Barter

Born in 1939 in Varna, Bulgaria. Had his higher education in “Filmmaking” in Paris. Author of 2 feature films and over 100 documentary films. He is also the scriptwriter of most of his documentary films. Winner of a number of awards, some of them: twice – Grand Prix at the Festival of the Bulgarian Non-Feature Films “Golden Rhyton” in Plovdiv, (both films are a keen satire of environmental pollution); Grand Prix “The Golden Ship” at the International Festival of Red Cross, A-category, for the film “Equal to All”; the annual prize of Sofia for films treating the issues of Sofia, etc. The chief subject-matter in most films with which the author is concerned are the people in unequal position, unjustly charged and punished, bullied and humiliated by the system, bureaucracy and human vileness. A large part of those films were shown instead of newsreel before the feature films and were often forbidden a second projection because of their sharpness. We can mention films such as: “Case No. 30” about the vicious jurisdiction in Bulgaria; the film “Eyes” about the thousands of Bulgarian children forsaken in the homes for orphans and handicapped, living in inhuman conditions; the film “The Survivors” in two parts, testifying to the cruelties in the communist camps (an abridged version of this film - 52 minutes was made upon request for Channel 3 of the French Television); “The Doomed” about the annihilation of the Bulgarian intelligentsia by the communists; the film “Cure”, trying to encourage people in the new conditions; the latest work - the 8-series film for BNT, 8 portraits of the principal participants in the Liberation of Macedonia from Ottoman domination. The last four films of Atanas Kiryakov were made with the support of IA NFC: “There’s Hell in Heaven, Too”, 52 min. – about eminent writer and journalist Stefan Gruev (broadcast a number of times by New Television; awarded in 2007 the Prize for Directorship at the “Golden Rhyton” Festival in Plovdiv); “The Flying People of Joel”, 52 min. – about French artist Joel Rabinowitz (broadcast on the satellite channel ТV Bulgaria 2008) and “The Great Love of French ‘Terrorist’ Abel Ramber”, 52 min. – about artist Jull Pasquin (purchased and broadcast by BNT).
“Ivan Kirkov or Taking Refuge in Memory” is a film about Ivan Kirkov, a great Bulgarian artist. The film was broadcast many times by BNT in 2010.
“The Mirror of Manners”, 52 min. – a film dedicated to memory, broadcast by Nova TV.
“Self-Portrait with a Mask”, 27 min. – dedicated to artist Vera Nedkova, made after winning a competition in BNT.
I am now expecting to receive a subsidy for a project, awarded by IA NFC – “Goriani” (Highlanders), 52 min. – about the active resistance of the Bulgarian population against the Soviet control of Bulgaria after 1944. Recently, the declassification of the security services archives revealed the brutal suppression of the resistance at that time. The project was awarded first place among some 50 projects submitted for the competition session of IA NFC in 2010.
My project for a portrait of the great Bulgarian poetess Blaga Dimitrova was awarded by BNT.

2013 “The Transition or What Happened to Us”, documentary, supported by MEDIA Programme.

2014 – “The Revenge – State Security’s Long Shadow”, documentary

2015 – “Barter”, feature, 98 minutes

2016 - "Balkan Harmony - Truth or Dream", documentary, 75 minutes

2018 - "Svetlin Rusev: A Sense of Eternity", documentary, 112 minutes