Right now in Bulgaria, people all over the country are protesting the corruption of their government in power. Since Bulgaria’s 2007 introduction into the European Union and a political shift to the right in 2013, Bulgarians have been hoping for a positive change from the depressive pre-90s Soviet-era communism. However, post-communist Bulgarian politics have often been muddied with the collusion of local mafias and servility to the ultra-rich oligarchs whose communist roots enabled them to maintain influence after acquisition of government run facilities for little money. In 2020, Bulgaria is the poorest nation in the European Union. In regards to freedom of presss, the country ranks amongst the lowest in Europe. The government continues to have wide spread control over Bulgaria’s media. Talk to the average person living in Bulgaria and the story is consistent - they are poor, they are desperate and they are consistently afraid of the powers that be. Now, tens of thousands of people are demonstrating and they will not stop until the corrupt government is held accountable for their abuse of power. On July 23 my short film SOFIA will be playing as a part of the 20th Annual Gimli Film Festival (@gimlifilm). This film offers a small glimpse into the experiences Bulgarian people face everyday while contrasted with the beauty that I find in the place of my birth. Please tune in this Thursday for a FREE online screening of my film (in addition to 5 other shorts) at 7:30 EDT with a Q&A with myself and the other filmmakers. Link in bio and I hope you enjoy 🤍🤍🤍🤍 💚💚💚💚 ❤️❤️❤️❤️