AGITPROP
AGITPROP is a Bulgarian production company specializing in the creation of documentary and feature films, television programs, and series. It was founded in 1997 by photographers and cinematographers Boris Missirkov and Georgi Bogdanov. The company's producer is Martichka Bozhilova. AGITPROP gained international recognition for its creative documentaries, including Georgi and the Butterflies, The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories, Corridor No. 8, and others. The company is also behind the TV drama series Father's Day, as well as the first Bulgarian show produced for National Geographic Channel – Explore Bulgaria. In 2024, AGITPROP co-produced the Serbian series Operation Sabre, which received awards at international festivals and was broadcast on major European television networks. The company also plays an active role in managing the Balkan Documentary Center, which supports and promotes documentary filmmakers from the Balkan region.
According to AGITPROP's official website, the company is described as "perhaps the most awarded Bulgarian film production company."[1]
History
One of AGITPROP's first projects was the creation of the TV segment "Photomaton," which told the story of photography and was broadcast on Bulgarian National Television.
The company's first major success came with the documentary film "Georgi and the Butterflies", directed by Andrey Paounov. The film was awarded the Silver Wolf at the prestigious International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA). Following the success of Georgi and the Butterflies, AGITPROP and Andrey Paounov collaborated on two more films — The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories and[2] The Boy Who Was a King. Together, the three films form an "unofficial trilogy about the absurdities of the transition period."[3] All three films have been screened at prominent international festivals and have received various awards. Subsequent notable productions include Corridor #8 (directed by Boris Despodov, premiered at the Berlinale)[4] and Tsvetanka (directed by Yuliyan Tabakov).
In 2014, AGITPROP produced the first Bulgarian television series for the National Geographic Channel — Explore Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Опознай България), which was renewed for additional seasons in the following years.[5][6]The third season (2016), titled Expedition Rhodopes, focused on the natural and historical landmarks of the Rhodope Mountains, while the fourth season (2017) was dedicated to the city of Sofia.
In 2017, AGITPROP completed its narrative feature debut with the film The Infinite Garden, directed by Galin Stoev. The film was selected to open the 2017 Kinomania Film Festival.
In the following years, AGITPROP co-produced the films Touch Me Not (2018) by Adina Pintilie, which won the Golden Bear at the 2018 Berlinale,[7] and Exemplary Behavior by Audrius Mickevičius, which received the top three awards at Dok Leipzig 2019, including the Golden Dove for Best Film.[8]
The documentary projects Palace of the People (2018)[9]and The Cars We Drove into Capitalism (2021),[10] directed by Boris Missirkov and Georgi Bogdanov, stand out as key works in the company's portfolio. Both films have been broadcast on BBC, NHK, DR, SVT, and over 20 other television channels worldwide.
In 2019, the company produced the television drama series Father's Day for Bulgarian National Television. This was the first series project from Eastern Europe to receive support from the European Union's Creative Europe MEDIA programme. The series was acclaimed as the best Bulgarian television series of the year and achieved record-high viewer ratings.[11]
Among the company's recent productions is the film A Provincial Hospital, directed by Iliyan Mitev, Ivan Chertov, and Zlatina Teneva. The film won the Ecumenical Jury Award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2022.[12]
In 2024, AGITPROP co-produced one of the most successful European television series — the Serbian drama Operation Sabre (directed by Goran Stanković and Vladimir Tagić). The series premiered at Canneseries 2024,[13] where it won the award for Best Ensemble Cast,[14] and later received the Best Series award at the Serial Killer Festival 2024.[15] Operation Sabre is broadcast on MAX and ARTE, as well as on television channels in Spain and Portugal.
Selected Works
| Title | Director | Year | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strandzha | Pepa Hristova | 2025 | documentary |
| Eternity Package | Magdalena Ilieva | 2024 | live action |
| Berlinguer. La Grande Ambizione | Andrea Segre | 2024 | live action |
| Operation Sabre | Goran Stankovic
Vladimir Tagic |
2024 | live action series |
| Working Class Goes to Hell | Mladen Djordjevic | 2023 | live action |
| A Provincial Hospital | Ilian Metev
Ivan Chertov Zlatina Teneva |
2022 | documentary |
| The Cars we Drove into Capitalism | Boris Misirkov
Georgi Bogdanov |
2021 | documentary |
| Father's Day | Teodora Markova | 2019 | live action series |
| Exemplary Behaviour | Audrius Mickevicius
Nerijus Milerius |
2019 | documentary |
| Touch Me Not | Adina Pintilie | 2018 | live action |
| The Infinite Garden | Galin Stoev | 2018 | live action |
| Simon Versus Fear (The Versano Case) | Georgi Tenev | 2017 | documentary |
| From Cremona to Cremona | Maria Averina | 2016 | documentary |
| "The Ladino Ladies" Club | Boris Misirkov
Georgi Bogdanov |
2015 | documentary short |
| Love & Engineering | Tonislav Hristov | 2014 | documentary |
| The Last Black Sea Pirates | Svetoslav Stoyanov | 2013 | documentary |
| Tzvetanka | Youlian Tabakov | 2012 | documentary |
| Balkan Melodie | Stefan Schwietert | 2012 | documentary |
| The Boy Who Was a King | Andrey Paounov | 2011 | documentary |
| Dad Made Dirty Movies | Jordan Todorov | 2011 | documentary |
| Concrete Pharaohs | Jordan Todorov | 2010 | documentary |
| Paradise Hotel | Sophia Tzavella | 2010 | documentary |
| Corridor No. 8 | Boris Despotov | 2008 | documentary |
| The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories | Andrey Paounov | 2007 | documentary |
| Good Bye to All That | Valentin Valchev | 2007 | documentary |
| Georgi and the Butterflies | Andrey Paounov | 2004 | documentary |
References
- ↑ "AGITPROP". www.agitprop.bg. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
- ↑ "The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories (Problemat s komarite i drugi istorii)". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ↑ Capital.bg (2011-09-15). "Цар и режисьор". www.capital.bg (in български). Retrieved 2025-05-22.
- ↑ "Georgi BOGDANOV".
- ↑ "EXPLORE BULGARIA и NGC БЪЛГАРИЯ тръгват на обиколка из непознати природни и исторически забележителности у нас". Woman.bg (in български). Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ↑ Дневник (2014-03-12). ""Опознай България" с National Geographic започва снимки през април". www.dnevnik.bg (in български). Retrieved 2025-05-22.
- ↑ "Awards". www.berlinale.de. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
- ↑ Blaney2019-11-04T15:28:00+00:00, Martin. "'Exemplary Behaviour' victorious at DOK Leipzig". Screen. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ↑ "Review: Palace for the People". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. 2019-08-19. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ↑ "AGITPROP". europeanproducerclub (in français). Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ↑ ""Денят на бащата" - BG сериалът, който предизвика силен отзвук, по БНТ 2". www.24chasa.bg. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ↑ "Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Karlovy Vary, 2022 | inter-film.org". www.inter-film.org. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
- ↑ "Operation Sabre". canneseries.com. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
- ↑ "Beta's "Operation Sabre" wins Canneseries Award". Beta Film GmbH. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ↑ "Serbian series Operation Sabre scoops the top prize at Serial Killer". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. 2024-10-03. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
This article "AGITPROP" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:AGITPROP. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
