Filmography

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THE TREE OF LIFE

(Hristo Shopov as Jordan Velchev)

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ORIGINAL TITLE: Дървото на живота / Darvoto na jivota.

Image YEAR: 2013 (first season).

DIRECTED BY: Todor Chapkanov - Zornitsa Sofia Popgancheva - Alexander Kosev.

MAIN CAST: Hristo Shopov, Maria Kavardjikova, Vladimir Karamazov, Bashar Rahal, Ivan Stamenov, Monio Monev, Koina Ruseva, Luiza Grigorova, Alexandra Lopez, Anastasya Ingilizova, Vasyl Banov, Djoreta Nikolova, Teodora Duhovnikova, Belislav Pavlov, Stoyan Aleksiev, Yavor Ralinov, Gergana Dandanova, Valentin Ganev and Iosif Sarchadjiev.

PRODUCED BY: Evtim Miloshev, Lyubo Neikov, Gabriel Georgiev and Ivan Spasov.

WRITTEN BY: Ivan Spasov.

ORIGINAL MUSIC BY: Georgi Strezov.

RUNTIME: 50 minutes / episode.

COUNTRY: Bulgaria.

GENRE: History | Drama.

SYNOPSIS:

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The Tree of Life develops the story of the Valchevi, a wealthy Bulgarian family living in the modern city of Vidin, after the proclamation of the Bulgarian Declaration of Independence in 1908.

The parents of the saga are Asen and Petruna. Asen Velchev, the father, an elderly man and pillar of the family is a patriot deeply involved in the struggle for liberation, a respected citizen by the whole society, a philanthropist and successful businessman to whom the national ideal and the Homeland come above everything. Petruna, his wife, is a woman who lives entirely devoted to the family's wellbeing.

The respected marriage, marked by deep traditions of the country, has five children: Jordan, Panto, Hristo, Bela and Ilya. They are quite different:

The eldest is Jordan (Hristo Shopov), an army officer involved in the movement for the liberation of Macedonia. Jordan is Asen's favorite son, the only one of the brothers who has inherited his father's idealism and patriotism.

Panto, as opposed to the elder brother, is a materialist absorbed in his own needs, an unscrupulous man who puts personal interests above everything else, even his family.

Bela is the only daughter of the Velchevi, married to a revolutionary officer, she is a strong woman but her marriage has a lack of children.

Hristo is a character secretly in love with socialism ideas and deeply influenced by Panto's character.

The youngest son, Ilya, was born disabled and grew up with a feeling of lack of love and understanding in his relationship with his father.

Although the first scene of the film depicts a bloody battle for the liberation of Macedonia, the action in The Tree of Life develops in an urban environment, especially shaped by key events in recent Bulgarian history.

In the course of the story the viewer will see how problems and family disputes arise, Jordan’s interest with a woman of Turkish origin which could lead to a forbidden love due to the prejudices of the time, military heroism, betrayal, intertwined quarrels resulting in fighs between brothers... And the key to understanding events that portray each character in the saga and the beginning of the family's breakdown will be discovered.

The Tree of Life is a Bulgarian blockbuster in which no part has been neglected: even the smallest details had been respected in production for costumes, sets, characterization, film set construction to recreate the city of Vidin, etc. For example, they made over 120 specific costumes of the time when the story developes, antique furniture imported from several European countries, and even some objects shown in the film were taken from museums.

Finally, with The Tree of Life the audience will remember that Bulgaria is a nation with a great history which provides powerful reasons to be proud.


RELATED WEBSITES:

VIDEO:


THE TREE OF LIFE - "Header"

THE TREE OF LIFE - Trailer episode 11

THE TREE OF LIFE - "The Past Determines the Future"

THE TREE OF LIFE - Trailer episode 9

THE TREE OF LIFE - Trailer episode 8

THE TREE OF LIFE - Trailer episode 7

THE TREE OF LIFE - Trailer episode 6

THE TREE OF LIFE - Trailer episode 5

THE TREE OF LIFE - Trailer episode 4

THE TREE OF LIFE - Trailer episode 3

THE TREE OF LIFE - Trailer episode 2

THE TREE OF LIFE - Interview with Hristo Shopov and Evtim Miloshev

THE TREE OF LIFE - Trailer #2 episode 1

THE TREE OF LIFE - Trailer #2 episode 1

THE TREE OF LIFE - Premiere (02.24.2013 Sofia)
THE TREE OF LIFE - The Actors

THE TREE OF LIFE - Official Trailer 1

THE TREE OF LIFE - Official Trailer 2

THE TREE OF LIFE - Official Trailer 3.

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