Petar Valchanov ( bg, Петър Вълчанов; born May 15, 1982) is a Bulgarian filmmaker. He is best known for his

cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...

on feature films such as ''

The Lesson ''The Lesson'' (french: La Leçon) is a one-act play by French-Romanian playwright Eugène Ionesco. It was first performed in 1951 in a production directed by Marcel Cuvelier (who also played the Professor). Since 1957 it has been in permanen ...

'' (2014), '' Glory'' (2016) and '' The Father'' (2019).

Biography

Valchanov was born on 15 May 1982 in

Plovdiv Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the c ...

. He is the son of actress Vanya Bratoeva and artist Valchan Petrov. In 2000, he graduated from the Tsanko Lavrenov Art High School in Plovdiv. In 2008, he graduated from the

National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts The Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts (commonly referred to as NATFIZ) is a performing, cinematic and media arts institution of higher education based in Sofia. It is the first Bulgarian university in the field of theatre ...

with a degree in

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

and television directing in the class of

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 ...

Career

Valchanov has worked on many projects alongside his partner

Kristina Grozeva Kristina Yordanova Grozeva ( bg, Кристина Йорданова Грозева; born January 26, 1976) is a Bulgarian filmmaker. She is best known for her cinematography on feature films such as '' The Lesson'' (2014), '' Glory'' (2016) and ...

including the short film ''Family Therapy'' (2008), the television film ''Emergency Landing'' (2010), ''Samburu'' (2011) and others. In 2012, the pair co-wrote and co-directed the short film ''Jump'', which was nominated for Best Short Film at the

European Film Awards The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the most ...

and won the Grand Prix at the

Brussels Short Film Festival The Brussels Short Film Festival (BSFF) has been run by the non-profit organisation "Un Soir … Un Grain" since 1998. It is an annual event and has taken place every year since its inaugural event, with the exception of 2020, due to the COVID-1 ...

as well as best film at the Bulgarian Film Academy Awards in 2013. Their debut feature film ''

'' (2014) received international recognition at numerous film festivals around the world, including festivals in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

San Sebastián San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

and many others, and is the most awarded Bulgarian film of all time. ''The Lesson'' is the first part of a trilogy inspired by newspaper articles. Valchanov and Grozeva were inspired by real events during the development of the script. They recalled: The second film from the trilogy, '' Glory'', which premiered at the

Locarno Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, s ...

was positively received by critics. Its plot revolves around a cantoner who finds millions on a railway line and then hands them over to the police. ''Glory'' won awards at many international film festivals and was selected as the Bulgarian entriy for the Best International Feature Film at the

90th Academy Awards The 90th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2017, and took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was held on March 4, ...

Before the last film of the trilogy, the pair directed 2019's '' The Father'', which features a brief appearance by their then-student

Maria Bakalova Maria Valcheva Bakalova, . ( ; born 4 June 1996) is a Bulgarian actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Critics' Choice Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Gl ...

and won the Crystal Globe Award at the

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival ( cs, Mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary) is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become ...

. Although the film is not autobiographical, Grozeva and Valchanov stated that the story was very personal to them and that the script was ready even before that of ''Glory''. ''The Father'' wаs selected as the Bulgarian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the

93rd Academy Awards The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released from January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. The ceremony was held on April 25, 2021 ...

Selected filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Valchanov, Petar 1982 births Living people People from Plovdiv Film people from Plovdiv Bulgarian filmmakers Bulgarian film directors National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts alumni Academic staff of the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts