- Occupation
Producer - Country
Bulgaria
Gotchev Dimitar
Sofia's Last Ambulance
In a city where 13 ambulances struggle to serve a burgeoning population of several million, 47-year old Krassi Yordanov is our unlikely hero: chain-smoking and saving lives in a non-stop 48-hour shift. Krassi is the emergency doctor on one of Sofia’s last ambulances and today is the worst day of his life. This is a film about the regular working day of Dr. Krassi, nurse Mila and driver Plamen, a team working on an ambulance in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Struggling against an avalanche of absurdities in a crumbling medical system and scarcely earning enough to make a living, these three are simply trying to do what they do best – save lives.
In a city where 13 ambulances struggle to serve a burgeoning population of several million, 47-year old Krassi Yordanov is our unlikely hero: chain-smoking and saving lives in a non-stop 48-hour shift. Krassi is the emergency doctor on one of Sofia’s last ambulances and today is the worst day of his life. This is a film about the regular working day of Dr. Krassi, nurse Mila and driver Plamen, a team working on an ambulance in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Struggling against an avalanche of absurdities in a crumbling medical system and scarcely earning enough to make a living, these three are simply trying to do what they do best – save lives.
Jazzta Prasta
One 30-year-old gypsy accordion player creates a band in Vienna and names it "Jazzta-Prasta". This band wins the most prestigious Austrian award for "world music". This film is about the road that the musician takes regardless of the borders, ethical prejudices and the inertia of conservative thinking. This is a film about the talent of Martin Ljubenov, who has a real chance to become a worldwide popular star – like Gypsy Kings or Ivo Papazov. This is a film about music, but it is rather much more about the people who make this music. It tells about the new generation of gypsy musicians who follow the steps of their great predecessors Ibro Lolov and Ivo Papazov. Today's generation is not bothered about strictly controlled repertoire, ideological pressures to play and think correctly. We can safely say that besides computer specialist, the other people Bulgaria "exports" to the world are musicians, a big part of which are comprised by gypsies. Part of the talent of Martin Ljubenov is connected to his ability to unite the artistic people he works with. With each project he makes them develop personally more and more. The fact that he works with players who have talent in different fields gives him the confidence to try different genres like jazz, swing, pop, latin and Balkan ethnic style. The European musical critics enthusiastically recognize the fact that for Martin and his musicians there are no secret music styles from Buenos Aires to Bollywood. Martin Ljubenov does not conform with the myth of the talented but suffering gypsy, but he is not an idealistic hero who discards the anty-gypsy clichés either. He is as important for the gypsy community as for the contemporary Bulgarian culture as a whole. His music reflects all the artistic ideas and traditions, which have been unifying our national culture through the years. Their diversity, free coexistence and original transformation can become the formula for success in the contemporary Bulgarian art as a whole.
Stoichkov
Bulgarian football superstar Hristo Stoichkov gives a personal tour of his life and career, revisiting the people, places and events that shaped his persona. The journey traces the ups and downs from his modest childhood in the late communist Bulgaria to the brightest spotlights of the game with the “Barcelona” Dream Team and the Bulgarian National team’s miracle at the 1994 World Cup. The film explores Stoichkov’s controversial character full of paradoxes, juxtaposing his thoughts and feelings to those of his friends, family, colleagues and fans, aiming to create a just and honest portrait of the man Hristo behind the Stoichkov superstar.
One 30-year-old gypsy accordion player creates a band in Vienna and names it "Jazzta-Prasta". This band wins the most prestigious Austrian award for "world music". This film is about the road that the musician takes regardless of the borders, ethical prejudices and the inertia of conservative thinking. This is a film about the talent of Martin Ljubenov, who has a real chance to become a worldwide popular star – like Gypsy Kings or Ivo Papazov. This is a film about music, but it is rather much more about the people who make this music. It tells about the new generation of gypsy musicians who follow the steps of their great predecessors Ibro Lolov and Ivo Papazov. Today's generation is not bothered about strictly controlled repertoire, ideological pressures to play and think correctly. We can safely say that besides computer specialist, the other people Bulgaria "exports" to the world are musicians, a big part of which are comprised by gypsies. Part of the talent of Martin Ljubenov is connected to his ability to unite the artistic people he works with. With each project he makes them develop personally more and more. The fact that he works with players who have talent in different fields gives him the confidence to try different genres like jazz, swing, pop, latin and Balkan ethnic style. The European musical critics enthusiastically recognize the fact that for Martin and his musicians there are no secret music styles from Buenos Aires to Bollywood. Martin Ljubenov does not conform with the myth of the talented but suffering gypsy, but he is not an idealistic hero who discards the anty-gypsy clichés either. He is as important for the gypsy community as for the contemporary Bulgarian culture as a whole. His music reflects all the artistic ideas and traditions, which have been unifying our national culture through the years. Their diversity, free coexistence and original transformation can become the formula for success in the contemporary Bulgarian art as a whole.
Stoichkov
Bulgarian football superstar Hristo Stoichkov gives a personal tour of his life and career, revisiting the people, places and events that shaped his persona. The journey traces the ups and downs from his modest childhood in the late communist Bulgaria to the brightest spotlights of the game with the “Barcelona” Dream Team and the Bulgarian National team’s miracle at the 1994 World Cup. The film explores Stoichkov’s controversial character full of paradoxes, juxtaposing his thoughts and feelings to those of his friends, family, colleagues and fans, aiming to create a just and honest portrait of the man Hristo behind the Stoichkov superstar.
Dimitar Gotchev is one of the most respected producers of independent and new cinema in Bulgaria. After receiving his formal education as a cinematographer in Sofia and Prague he founded in 1991 “SIA” productions. Since then, he has produced and internationally co-produced numerous award-winning fiction and documentary films, such as Mila from Mars, which was awarded in Sarajevo and the Warden of the Dead, which was Bulgaria’s entry to the Oscars in 2006. At the present, he is working on a number of projects, including a collaboration with Jean-Claude Carriere. He is dedicated to supporting young talent.
Filmography: Warden of the Dead, 2006, producer Shadows, 2007, producer The Belgrade Phantom, 2009, co-producer
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SIA
48, Shipka Str
1504 Sofia
48, Shipka Str
1504 Sofia
Camera Ltd.
48, Shipka Str.
1504 Sofia
48, Shipka Str.
1504 Sofia
Kodak Award for Best Director of Photography at Varna Golden Rose National Film festival /2006/; for “Warden of the Dead” Bulgarian Entry for Oscar Foreign Language Competition, Producer of AVE, feature film selected at Cannes Film Festival, In Competition
Semaine de la Critique, Special Jury Prize – Sarajevo Film Festival, Cineuropa Award – Sarajevo Film Festival