Lyubomir Sharlandzhiev(1931-1979)

Lyubomir Sharlandzhiev was a Bulgarian film director and actor. He graduated from the Sofia Academy of Dramatic Art after studying theater direction. He was in training in Moscow in the classes of Mikhail Rom. His debut in cinema is the film A Chronicle of Sentiments (1962). The films by Lyubomir Sharlandzhiev strove to examine what goes on inside people, and to discover more than superficial glance can reveal. In Crack-up (1966), he showed a spiritual crisis of a newspaperman who had to resort to fraud to put across a beneficial project. In Prosecutor (1968), he explored the dilemma of a man who is supposed to sign a warrant for the arrest of a friend he knows to be innocent. This film was released after the fall of communist regime in November 1989. In The Odor of Almonds (1967), based on the scenario by the one of most experienced scriptwriters Pavel Vezhinov, he presented two love story of three couple, two no equilateral marital triangles. In later films, such as The Best Man I know (1973) Sharlandzhiev resorted to sheer moralizing. Nevena Kokanova was cast in her first major screen role opposite Lyubomir Sharlandziev in the 1957 film "Years of Love". Lyubomir falls in love with her at first sight, and the 19-year old, inexperienced Nevena marries her first on-screen romantic partner. He directs Nevena in a multitude of plays, first in Gabrovo, then in Ruse, all the while acting as her unofficial acting tutor, constantly honing her skill. Lyubomir Sharlandzhiev had many national prizes for his films. In 1980 he received Gran Prix of Union of Bulgarian filmmakers "Golden Camera" for his achievement in the Bulgarian film art.