A terrorist bombing in Burgas on 18 July 2012 killed five and injured 32 of 42 Israeli tourists, before they were carried off from the airport to their Black Sea hotels. The Lebanese bomber and the driver of the bus, who was a Bulgarian Muslim, also died.
Sevda Shishmanova and Milena Petrova wrote the script, which unfolds the personal stories of the victims and the assassin through the eyes of a photographer, driven to overcome his own prejudices.
“The death of innocent people in a terrorist act is something I have witnessed a number of times. As a war correspondent for the TV, I have covered attacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East, as well as in London, Istanbul, etc. I am aware of the spiral of revenge, which has its profoundly radicalising political backdrop”, Shishmanova told FNE.
“When the first terrorist bombing in Bulgaria took place in Burgas, I decided to take a closer look at the stories of those who died. Making a film about a recent tragic event that continues to be traumatic for those affected, carries ethical risks and responsibilities. Thus, we wrote the script based on interviews with people close to the victims, survivors, on records of witness interviews, on forensic photo and video material, and on professional analyses of the run-up and execution of the attack”, Shishmanova added.
Although the project is in the funding process, the Bulgarian-born German actor Samuel Finzi and the DoP Kaloyan Bozhilov, who shot Milko Lazarov’s Aga (Red Carpet), have already agreed to join.
As public support from the Bulgarian National Film Center is already assured, Red Carpet’s usual partner 42Film is entering into application procedure in Germany. At the same time partnerships in Israel, where some important shooting is planned, are under negotiation.
Shooting is due to start in 2022 or at the latest in 2023, and the premiere is set to take place in the following year.
Shishmanova is also developing The Umbrella (Red Carpet), a MEDIA Programme supported 8-episode TV series about the Bulgarian dissident writer Georgi Markov, who was assassinated in London on 7 September 1978.
Production Information:
Producer:
Red Carpet (Bulgaria)
Contact: Veselka Kiryakova
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Coproducer:
42Film (Germany)
Credits:
Director: Sevda Shishmanova
Scriptwriters: Sevda Shishmanova, Milena Petrova
DoP: Kaloyan Bozhilov
