Тhe film follows Petar Nizamov, a former junior boxing champion with an impressive CV. He successfully runs the family-owned firewood business, but he is also a law graduate, the head of an NGO providing free of charge legal assistance and he was awarded Lawyer of the Year for helping an unemployed mother to regain custody of her children. He also claims that the government tried to kill him due to his open criticism of its corruption. After flirting with the far-right movement, he volunteered to help Ukrainian refugees.
“I met Petar in 2017. He's a businessman, a revolutionary, a politician, a headhunter and a good Samaritan. His life has been stranger than fiction, full of breathtaking twists and it represents 
our society in a post-truth era. One night, the co-writer of the film, Plamen Bontchev, called me to say that someone had shot Peter eight times. The next day we were at the hospital to capture the first moments after the assassination attempt. There are very few films that have such footage, but the crucial point for my decision to make this film was Peter's confession in a church: ‘There is no saint without a past, and no sinner without a future. Everyone has sinned. Some are greater than others. Sure, I pray for forgiveness, but I hope to have done more good than evil...’’”, Boris Despodov told FNE.
Despodov is producing through Arthouse Blockbusters in coproduction with the German Pandora Film and the Serbian Servia Film.
The project was part of the MakeCoProDox Forum (2020), the Eurodoc programme (2018), Lisbon Docs - Public Pitching Sessions, (2018) and DOK.fest München Roundtables, and it was awarded with the German Composition Funding Award in 2018.
The total budget is 200,000 EUR. The project is supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, Film-und Medienstiftung NRW, Robert Bosch Foundation, Film Center Serbia and the National Culture Fund of Bulgaria.
The postproduction of the film will be completed in December 2023, and the distribution аnd the international premiere are expected for the spring of 2024.
At this point, the producer is looking for distribution, broadcasters and postproduction partners.
Production Information:
Producer:
Arthouse Blockbusters (Bulgaria)
Boris Despodov: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Coproducers:
Pandora Film (Germany)
Servia Film (Serbia)
Credits:
Director: Boris Despodov
Scriptwriters: Boris Despodov, Plamen Bontchev
DoP: Plamen Bontchev, Stefan Djordjevic
Editor: Dragan von Petrovic
Мusic: Florian Erlbeck
