Day of Enlightenment (followed by a reception)

Film Screening & Discussion:
Mr Gladstone and the Bulgarians
documentary film

Special Guests:
Mihail Meltev (director) & Youriy Datchev (film critic)

Slavic Orthodox Hymns by Seven Saints Choir

Programme:

18:30 – 19:30
Film Screening of Mr Gladstone and the Bulgarians (documentary)

19:30 – 20:15
Discussion with special guests: Mihail Meltev (director) & Youriy Datchev (film critic)

20:30 – 21:15
Slavic Orthodox Hymns by Seven Saints Choir

Reception

More about the film:

A documentary film about the great British politician, author and intellectual, William Gladstone. Father of Liberalism and four-time Prime Minister, whose political fate intertwined in an unexpected manner with the independence of the Bulgarian nation in the 19th century. This could be seen as an attempt to rehabilitate the reputation of Galdstone and his contributions to the Bulgarian cause, albeit somewhat unfairly downplayed during the Cold War. The film’s story is based on the stories, recollections and conclusions of Gladstone’s great grandson, Sir William Gladstone, University professors from Australia, Bulgaria, Italy, the UK (Oxford) and the US, and on the stories of the heirs of the victims of the ‘Bulgarian Horrors’ after April of 1876. The film attempts to recreate the time, events and atmosphere of the 19th century, using photographs, paintings, caricatures, actual locations (what is left of them), Gladstone’s personal diary and the only voice recording remaining of him – one of the first audio recordings in Europe.

Biography of Mihail Meltev:

Mihail Meltev was born in 1954 in the town of Topolovgrad, Bulgaria. He is a graduate of the English High School in Plovdiv and of the National Academy for Theatre and Film Studies, Sofia, specialising in ‘Film and TV Direction’. He also went on to further specialisation in ‘Film and TV Production’ and ‘Advanced Media Management’ and in the US and the UK. He has directed a multitude of feature and documentary films, including End of the Track, Tarsi se ekstrasens (ie. Psychic Wanted), With longing, Mr Gladstone and the Bulgarians, and many others. He also writes screenplays, predominantly for documentary films, and often in co-authorship with others.