Regional Competition

Uncle Tony, Three Fools and the Secret Service

Mina Mileva, Vesela Kazakova
Screening time  
23.02. / Monday, 14:00 - 16:00 Theatre 3  
28.02. / Saturday, 18:00 - 20:00 Theatre 3  
A scandalous case behind Socialism’s greatest export – the art of animation reveals a heartbreaking human story. Meet Uncle Tony.

In the 1960s and ‘70s, Communist Bulgaria had a celebrated animation studio with Donyo Donev as its leading light. His short films like Clever Village, De Facto, Pardon and the Three Fools series delighted viewers at home and abroad. But, as revealed in this documentary, the true creative force behind these works was his assistant animator, Anton “Uncle Tony” Trayanov. More troublingly, the documentary avers that Donev and other senior figures at the studio were in league with the Bulgarian secret police. Mina Mileva and Vesela Kazakova’s impassioned documentary – a flashpoint of controversy in Bulgaria, tells a story of Communist-era state control and corruption, but one with widespread relevance to the world of creative collaboration and credit-taking.

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Mina Mileva

Mina Mileva graduated in Animation from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts Sofia, and at the Academy for Visual Arts in Brussels. Her work features wide variety amongst which films such as Christmas Carol the Movie, Bob the Builder, Disney’s The Tigger Movie and Jungle Book. In 2008 she co-founded the production company Activist38 with Vesela Kazakova after collaborating on the documentary Because of Her.

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Vesela Kazakova

Vesela Kazakova graduated both in Acting and Production from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts and University of Economics in Sofia. Vesela started producing theatre performances in 2005 while also working as an actor, play co-writer and composer. Gradually, she turned to film producing starting with the documentary Because of Her and setting up a production company Activist38.

General sponsor

Chicho Tony, Trimata Glupaci i DS

Bulgaria
2014, 86', DCP

Directed by:
Mina Mileva, Vesela Kazakova

Screenplay by:
Mina Mileva and Vesela Kazakova

Cinematography:
Plamen Gelinov and Vasilena Goranova

Edited by:
Donka Ivanova

Music:
Emilian Gatsov

Producers:
Mina Mileva, Vesela Kazakova

Produced by:
Activist38

Festivals & Awards:

Bulgarian Film Academy Awards 2014 – Nominations for the Best Film, Best Director, Best Sound; Sarajevo Film Festival 2014; Baltic Sea Forum 2014; Astra Film Festival 2014; Festival du nouveu cinema Montreal 2014; Warsaw Film Festival 2014; Cairo International Film Festival 2014; Trieste Film Festival 2015