Film director Ivan Cherkelov died at the age of 65. The first sad news was announced by director Lilia Abadjieva on her Facebook page:
“I am writing these terrible lines with a smile.
The great Bulgarian film director Ivan Cherkelov has left this world. Imperceptible both in creativity and in life.
Ivan’s soul is wisdom, love and freedom.
My idea of the new Bulgarian cinema as rebellion, cinematography and a way of seeing the world was given to me by Ivan Cherkelov with “Pieces of Love”.
This rebellion and captivating beauty have marked the heart and soul and mind and our lives – of me and Vasil Abadjiev. Ivan is Vasil’s dearest friend and his highest moral support.
We mourn inconsolably.”
The sad news was confirmed to BTA by his sister Irina Cherkelova.
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The noblemanwho is gone tired of socializing
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Ivan Cherkelov was born on January 16, 1957 in the town of Lovech. He is the son of Dr. Violeta Misheva and the actor Georgi Cherkelov. Graduated in film direction at VITIZ Krastyo Sarafov in 1982.
His graduation work is the film “Ballad”, and his debut full-length film “Pieces of Love” (1988) was included in the ten best Bulgarian films of all time from the poll of the Culture Center in 1993.
“Pieces of Love” asked some unexpected, disturbing, troubling questions about a part of his own generation that was experiencing itself as the top of the spiritual ice cream. In an interview then, he, known for his tiresome verbal brevity, told me that he would like to suggest – “it shouldn’t be like that”.
And I interpreted it further: this is not how we should live, we should not hurt each other, we should not cause pain to the weaker and vulnerable, it is right to deprive ourselves of one thing for the sake of another, higher, true and perfect. Even in the dialogue and messages of “Pieces of Love” the elements of a sermon were felt, but without the direct guidance to seek God.”, Karin Yanakieva writes in “Kultura” newspaper.
His next feature films were created already after the changes – “Rolling Stones” (1995) and “Glass Balls” (1999), which ends like this:
“Deprived of striving for God, man’s life passes in vain – like the senseless decoration of a dead body”.
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The new film of director Ivan Cherkelov with the premiere at the 24th Sofia Film Fest
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By the end of his short life, the director managed to make four more films – “The Upside-down Christmas Tree” (2006, together with Vasil Zhivkov, which won the Special Jury Prize in Karlovy Vary), “Crabs” (2009), “Family Relics” ” (2015) and “Don’t Argue with the Bathroom Staff” (2020).
“Don’t Argue with the Bathroom Staff” is also a film about the vague shadows of the past; about loneliness, misunderstanding and love; for the beautiful miracles of everyday life and for the national saint Vasil Levski, present in people’s minds like a granite monument.
Ivan Cherkelov himself writes the script for his film, as well as for all the other films he has created. His personal memories are woven into the plot of his latest work. The director was born in Lovech, and spent his childhood vacations with his grandparents, whose house was located in the center of the city. Today, only the pine tree planted by his grandfather in the yard, which is also present in the film, remains of it.
Ivan Cherkelov’s films have been broadcast many times on BNT. They were shown at film festivals in Germany, the USA, Canada, France, the Czech Republic, India and Bulgaria.
A gift!
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