Theodore Ushev’s film Life with an Idiot was presented for the first time in Bulgaria at the French Institute on October 21 as part of the CineLibri international book to film festival in Sofia.
“The film is based on a text by Viktor Yerofeyev. In the early 1990s, composer Alfred Schnittke wrote an opera inspired by this work, after which it continued to inspire various artists and art forms. In 1991, it was adapted into a film by director Aleksandr Rogozhkin,” said CineLibri’s Executive Director Alexandra Alexandrova.
“We have the honour to have here tonight someone directly responsible for my decision to make this film. I discovered this text sometime in the 1990s, in a translation by Georgi Borisov, who is here with us,” Theodore Ushev said.
“This film lived within me for over 20 years, and I never found the courage to begin it, knowing how difficult it would be to bring it to life anywhere, given the way it is told. Fortunately, I found brave partners in Miyu Productions in Paris, who said, “Yes, we want to make this film, this is a film for us.” It was extremely difficult to finance and make, since it was painted frame by frame, in watercolour on paper. It took me three to four years,” the animator explained.
“In fact, I wanted to tell this story from another angle, to ask who the idiot really is. How society creates idiots because it is idiotic itself. When complete idiots lead most countries, the biggest and most powerful ones, things become very grim. Idiocy takes over the world. Idiots are multiplying. This is a film about violence,” Ushev added.
The head of the French Institute in Sofia, Luc Levy, noted that, as every year, the CineLibri festival dedicates one evening to France, and the 2025 edition is devoted entirely to Theodore Ushev. Ushev said Life with an Idiot was filmed entirely in France and that he had the honour of knowing Viktor Yerofeyev.
Three more of Ushev’s films were screened the same evening, including the short film The Wolf, which has been nominated for an Academy Award. Theodore Ushev’s Life with an Idiot Premieres in Bulgaria at CineLibri Festival THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-10-22 12:18:23 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
