Stefan Komandarev’s latest film will have its double premiere on September 11, at 20:00, as part of the Sofia Summer Fest and on September 13, at 20:30 at the Cinema House as part of the Sofia DokuMental Festival. The documentary “Life from Life” opens the curtain on the topic of donation in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria ranks last among the countries of the European Union in the number of patients who have undergone organ transplants and in the number of donors per million population. As of June 4, 2021, the number of Bulgarian citizens waiting for a transplant is 1041. Behind this figure are real human destinies, emotions, sufferings and hopes of people. And to their families.
In Bulgaria, where the first heart transplant was performed in Eastern Europe (1986), today these operations are few and every year they become less and less.
“The general goal of this documentary is to bring attention to organ donation and promote transplants to become a normal part of the culture and values of society in Bulgaria. I graduated in medicine in 1993 and worked as a doctor for 5 years. Then I graduated in film directing and have been making my films for over 20 years – both documentaries and feature films. For the first time, I am now returning to a medical topic with the dream of trying to change the unhappy fate of thousands of Bulgarians waiting for an organ transplant. The waiting list is almost a death sentence in Bulgaria – the wait is years, in the end most of them die unexpectedly. Some are lucky, others are looking for legal or non-legal ways to escape abroad. The struggle is a hope for every day, waiting for life “, Komandarev shares.
Life from Life will try to change this sad statistic. The film is supported by NFC, BNT, Dolly, Magic Shop, Sonus and KIA. Producers Stefan Komandarev and Katya Trichkova for Argo Film. With the participation of: Georgi Peev, Nedelcho Gardjarov, Prof. Dr. Vilian Platikanov, Yordan Penchev, Sofia Pencheva, JahOne / Ioan Tsenkov /, Mariana Rezova, Angel Trendafilov – Acho, Dr. Nezabravka Chilingirova, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chavdar Bachvarov, Dr. Valentin Marinchev, Dr. Nikolay Mladenov. Cameraman – Veselin Hristov, editing – Nina Altaparmakova, music – author and performance – Prof. Dr. Vilian Platikanov, screenplay – Teodora Stoilova – Doncheva and Stefan Komandarev, director – Stefan Komandarev.
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