site.btaBulgarian Comedy "Birthday" Set to Screen in Chicago

A screening of the Bulgarian film Rozhden Den [Birthday] will take place in Chicago on February 8, the Magura Cultural Center said on Friday.

The event starts at 7:00 pm local time at Classic Cinemas, 1050 Elk Grove Town Center, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007, USA, Magura Cultural Center wrote on its Facebook page.

“This film was made with a great deal of love, but above all with respect for the audience,” director Ivaylo Penchev told BTA in November, commenting on the film’s Bulgarian premiere.

“I think it’s high time Bulgarians started smiling again and forgot their troubles, at least for two hours. Beyond its humor, the film also conveys some very serious messages. I’d really like audiences to leave the cinema smiling, but also thinking about issues and questions that are part of Bulgarian society today,” Penchev added.

Vasil, portrayed by Vasil Banov, is an experienced thief who has just been released from prison, while Grandma Genoveva, portrayed by Meglena Karalambova, is a lonely elderly woman who has lost her faith in life. Fate brings them together on her birthday, and they make a deal that is about to radically change not only their lives, but also those of Genoveva’s neighbours: the single mother Bilyana, portrayed by Milena Avramova, and her daughter Raya, portrayed by Eleonora Sabeva.

Vasil is highly respected in the criminal underworld, and his three friends, Sasho, Lyubo, and Krasi, played by Svezhen Mladenov, Stefan Denolyubov, and Stanimir Gamov, track him down to enlist his help with their ambitious robbery scheme. At first, the plan seems like a routine job, but it soon proves to be one of the most consequential confrontations of their lives. The choices they make and the unexpected turns they face draw them into a series of comic mishaps. United by a common goal, they set aside their differences, and are changed forever.

The cast also includes Nikolay Gunderov, Boryana Puncheva, Lyuben Chatalov, Dilyana Popova, Kitodar Todorov, Konstantin Ikonomov, Filip Avramov, and Sofia Bobtcheva. The screenplay was written by Bozhan Petrov and Penchev, cinematography is by Georgi Chelebiev, and the film was edited by Stefan Boyadzhiev. Production design is by Miroslav Marinov, and the music is composed by Georgi Strezov.