site.btaStudents from National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts Stage Protest, Demand Rector's Resignation

For the 13th consecutive day, students of the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA) staged a protest on Monday demanding the resignation of Rector Prof. Miroslav Dachev, following unsuccessful attempts to meet with him in person. The protest included a march to the Education Ministry and the Culture Ministry.

The protesters carried placards calling for the rector's replacement and for dialogue. They are demanding transparency regarding NATFA's participation in the European FilmEU alliance, including the reasons behind the ongoing procedure to remove the academy from the alliance, the actions taken, the financial consequences, and the potential risk to NATFA's participation in the Erasmus+ programme. The protesters are also calling for the immediate end of institutional pressure, greater transparency and accountability, and genuine student participation in the decision-making process on issues affecting their rights and the future of the academy.

The Education Ministry and the National Representation of Student Councils are organizing a meeting to discuss the issues that have led to tensions between the leadership of NATFA and students at the academy. The meeting will take place on July 15 at the National Student House.

Students' Concerns

In a statement on July 4, the students said that at the heart of the problem is "the NATFA administration's long-standing policy of neglecting the Film Faculty, putting its continued existence in its current form at risk." In an open letter signed by more than 140 students, the protesters point to "a risk to NATFA's participation in the European university alliance FilmEU due to insufficient institutional involvement in the alliance's strategic dialogue and governance." They say that since becoming rector, Prof. Dachev has not attended a single meeting of the alliance's senior officials. "This situation jeopardizes the Academy's international standing, access to European partnerships, student mobility and opportunities for international education," the students write. Among the other issues they raised are "an atmosphere of pressure on lecturers who have expressed critical views; pressure on the student protest and restrictions on freedom of expression; a lack of transparency regarding electricity charges in the student residence; and interference in the educational process."

Support from Lecturers

Lecturers also issued a statement. Members of the Faculty Council of the Screen Arts Faculty said they unanimously support the students' protest. "Remaining silent in the current situation would be incompatible with the role we have undertaken as lecturers at an institution whose very purpose is its students. We are convinced that the students have both the right and the grounds to raise publicly the issues that concern them, after their repeated attempts to obtain answers through institutional channels failed to produce any concrete explanations," the letter reads.

NATFA Leadership's Response

On June 26, NATFA sent an institutional statement to the media. "We are obliged to state categorically that a number of the publicly made claims contain false insinuations that distort the actual facts. We explicitly reject the insinuations that the NATFA leadership does not support the Academy's participation in the European university alliance FilmEU," it reads. The statement describes FilmEU as "a strategic priority for NATFA." According to it, "it is also improper to suggest that the non-participation of the Rector in the alliance's activities poses a threat to the Academy's membership, as NATFA Vice Rector for International Affairs Prof. Elena Trencheva has been authorized to represent the Academy on all matters related to the activities, objectives and future of FilmEU."