Javor Gardev (; born February 23, 1972) is a

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

n stage and film director, known for his 2008 feature debut film ''

Zift ''Zift'' (, ''Dzift'') is a 2008 black-and-white Bulgarian drama film that combines neo-noir and black comedy with socialist retro motifs; it is based on Vladislav Todorov's 2006 same-named novel and he also wrote the script. ''Zift'' was direct ...

''.

Early life and education

Javor Gardev holds a Master’s degree in Philosophy

MPhil A Master of Philosophy (MPhil or PhM; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. The name of the degree is most often abbreviated MPhil (or, at times, as PhM in other countries). MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at least ...

from

Sofia University Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" () is a public university, public research university in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is the oldest institution of higher education in Bulgaria. Founded on 1 October 1888, the edifice of the university was constr ...

, and a Master’s degree in Directing (MFA) from the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia. A recipient of the prestigious Fulbright Award, Gardev specialized at Northwestern University’s School of Communication in the United States. Javor Gardev earned his PhD in Art Studies the New Bulgarian University, where he successfully defended an interdisciplinary dissertation bridging philosophy, social sciences and theater studies. He currently serves as a director at the National Theatre of Bulgaria and has staged over 50 theatrical productions in Bulgaria and internationally.

Career

Gardev has directed radio-drama and authored performance art and video artworks. Since 2022 he works as resident stage director at The National Theatre of Bulgaria in Sofia. He is a member of the

European Film Academy The European Film Academy is a group of European film director, filmmakers who come together in Berlin on the occasion of the first presentation of the European Film Awards in November 1988. Every year, the European Film Academy honors films an ...

since 2009. In 2011 he founded Compania Ecstatica.

Theatre

Among his most famous stage productions are: ''

The Pillowman ''The Pillowman'' is a 2003 play by British-Irish playwright Martin McDonagh. It received its first public reading in an early version at the Finborough Theatre, London, in 1995, also a final and completed version of the play was publicly read i ...

'' (2004), ''

Caligula Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), also called Gaius and Caligula (), was Roman emperor from AD 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the Roman general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Ag ...

'' (2008), ''

A Behanding in Spokane A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient ...

'' (2011), and '' Almost an Evening'' (2013).

Film

In 2008 Gardev directed his first feature film, ''

''. The film was produced by Miramar Film (Bulgaria), with the Bulgarian National Film Center and the

Bulgarian National Television The Bulgarian National Television ( Bulgarian: Българска национална телевизия, ''Balgarska natsionalna televizia'') or BNT (БНТ), stylized as ·Б·Н·Т· since 2018, is a public television broadcaster of Bulgaria ...

as co-producers. Gardev is slated to direct his second film, entitled ''Theseus'', which will be a tale of the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

mythological hero

Theseus Theseus (, ; ) was a divine hero in Greek mythology, famous for slaying the Minotaur. The myths surrounding Theseus, his journeys, exploits, and friends, have provided material for storytelling throughout the ages. Theseus is sometimes desc ...

Awards

Gardev won the Silver St. George for Best Director in Main Competition at the 30th

Moscow International Film Festival The Moscow International Film Festival (, Transliteration, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is a film festival first held in Moscow in 1935 and became regular since 1959. From its inception to ...

. ''Zift'' was part of the selections of fifty-four international film festivals, including

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

, 2008 (Official Selection, Discovery). It was Bulgaria's official entry for foreign-language Oscar and part of the Official Selection for the

European Film Academy Awards European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

, 2008. Until 2009 when its domestic record was broken, it was the highest grossing Bulgarian feature film since the prior two decades.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gardev, Javor 1972 births Bulgarian film directors Living people Bulgarian theatre directors Sofia University alumni