Balgarianovinite.com For the 13th consecutive day, students of the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA) staged a protest on Monday demanding the resignation of Rector Prof. Miroslav Dachev, following unsuccessful attempts to meet with him in person. The protest included a march to the Education Ministry and the Culture Ministry.
The protesters carried placards calling for the rector’s replacement and for dialogue. They are demanding transparency regarding NATFA’s participation in the European FilmEU alliance, including the reasons behind the ongoing procedure to remove the academy from the alliance, the actions taken, the financial consequences, and the potential risk to NATFA’s participation in the Erasmus+ programme. The protesters are also calling for the immediate end of institutional pressure, greater transparency and accountability, and genuine student participation in the decision-making process on issues affecting their rights and the future of the academy.
The Education Ministry and the National Representation of Student Councils are organizing a meeting to discuss the issues that have led to tensions between the leadership of NATFA and students at the academy. The meeting will take place on July 15 at the National Student House.
Students’ Concerns
In a statement on July 4, the students said that at the heart of the problem is “the NATFA administration’s long-standing policy of neglecting the Film Faculty, putting its continued existence in its current form at risk.” In an open letter signed by more than 140 students, the protesters point to “a risk to NATFA’s participation in the European university alliance FilmEU due to insufficient institutional involvement in the alliance’s strategic dialogue and governance.” They say that since becoming rector, Prof. Dachev has not attended a single meeting of the alliance’s senior officials. “This situation jeopardizes the Academy’s international standing, access to European partnerships, student mobility and opportunities for international education,” the students write. Among the other issues they raised are “an atmosphere of pressure on lecturers who have expressed critical views; pressure on the student protest and restrictions on freedom of expression; a lack of transparency regarding electricity charges in the student residence; and interference in the educational process.”
Support from Lecturers
Lecturers also issued a statement. Members of the Faculty Council of the Screen Arts Faculty said they unanimously support the students’ protest. “Remaining silent in the current situation would be incompatible with the role we have undertaken as lecturers at an institution whose very purpose is its students. We are convinced that the students have both the right and the grounds to raise publicly the issues that concern them, after their repeated attempts to obtain answers through institutional channels failed to produce any concrete explanations,” the letter reads.
NATFA Leadership’s Response
On June 26, NATFA sent an institutional statement to the media. “We are obliged to state categorically that a number of the publicly made claims contain false insinuations that distort the actual facts. We explicitly reject the insinuations that the NATFA leadership does not support the Academy’s participation in the European university alliance FilmEU,” it reads. The statement describes FilmEU as “a strategic priority for NATFA.” According to it, “it is also improper to suggest that the non-participation of the Rector in the alliance’s activities poses a threat to the Academy’s membership, as NATFA Vice Rector for International Affairs Prof. Elena Trencheva has been authorized to represent the Academy on all matters related to the activities, objectives and future of FilmEU.” Students from National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts Stage Protest, Demand Rector’s Resignation 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-07-13 15:11:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law