13/10/2017 - The No Blink Studio production will be shot in October, January and May

Actress-director Yana Titova is preparing her independent debut feature, Fall and Salvation, a No Blink Studio production that retraces eight years in the life of a heroin and methadone addict, Vessela Toteva. The first leg of the 28 days of shooting is scheduled for the end of this month, with the bulk of the production set to take place in January. The team and DoP Martin Balkansky will wait for May to shoot spring and summer exteriors. 

The screenplay, written by Titova, is based on Vessela Toteva’s autobiographical book of the same title. Set in the 1990s, when heroin was increasingly becoming available in Bulgaria, the story will present Toteva’s struggle with addiction over eight years. Influenced by her addict lover (Dimitar Nikolov, Hristo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Grigor Lefterov
film profile]) and helped by her former husband (Aleksandar Aleksiev, Radiogram [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Heights), the protagonist will find hope in her daughter, Valentina. Interestingly, Toteva’s daughter in real life, actress Valentina Karol, will play her mother in the film. Lydia Indjova, Silvia Lulcheva, Ivan Barnev and Irmena Chichikova play other significant parts.

The budget amounts to approximately €200,000, with no financial support from the Bulgarian National Film Center. The team is currently searching for co-production partners. Producer-actor Aleksandar Aleksiev tells Cineuropa that sponsors and financial partners are reacting well to the story and are eager to support what they consider a “social cause”.

Yana Titova tells Cineuropa that she sees her film as an alarm bell for Bulgaria’s drug issues. “We want to inform both parents and their children about the consequences of drug addiction. We also want to make an inspiring film able to convey a hopeful message that there is salvation.” She also says her film has a positive message, and she expects it to spark controversy and debate, as drug addiction is a topic that Bulgarians are reluctant to discuss openly and publicly.