AGITPROP (film company)

AGITPROP is a Bulgarian production company specializing in the creation of documentary and feature films, television programs, and series. It is known for producing documentaries that have been screened internationally, including titles such as Georgi and the Butterflies, The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories, and Corridor No. 8. The company’s producer is Martichka Bozhilova. The company also plays an active role in managing the Balkan Documentary Center – an organization that promotes the development of documentary cinema in the region.

AGITPROP was founded in 1997 by photographers and cinematographers Boris Missirkov and Georgi Bogdanov. One of AGITPROP’s first projects was the creation of the TV segment “Photomaton,” which told the story of photography and was broadcast on Bulgarian National Television.

The company’s first wide recognition came with the documentary film Georgi and the Butterflies, directed by Andrey Paounov. The film was awarded the Silver Wolf at the prestigious International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA). Following the success of Georgi and the Butterflies, AGITPROP and Andrey Paounov collaborated on two more films — The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories^[1] and The Boy Who Was a King. Together, these three films are often regarded as "an unofficial trilogy about the absurdities of the transition period".^[2] Subsequent notable productions include Corridor No. 8, which was directed by Boris Despodov and premiered at the Berlinale International Film Festival,^[3] as well as Tsvetanka, which was directed by Yuliyan Tabakov.

In 2014, AGITPROP produced the first Bulgarian television series for National Geographic titled Explore Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Опознай България), which has since been renewed for additional seasons.^[4] In 2016, the third season, titled Expedition Rhodopes, was released; it focused on the natural and historical landmarks of the Rhodope Mountains, whilst the fourth season, released in 2017, was dedicated to the city of Sofia. In 2017, the company completed its narrative feature film debut with The Infinite Garden, which was directed by Galin Stoev. The film was selected to open the 2017 Kinomania Film Festival.

In the following years, AGITPROP co-produced the films Touch Me Not (2018); directed by Adina Pintilie, it won the Golden Bear at the 2018 Berlin International Film Festival,^[5] and Exemplary Behavior by Audrius Mickevičius, which received the top three awards at Dok Leipzig 2019, including the Golden Dove for Best Film.^[6]

The documentary projects Palace of the People (2018)^[7] and The Cars We Drove into Capitalism (2021),^[8] directed by Boris Missirkov and Georgi Bogdanov, are among the company's internationally distributed productions. Both films have been broadcast on BBC, NHK, DR, SVT, and over 20 other television channels worldwide.

In 2019, the company produced the television drama series Father’s Day for Bulgarian National Television. This was the first series project from Eastern Europe to receive support from the European Union’s Creative Europe MEDIA programme.

Among the company’s recent productions is the film A Provincial Hospital, directed by Iliyan Mitev, Ivan Chertov, and Zlatina Teneva. The film won the Ecumenical Jury Award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2022.^[9]

In 2024, AGITPROP co-produced one of the most successful European television series — the Serbian drama Operation Sabre (directed by Goran Stanković and Vladimir Tagić). The series premiered at Canneseries 2024,^[10] where it won the award for Best Ensemble Cast,^[11] and later received the Best Series award at the Serial Killer Festival 2024.^[12] Operation Sabre is broadcast on MAX and ARTE, as well as on television channels in Spain and Portugal. The company also plays an active role in managing the Balkan Documentary Center, which supports and promotes documentary filmmakers from the Balkan region.