29-09-2020

FNE at Golden Rose 2020: Yataghan

By
    Marian Valev, Stefan Denolyubov, Kitodar Todorov, Georgi Staykov and Evgeniya Kalkandjieva in Yataghan by Andrey Andonov and Vladimir Borisov Marian Valev, Stefan Denolyubov, Kitodar Todorov, Georgi Staykov and Evgeniya Kalkandjieva in Yataghan by Andrey Andonov and Vladimir Borisov

    VARNA: Andrey Andonov’s and Vladimir Borisov’s comedy Yataghan will screen in the main competition of the 38th Golden Rose National Film Festival (24 September - 1 October 2020). The brothers Christo and Yanaki Dermendjievi, known for their 25 years’ experience in distribution, acted this time as producers through their company A Plus Films.

    Hristo Hristov, known for his paradoxical approach to gags and jokes, wrote the script four years ago. The main character is an alcohol-dependent inspector working in the State antiterrorist agency. In order to satisfy the career ambitions of his incompetent female boss, he invents a fake terrorist chain. The fabrication goes so far that the agency begins to cooperate with the fake terrorists. Step by step, the little lies turn into a nightmarish chaos. In the meantime a lot of money is being stolen from corrupt government employees.

    “From the very beginning we aimed to make a comedy without going too deep into serious topics. But when we started working on the project everyone was busy with the topic of terrorism. And we were surprised to see that what we invented as fiction started to really happen. So the film became a metaphor of stupidity. I was pleased to find out that our scriptwriter Hristov showed a great capacity for observation”, producer Christo Dermendjiev told FNE. 

    Marian Valev plays the lead. The rest of the cast is composed of popular comedy actors like Ivaylo Dragiev, Lyubomira Basheva, Vasil Vasilev-Zueka, Georgi Staykov, Stefan Denolyubov, and Kitodar Todorov. Ex-model Evgeniya Kalkandjieva makes her film acting debut.  

    The shooting took place in April 2019. An interesting detail from the preparation period is that the film was practically pre-edited, explaining the fast shooting period, and editing that lasted only one month.  

    The film was supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center. Domestic release started on 21 February 2020 but lasted only around a week. On the eve of the of the COVID-19 lockdown on 13 March 2020, the film had around 30,000 admissions.

    Production Information:

    Producer:
    A Plus FIlms
    Christo Dermendjiev
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Credits:
    Directors: Andrey Andonov, Vladimir Borisov
    Scriptwriter: Hristo Hristov
    DoP: Antoni Krustev, Histo Roberto Hristov
    Composer: Asen Hristov
    Cast: Marian Valev, Ivaylo Dragiev, Evgeniya Kalkandjieva, Lyubomira Basheva, Vasil Vasilev-Zueka, Georgi Staykov, Stefan Denolyubov, Kitodar Todorov, Nevena Bozukova