The 11th Forum for the Sustainable Development of the Bulgarian Film Industry, organized by the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA), was held in Sofia on Tuesday, focusing on the European university alliance FilmEU and Bulgarian participation in its initiatives.
The forum was organized jointly with the Bilyana Tomova Centre for Media Research, Audiovisual Policy and Cultural Industries at the University of National and World Economy (UNWE).
Students and lecturers presented the opportunities and projects offered by FilmEU, which brings together eight European universities. Among the initiatives highlighted was Pathfinder, a joint international bachelor’s programme in filmmaking developed by FilmEU in partnership with five European film schools, including NATFA.
Diana Andreeva-Popyordanova, Director of the Bilyana Tomova Centre, said that UNWE was also part of a European university alliance. She described such alliances as accelerators of the development needed for higher education to catch up with European standards.
NATFA Vice-Rector Prof. Elena Trencheva highlighted a laboratory in Sofia dedicated to 3D modelling and printing props for film production. The facility is one of eight specialized spaces within the alliance designed for technological development, experimentation and training.
Assoc. Prof. Tsvetelina Tsvetkova, Dean of NATFA’s Faculty of Screen Arts, presented the international Changemaker – Pitching for Change programme, which allows students to pitch their projects to industry professionals and receive feedback.
Eight students are selected to participate in the final event. Tsvetkova said that five of this year’s eight selected projects were developed by NATFA students, describing the result as a clear indication of the quality of their work.
NATFA students, doctoral candidates and lecturers also shared their experiences of participating in FilmEU initiatives, including the Annual FilmEU Challenge and the alliance’s audiovisual club. They highlighted opportunities for international collaboration, professional development and exchanges with students from other European institutions.
Alexandra Sterkova, Deputy Chair of the National Assembly’s Culture and Media Committee, expressed concern about developments affecting NATFA’s full membership in FilmEU.
Sterkova said she was deeply impressed by Bulgarian participation in the alliance but regretted that efforts to preserve NATFA’s full membership had not succeeded.
She expressed hope that the situation was only a temporary setback and said she would continue working to ensure that NATFA took the necessary internal steps to regain its place in the alliance.
On October 22, NATFA students held their tenth protest march, demanding the resignation of Dachev and, for the first time, that of Education Minister Georgi Valchev. The protesters called for the minister’s resignation because, in their words, he is using academic autonomy as an excuse for the lack of an adequate response. The first protest demanding Dachev’s resignation was staged in July due to dissatisfaction with the academy’s administration and concerns that it might be excluded from the European university alliance FilmEU and the Erasmus+ programme.

Sofia Forum Highlights Bulgarian Participation in European University Alliance FilmEU THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-11-10 04:59:00

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