PRODUCTION: Bulgarian Director Stanislav Donchev Shoots Before I Forget

26-09-2023

PRODUCTION: Bulgarian Director Stanislav Donchev Shoots Before I Forget

By Katerina Lambrinova

Before I Forget by Stanislav Donchev shooting credit: Boryana Pandova

SOFIA: Bulgarian director Stanislav Donchev is currently shooting his fourth feature film Before I Forget with support from the Bulgarian National Film Centre. Donchev’s production company Dynamic Arts, which is behind the project, is open to coproducers and sales companies.

The script, written by Teodora Stoilova-Doncheva and Stanislav Donchev, tells the story about an elderly man, Stoyan, who has dementia and whose condition is deteriorating rapidly. His daughter, Iliana, decides to take him on a farewell trip around the country. Iliana wants Stoyan to have the chance to be reunited with the family and her son to have some happy memories with his grandfather.

“The topic is engaging within the social context of existence, but that is only the solid foundation for the plot to develop. As a genre, the film is best defined as a dark comedy with dramatic undertones and with the structure of a road film. The directorial approach is subordinate to the narrative. I’m using all the available means of visual storytelling at the appropriate time to enhance and convey through the screen the emotions of the characters”, director Stanislav Donchev told FNE.

The cast includes Ivan Savov, Alexandra Dimitrova, Vasil Kanev, Nikola Mutafov, Maria Statulova, Raya Peeva and Konstantin Tsanev.

Stanislav Donchev is producing through Dynamic Arts in coproduction with Teodora Stoilova-Doncheva through Trafaret Films (Bulgaria). The project received a grant of 230,000 EUR from the Bulgarian National Film Centre in 2022.

The total budget is 300,000 EUR.

“Before I Forget is about the diminishment of consciousness coming long before the physical demise of the body. What it means to stop being yourself, to merely exist. What it means for those around to lose the person they have known and loved, and to be left with merely a shell. To be helpless observers of the inexorable process of separation,” Teodora Stoilova-Doncheva told FNE.

Тhe shooting period of 25 days will end on 25 September 2023. The postproduction will be completed by the end of 2024.

Production Information:

Before I Forget by Stanislav Donchev shooting, credit: Boryana Pandova Producer:
Dynamic Arts (Bulgaria)
Stanislav Donchev: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Coproducer:
Trafaret Films (Bulgaria)

Credits:
Director: Stanislav Donchev
Scriptwriters: Teodora Stoilova-Doncheva, Stanislav Donchev
DoP: Dobromir Nikolov
Editor: Stefan Boyadjiev
Cast: Ivan Savov, Alexandra Dimitrova, Vasil Kanev, Nikola Mutafov, Maria Statulova, Raya Peeva, Konstantin Tsanev

Published in Bulgaria