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PRODUCTION Bulgaria

Vladimir Borisov in development with the comedy Yatagan

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- Production company A Plus Films is eyeing April for the start of production

Vladimir Borisov in development with the comedy Yatagan
Director Vladimir Borisov

Bulgarian director Vladimir Borisov is currently in the final stages of development for his first feature, Yatagan, an A Plus Films production to be shot next spring. Completion is expected for the end of 2018 and the world premiere for the first quarter of 2019.

The screenplay, written by Hristo Hristov, follows an inspector in the Bulgarian Anti-Terrorist Agency who, fearing he will be sacked, fakes a report identifying an innocent young man as the leader of a terrorist cell named Yatagan (also a brand of vodka and the weapon of choice of Ottoman soldiers centuries ago). When the victim of his ploy is arrested, the inspector feels remorse for playing with his fate and admits the scheme to the youngster. The young man’s surprising reaction will lead the two characters down a path of extraordinary adventures.

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The budget amounts to circa €550,000. The project received a grant of approximately €180,000 from the Bulgarian National Film Center. Producer Christo Dermendjiev tells Cineuropa that Yatagan has already found a Macedonian co-production partner, Dream Factory, and that following the Balkan Film Market (read our report), a Serbian and an Albanian production company are “showing very strong interest” in his project. He also says that the screenplay can be adapted easily in order to accommodate requests from co-production partners. The film’s casting is ongoing, while Nenad Boroevich has already been chosen as DoP. 

Director Borisov says that his film is not a comedy about terrorism, but rather a satire about what people are willing to do in order to earn money. Borisov considers comedy “the greatest tool to communicate serious themes to a wide audience”. He also says that although the screenplay’s situations may seem fictitious, some of them were inspired by real events. “I believe Yatagan can make many people laugh by also making them think,” the director states. 

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