Filmography

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OPERATION "SHMENTI KAPELI"

(Hristo Shopov as Lyubev)

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ORIGINAL TITLE: Операция "шменти капели" / Operatsia "shmenti kapeli".

Image YEAR: 2011.

DIRECTED BY: Ivan Mitov.

MAIN CAST: Vladi Vargala, Hristo Shopov, Harry Anichkin, Malin Krastev, Zahary Baharov, Kitodar Todorov, Vladimir Vladimirov-Vlad, Plamen Peev, Georgi Spasov, Johny Penkov, Jeki Stoev, Kiril Efremov, Stefan Shterev, Ognyan Panov, Vladislav Pavlov, Pavel Mitkov, Avgust Popov and Kotseto.

PRODUCED BY: Vladislav Dimitrov.

WRITTEN BY: Vladislav Dimitrov.

ORIGINAL MUSIC BY: Anton Chalov and Toni Klechkata.

RUNTIME: 118 minutes.

COUNTRY: Bulgaria.

GENRE: Comedy | Action | Crime.

SYNOPSIS:

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Operation “shmenti kapeli” is a very funny story that shows a popular explanation of the Bulgarian transition.

The film begins and ends with references to the totalitarian past in order to introduce us straight away to the lives and adventures of three honest policemen, Lyubev (Hristo Shopov), Nadejdev and Verev, who are responsible for finding out what has happened to two briefcases full of money.

The investigation leads them to a mental hospital where they must uncover the history of Tseko Tsekov, an unemployed maths teacher. Exploited and crushed by the system after being abandoned by his wife, he is the victim of all kinds of absurd situations surrounding the Bulgarian way of life.

The range of characters that introduce Tsekov to a lot of problems, mistakes and entanglements include corrupt policemen, illegal military enthusiasts, an employee prone to extortion in an electrical company who cannot pronounce the letter “r”, a policeman belonging to the special forces, who dreams of becoming a chalga star, a clumsy and friendly gangster, an incompetent bailiff… and so on. This large number of subjects that appear in his life, when you least expect it, lead him into despair and madess. Image

Operation “shmenti kapeli” is a very entertaining comedy of our time, that tells a tragic story, a story in which the question is whether to laugh or cry at the ruthless truth it reveals. The film eloquently shows almost all of the problems of Bulgarian life, combining the use of action and absurd comedy (absurd but unfortunately very realistic for the viewer). In this way, under the protective blanket of humour, one does not run the risk of falling into mental imbalance such as what happens to the protagonist.

An unexpected twist, sarcasm, shootings and explosions are all present in the film, and the action grows proportionally to the problems of the protagonist.

We must not forget the tender and positive side of the story, with the help of the people like Eugeni and Kalina. From when they wake up each day, these two citizens fight against a hard life, thanks to the love that they profess. As for the three policemen in charge of the case, whose behaviours are always dominated by integrity and fidelity or Tatko, Lyubev’s companion that turns to the dark side but remains faithful in friendship and always show his gratefulness to those who have saved his and his family’s life. Image

Operation “shmenti kapeli” is a story about the secrets of the powerful that cannot be hidden from the weak, an intelligent narrative describing what occurred in the last 20 years in the eyes of the Bulgarian Society, without which we would not be able to understand it.

*NOTE: This film won the Public Prize in the Bulgarian Film Festival Zlatna Roza (2011).


RELATED WEBSITES:

VIDEO:


OPERATION SHMENTI KAPELI - Video Clip O.S.T.

OPERATION SHMENTI KAPELI - First Official Trailer
OPERATION SHMENTI KAPELI - Making of

OPERATION SHMENTI KAPELI - New Official Trailer