''Khan Asparuh'' ( bg, Хан Аспарух) is a 1981 three-part

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

n historical action and drama film telling the story of

Khan Khan may refer to: *Khan (inn), from Persian, a caravanserai or resting-place for a travelling caravan *Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name *Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by ...

Asparuh Asparuh (also ''Ispor''; bg, Аспарух, Asparuh or (rarely) bg, Исперих, Isperih) was а ruler of Bulgars in the second half of the 7th century and is credited with the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire in 681. Early life ...

and the events around the founding of the medieval Bulgarian state in 681 AD. It was shot and released on the occasion of the 1300th anniversary of Bulgaria. The film was selected as the Bulgarian entry for the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the

55th Academy Awards The 55th Academy Awards were presented April 11, 1983, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Liza Minnelli, Dudley Moore, Richard Pryor, and Walter Matthau. Louis Gossett Jr. became the first Africa ...

, but was not accepted as a nominee.Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The director is

Ludmil Staikov Ludmil Ivanov Staikov ( bg, Людмил Иванов Стайков; born 18 October 1937) is a Bulgarian film director. He directed six films between 1972 and 1988. His 1972 film ''Affection (film), Affection'' won the Golden Prize at the 8th ...

, with Stoyko Peev playing Asparuh, Antoniy Genov playing Velisarius and Vanya Tsvetkova Pagane. In 1984 the film was internationally released as ''681 AD: The Glory of Khan'' in a 92-minute English-language edited version, down from the original 4½ hours. The version has received much criticism for not presenting the entire plot well and focusing on certain aspects, thus changing the whole feel of the production.

Cast

* Stoyko Peev as Khan

Asparukh of Bulgaria Asparuh (also ''Ispor''; bg, Аспарух, Asparuh or (rarely) bg, Исперих, Isperih) was а ruler of Bulgars in the second half of the 7th century and is credited with the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire in 681. Early life ...

* Antony Genov as Velisarius *

Vassil Mihajlov Vassil is masculine given name and a surname. It may refer to: *Anton Vassil, French film director *Vassil Evtimov (born 1977), French-Bulgarian basketball player *Vassil Kazandjiev (born 1934), Bulgarian composer See also * Vasil Vasil (Bulgar ...

as Khan

Kubrat Kubrat ( el, Κοβρᾶτος, Kούβρατος; bg, Кубрат ) was the ruler of the Onogur–Bulgars, credited with establishing the confederation of Old Great Bulgaria in ca. 632. His name derived from the Turkic words ''qobrat'' — ...

Vania Tzvetkova Vania may refer to: * Vania (caste), a social group of India * ''Vania'' (foram), a genus of fossil foraminifers * ''Vania'' (plant), a genus of plants in the family Brassicaceae * Vânia, or Vania, a given name (including a list of people with t ...

as Pagane * Stefan Getsov as The High Priest of Tangra *

Georgi Cherkelov Georgi Cherkelov (Георги Черкелов); 25 June 1930 – 19 February 2012) was Bulgarian stage and film actor. One of the most prominent names in the Bulgarian theater and cinema in the last decades. He became widely popular after the r ...

as Velisarius' father *

Iossif Surchadzhiev Iossif Surchadzhiev (born 2 May 1945) is a Bulgarian stage and film actor. He has appeared in more than fifty films since making his screen debut in 1952. Life and career Surchadzhiev was born on 2 May 1945 in Sofia in the family of director Stef ...

Constantine IV Constantine IV ( la, Constantinus; grc-gre, Κωνσταντῖνος, Kōnstantînos; 650–685), called the Younger ( la, iunior; grc-gre, ὁ νέος, ho néos) and sometimes incorrectly the Bearded ( la, Pogonatus; grc-gre, Πωγων ...

References

External links

* * 1981 films Films set in the 7th century Films set in the Byzantine Empire Films set in Bulgaria 1981 drama films Films shot in Bulgaria Bulgarian biographical drama films Bulgarian historical drama films 1980s historical drama films 1980s biographical drama films Cultural depictions of kings Cultural depictions of Bulgarian men Biographical films about royalty {{Bulgaria-film-stub