Bulgarian National Film Center (in Bulgarian). 6 November 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
External links
- Petar Valchanov at IMDb
- Petar Valchanov at Rotten Tomatoes
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