In Bulgarian

MAGAZINE "KINO"

(Issue 4 / 2009)

The Burning of the Bulgarian Communist Party House

“STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS”

The facts. The evidence. The participants. The manipulations. The truth?

by Iskra Dimitrova, PhD in arts ©

I don’t know how many people today, particularly from the younger generations, can imagine the power of documentary cinema to capture and interpret social processes. It is a genre that has long disappeared along with the traditional cinema theatres (the multiplex cinemas being programmed to entertain rather than to give any artistic message). The television channels also rushed to compete as entertainers with a number of reality programmes of the Big Brother and Music Idol type and if they ever show a documentary film it is in the hours of the lowest viewing figures.

That is why I am convinced that if viewers get the chance to see Malina Petrova’s new documentary – a new 3-hour long film ­­– they will be overwhelmed by the power, meaning and implications of the cinematic Document. The Document about our newest history which is our present-day life. The Document about the never fully ending social transition in Bulgaria. The Document giving some possible answers about why it has been so painful and so unfathomable – now, 20 years after 10 November 1989...

... The film has recently been released (the time of writing of this review is June 2009), but would Bulgarian National Television, in its role as a public television ever show it – that is an open-ended question.

But to go back to the film with its voluminous documentary footage of the Fire of the Bulgarian Communist Party House in the night of the 26/27 August 1990, which was investigated but the investigation never reached the court and the case was closed with the expiry of the statute of limitations 15 years later…

This spectacular fire is a key event in the transition from totalitarian communist to democratic state. History will most probably judge it to be the reason for our country being caught between two systems, doomed to this neverending and pointless stay in post-communism.

Malina Petrova established her name in Bulgarian cinema particularly with her documentaries (24 Tetevenska, The Farm, The Pantheon, No-one is to Blame, The Heart Dies Last, The River, Balkan Lessons in History and others) in addition to two feature films (The Journey and Maria’s Son). Her deep inner urge to unravel our social truths with the film camera determines her love for film documentary and her position as an outspoken citizen.

That is why in 2006 she was the first winner of the Panitsa Award for the Development of Democracy and Civil Society. When Dimiter Panitsa was presenting her with the Award he said: ‘Malina Petrova is an example of a behaviour which sets the common good as a priority.’

How does the common good relate to the Fire, some may wonder. We can see this connection if we can fully understand that our common good is unthinkable without the involvement of each and everyone of us in the social processes which shape our notions of social good and evil, of human rights and the social rules, of freedom and the norms of the just society we want. This good is unthinkable without a real understanding of social processes.

The Fire loomed incandescent - in red - against the sky-blue veil (the colour of change and of democracy) which had enveloped Sofia capital a couple of months before in 1990. We had rushed joyfully out to change the system, renouncing the mistakes of the previous one. And suddenly, in front of the eyes of the thousands in the square and the millions in front of their television sets, the image of violence emerged amongst the flames. Violence that was the worst of what we were trying to rid ourselves of. We were taken aback, we were seared with guilt. The ghost of Fear loomed large...

Fifteen years was not enough time for our judiciary to find the fire raisers despite the big volume of the footage of the events and other materials shown in the documentary. The investigation was closed on the expiry of the statute of limitations. Just some unproved allegations were waved in the public space about the responsibility of the opposition which allegedly tolerated revenge and aggression in its ranks. That was all.

The greatest success of Malina Petrova’s film lies in the deep intelligence of her approach to this episode of our new history. She does not resume the closed investigation and does not take on the role of a judge who gives the hitherto unspoken verdict.

She focuses her filmmaking energy on interpreting the meaning of what happened. To this end, all the political participants who took part in the events are invited to give their opinion and evaluation of the events, as well as that of their opponents. And the image of that turning point in our history - 1990 – is resurrected in front of our eyes with the incredible power of the Document. The Document of the fire juxtaposed with today’s interpretation of the then-acting political figures. It is exactly this juxtaposition of the footage of the Fire and the testimonies almost 20 years later which makes us realise the historical value of the events with its consequences and implications today.

Malina Petrova does not give answers to the many specific factual or political questions that arise in the film and arouse and sustain the viewer’s interest for a full three hours. She seems to put us face to face with the Document and says:

You, the viewers, are the jurors who have to give your verdict having considered the facts and the role of each of the historical characters that have remained on the Bulgarian political scene today.

You, the viewers, have the right to interpret the many contradictory testimonies of the event from the point of view of what has happened in Bulgaria over the last 20 years. And having done that, you will inevitably come to the biggest questions that we face today as a nation:

Did we become a victim of illusions?

Did we manage to keep our attitude to social issues free from manipulation?

Should we not put a little bit more conscious effort, even belatedly, into understanding the truth?

Hasn’t the ghost of Fear, thrown deliberately by someone into our society in 1990, defined our national destiny up until today? This fear is irrational but never fails to enlist enough troops to defend a past status quo...

In conclusion, Malina Petrova’s “Statute of Limitations” is a unique proposal to the whole nation to attempt to solve the problems of our national being of the past 20 years with our thought and reason, and not the emotions manipulated from behind the set.

The only possible road leads through the truth...

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