Invisible things inspire film creation: director Lazarov

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Invisible things inspire film creation: director Lazarov

(Xinhua) 08:25, August 29, 2013

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"Alienation", directed by Bulgarian film director Milko Lazarov, has been shortlisted for the competition of Lion of the Future award, the prize given to a debut film at the 70th Venice Film Festival.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Monday, Lazarov said he never thought about winning in Venice, the participation itself was a big success for him. This is the first time that a Bulgarian film has been shortlisted in the official selection at the Venice Film Festival during the last 23 years.

The debut film of Lazarov "Alienation" tells a story about a Greek driving an old car to Bulgaria to buy a newborn baby, waiting together with the mother, her deaf-mute brother and the midwife in a secluded house in the mountains for the birth of the baby.

Lazarov said he was really determined to recount a parable rather than to follow the script of the grim business of selling a newborn baby to a foreigner. The film is not a manual on how to buy a baby in Bulgaria, but an itinerary for losing yourself, and how it happens.

Talking about the film inspiration, Lazarov said Goethe's "Erlkoenig" inspired him when he started writing the script in 2008. "What attracts me is not the superficial fact, the invisible things, the inside relations give me the inspiration for film creation," said Lazarov.

The 77-min feature film, starring famous Greek actor Christos Sterioglou, has already won the Best Bulgarian Feature Film on the 17th Sofia Film Festival this year. Lazarov said he really hopes that he can bring this film to the Chinese audience at the Beijing Film Festival next year.

Lazarov told Xinhua that he was impressed with the quick development of the Asian movie market, especially the art-house films and commercial films. Compared to the Asian film market, he said the film market in Bulgaria grew slowly in recent years. "There are only three to four films per year produced here," he said.

However, Lazarov chose to stay in Bulgaria, hoping that there would be more chance for those young people with passion for films.

Milko Lazarov graduated from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA) in Sofia, Bulgaria, where he studied film and television directing. He is an executive producer and director of BNT's highly successful BBC projects The Great Bulgarians and The Big Read.

（Editor：WangXin、Gao Yinan）