"Bulgaria: The long revolution" - Film screening at the European Commission Liaison Office in Pristina

Rila Monastery

"Bulgaria: The long revolution"
(52 minutes, in English)

"a compelling documentary series about the Balkans and Turkey”
Olli Rehn, European Commissioner for Enlargement

"These are documentaries all of us citizens of the European Union should have the opportunity to see"
Giuliano Amato, former Italian Prime Minister

Return to Europe Series
Winner of the 2008 Erasmus EuroMedia Award

on Wednesday, 25 March 2009, at 17.30

The episode shows Bulgaria after entry to the EU in 2007: a booming country. The prospect of accession undoubtedly accelerated the country's recovery after the economic collapse in 1996.

The film portrays people who personify the hopeful yet at the same time difficult situation of the country. Such as Evgeni Dainov: the sociologist and leading architect of the revolution of 1997. A visit to the Romanies in the ghettos of Stolipinovo near Plovdiv and Faculteta in Sofia shows desolate conditions, but also the attempts of individual small-scale Romanry entrepreneurs and citizens' initiatives to provide the Romany people with better starting positions.

"Bulgaria: The long revolution" is a part of the TV project "Return to Europe", a series of 10 one-hour TV documentaries featuring countries and cities in the Balkans. The aim of the series is to acquaint viewers across Europe with the latest developments in South East Europe and the struggle of the people of the region for a better future in a united Europe.

The series is supported by ERSTE Stiftung and has been jointly produced by the German-language satellite channel 3sat, Austria's public broadcaster ORF and the TV production company pre-TV, in cooperation with the European Stability Initinative (ESI), upon whose research and analysis these films are based. The Istanbul film has recently been shown at international events in Brussels, Istanbul, Tbilisi, Berlin, and other cities across Europe and has received very positive feedback. It will be broadcast by a number of TV stations throughout the Balkans in coming months.

Please confirm your participation by e-mail to Maja Pavlovic.