RETURN TO EUROPE
BULGARIA – THE LONG REVOLUTION

DOCUMENTARY / A 2008 / HD CAM / 45 & 52 MINUTES
directed by Peter Beringer

Synopsis

The episode shows Bulgaria after entry to the EU in 2007: a booming country. The prospect of accession undoubtedly accelerated the country’s recovery after the economic collapse in 1996. At the time inflation reached astronomic levels, with the per capita income falling to less than $ 30 a month. In 1997 the people took to the street and swept the government out of office. They demanded membership of NATO and the EU, and consistent privatisation of the economy. Since 2001 the country has had annual economic growth of 4-7 %, unemployment is falling, and direct foreign investments have risen to USD 5-6 billion. The film portrays people who personify the hopeful yet at the same time difficult situation of the country. First of all Ewgeni Dainow: the sociologist and leading architect of the revolution of 1997.
A visit to the Romanies in the ghettos of Stolipinovo near Plovdiv and Faculteta in Sofia shows desolate conditions, but also the attempts of individual small-scale Romany entrepreneurs and citizens’ initiatives to provide the Romany people with
better starting positions.
The film also shows that young, qualified Bulgarians who recently had to turn their backs on their homes are now returning. The presenter of an ambitious talkshow, Iskra Angelowa, has come back from the USA. She believes in Bulgaria: that those with the best qualifications and the most commitment will now find the right conditions to be successful.

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