Niki Kanchev Show
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00:00VipGhost
00:06Our colleague Laura Kramfil is always helping us.
00:08Laura, how are you?
00:09I'm fine, thank you.
00:10You're not smiling?
00:11I'm smiling.
00:12Ah, right.
00:13Hello, Riff. He's always smiling.
00:15Why?
00:16Hi, Riff. He's always smiling.
00:18Why?
00:19Why are you always smiling?
00:20It's less muscles than frowning, I...
00:23I use less muscle.
00:25It's more relaxing.
00:26No, it's because of the teeth.
00:28It's not from the teeth?
00:29No, not yet.
00:31How long have you been in Bulgaria?
00:35I got here in 2011 and moved here permanently in 2013.
00:42The first time I was here was in 2006, actually.
00:45But just visiting.
00:50You're CEO of New Boyana, right?
00:53Correct.
00:54Exactly, yes.
00:56It's an important structure. How many Bulgarians do you employ?
01:03I would say we probably employ about 5,000 families overall.
01:09On a daily basis, at least 300, but sometimes we'll have up to 10,000 people spread out.
01:15Especially if we have many movies going.
01:18Tell us a bit more about yourself, your background.
01:24Well, I've lived all over the world. I was born in Israel.
01:27Lived in South Africa.
01:29Lived most of my life, teenage life, there.
01:32At 18, I moved to London.
01:34I studied there and stayed there for five years.
01:39After which, I went to Los Angeles.
01:41Lived there for 17 years.
01:43Who the hell would come here, in Bulgaria, after L.A.?
01:49You know, it's actually a lot better here than L.A., in my opinion.
01:54I mean, convince us.
01:56Three things.
01:58Three things.
01:59Well, it's calm.
02:01There's a lot of good work.
02:03There's a lot of good people.
02:05There's a lot of good people.
02:07There's a lot of good people.
02:09There's a lot of good people.
02:12There's a lot of good work here.
02:14We do more work in the movie industry in Europe than in L.A.
02:18And it's a beautiful country to live.
02:20There's mountains, rivers, seaside.
02:23There's beautiful nature.
02:28Was this the same at the beginning?
02:30Was there a culture shock for you?
02:32Absolutely.
02:33There was a huge culture shock for me.
02:36But I found that the people here are actually a lot more genuine.
02:39But I found that the people here are actually a lot more genuine than in Los Angeles.
02:42And that took a while to get used to.
02:46In L.A. there's a lot of talk and very little action.
02:50And here is the opposite.
02:53That's very interesting.
02:56You mean the Bulgarians learned not to lie?
03:00Yeah, I mean...
03:02Or not to promise something.
03:04I think a lot of things.
03:06The older generation, I find, are more stoic.
03:10And it's tough to get them to crack a smile.
03:13But once you break through that, it's a lot easier.
03:17I think the younger generation are a lot more open.
03:22But they have a lot to learn as well.
03:26Okay.
03:27Yerif, our guests, ladies and gentlemen.
03:29You can also join us with your questions.
03:3102984983
03:33Something important about business.
03:35Something important to say about the business.
03:37This is the legislation.
03:41Is the Bulgarian legislation in line with the necessities of the movie industry?
03:46Yes, it took a long time to get here.
03:48About 15 years.
03:50We were one of the last countries to adopt the rebate law.
03:53But it's starting to work really good.
03:58Okay.
03:59And the main thing, there was a willingness.
04:02But the most important thing is the implementation.
04:07And so, when you introduce a new law into the country,
04:11there's a learning process that takes place.
04:15And it took us two years to get to the spot where we learned how to implement it.
04:20But now, with the help of the National Film Center, it's running very well.
04:27You mean the DOE's legislation?
04:29You mean the DOE's legislation are helping you?
04:33They are not an obstacle?
04:35No, no.
04:37The film rebate law is actually helping bring more business into the country.
04:41One has to understand the difference between a credit and a rebate.
04:46And what a rebate is, is an economic incentive.
04:52Which means the investor comes here and spends the money in the country.
04:55And after an audit, they get rebated a certain percentage, 25% of what they spent.
05:01And the important thing to know is, is this happening in Bulgaria?
05:05I heard that this is happening in Malta.
05:07Yes, it's happening all over the world.
05:11But Bulgaria adopted it about three years ago.
05:15As I said, it was one of the last countries to do so.
05:19So, it's happening all over the world.
05:22As I said, it was one of the last countries to do so.
05:24So, it's a little bit of a learning process for implementing it.
05:28Who was the culture minister back then?
05:32Just to name him.
05:34Who were you working with when you adopted him?
05:36Well, the funny thing is, now we're working with Naiden Todorov.
05:40We've been through five ministers of cultures.
05:42Five governments have changed.
05:46And when I went into Naiden's office recently,
05:49I made a little joke.
05:51I said, I've been in your office more than you have.
05:57So, there is understanding between you.
06:00Yes, understanding with the government.
06:02Now, when the film law was passed,
06:05it was passed with all the parties, not just one party.
06:09They were all there.
06:11And there was a whole debate.
06:13There was a working commission for a year and a half
06:15on how to write it.
06:19So, after that process,
06:21we went through, I would say,
06:23four different governments.
06:27But the common thing was
06:29that they all agreed that it should work.
06:34So, it's under the Ministry of Culture,
06:37but it's implemented
06:39by the National Film Center.
06:43You're a nice person.
06:46But you're from Lesky.
06:48You support Lesky.
06:50You watch the movie.
06:52When we're talking about sports,
06:54my colleagues here
06:56at the 5 o'clock,
06:58we ring the bell.
07:00We're going to organize
07:02a big event in Hilton
07:04on 13 November.
07:06Exactly on those topics.
07:08Companies that support
07:11so that there is a tax reduction
07:13and something else.
07:16They support
07:18this entertainment industry.
07:20We can live without cinema,
07:22but also with football,
07:24also with media.
07:27A person can live without anything,
07:29but in the end of the day,
07:32we want to live here.
07:36We want to watch football,
07:38sports, good movies,
07:40to have strong media.
07:42Is this applicable?
07:44Is this applicable to sports?
07:47First, a bit of a confession.
07:49I'm not from Lesky.
07:51I'm not,
07:53but I went to watch Gundy,
07:55which was a Lesky movie,
07:57and I know that anyone from Lesky
07:59will love the movie,
08:01and anyone who says,
08:03OK, I would say it's the worst movie.
08:05But what I want to say
08:07about that particular movie,
08:09which was really impressive,
08:11and that's why I'm here,
08:13but I watched the movie
08:15in Bulgarian,
08:17and I was able to understand
08:19the movie because of the emotion
08:21of the crowd around me.
08:24That's why I knew it was a good movie,
08:26because the crowd was emotional.
08:32Our colleague over there,
08:34he cried.
08:36Tomislav Rusa cried.
08:38The big guys who see
08:40their parents, their grandparents,
08:42their idols on the field,
08:44so the movie is really,
08:46really good.
08:50We can make good movies, right?
08:52Yes, absolutely.
08:54I mean, this is an example
08:56of a movie that was made
08:58for an audience.
09:00It used the rebate law.
09:02They were able to finance
09:04the movie with the help
09:06of the rebate law,
09:08and I think the last one that I saw
09:10that was successful was 2010,
09:12Mission London, you mentioned.
09:14So, of course,
09:16we can tell
09:18good movies,
09:20we can make good movies,
09:22but we have to make movies
09:24for the public,
09:26not for ourselves.
09:28It's the same in sports.
09:30For me, it's also
09:32fair to show
09:34the sponsor
09:36and to make him a reduction
09:38in the taxes, for example.
09:40So, here's back to your point about sports
09:42and why
09:44I love sports.
09:46Sports is truth.
09:48The ball is in or out,
09:50you score the goal,
09:52you don't,
09:54you can blame anyone,
09:56but the truth is
09:58the performance on the day on the field,
10:00and you can say the refs are bad
10:02or the coaches are bad,
10:04but in sports
10:06there's truth.
10:08And it's very rare to find truth in life,
10:10and that's why I like sports,
10:12because you can see the truth.
10:14You're good enough or you're not,
10:16if you're good enough,
10:18you win, if you're not, you lose.
10:22Yeah, but in sports
10:24it's also the pyramid
10:26with kids on the bottom
10:28and teenagers.
10:30I'm sure that you also
10:32follow the law on betting,
10:34betting industry.
10:36So, if you push them,
10:38they stop giving money for sports,
10:40it's a vicious cycle, we all lose.
10:42Yes, I understand
10:44the whole money part
10:46of sports, and money does drive sports.
10:50But from the individual athlete,
10:52you're either good enough
10:54or you're not.
10:56There is no such thing
10:58as...
11:0220-year-old
11:04Bulgarian.
11:06Weightlifter, yes.
11:10She was training
11:12five years ago in a small hall
11:14in Cherven Bryag.
11:16You would never go in there.
11:18Exactly, and it wasn't money
11:20that got in there, it was talent.
11:22So you can be the most
11:24rich athlete,
11:26but you can't buy the win.
11:32Did you ever try
11:34to buy victory?
11:36No.
11:40Not to win an Oscar,
11:42but your movies,
11:44did you win any Oscars?
11:46No.
11:48Well, we might win one
11:50in a movie which we did recently
11:52with Disney called Young Woman in the Sea.
11:54I understand it's in contention.
11:58It's also a sport movie.
12:00It's about
12:02Daisy Ridley.
12:04Not Daisy Ridley, Trudy Ridley.
12:06Daisy Ridley was the actress.
12:10The New Jedi.
12:12The New Jedi, yes.
12:14She was the first
12:16female athlete to swim
12:18the English Channel.
12:20She broke all the records,
12:22including the men.
12:24It was in 1926
12:26and they used her case
12:28to allow women to compete in sports.
12:30Because before
12:32there was a big separation
12:34between the men's funding
12:36and the women's funding.
12:38It's called Young Woman in the Sea.
12:42We'll talk about the movie in a bit.
12:44We'll show the trailer.
12:48Are awards
12:50important to you?
12:52Yes and no.
12:54I mean, the awards
12:56are given from a small portion
12:58of the filmmaking group
13:00to a small portion of the filmmaking group.
13:02But what's more
13:04important to me
13:06is if the movie connects
13:08with a wide audience.
13:10It's better
13:12to make a movie for the masses
13:14than to make a movie
13:16for awards.
13:18Awards are great,
13:20but it's after the fact.
13:22And the most important thing for me
13:24is to give someone the opportunity
13:26to step away from their life
13:28for two hours
13:30and immerse themselves
13:32in another story.
13:36Now I'm giving you an Oscar.
13:42I'm giving you an Oscar
13:44that you, in three movies,
13:46you did
13:48The Untouchables.
13:50The Untouchables, yeah.
13:52This movie
13:54There was Sylvester Stallone,
13:56Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren.
13:58Yeah.
14:00Arnold Schwarzenegger.
14:02Arnold Schwarzenegger.
14:06Harrison Ford.
14:08Yes, it was great.
14:10Liam Neeson wasn't in that one.
14:12No, no, no, Liam.
14:14Hemsworth.
14:16From Twilight, yeah.
14:18Unfortunately, we killed him too early in the movie.
14:20Too early.
14:22Jean-Claude Van Damme.
14:24Yes.
14:26I mean, this was wow.
14:28So, the concept of Expendables
14:30was what if you take the biggest action films,
14:32action stars in the world
14:34and put them together
14:36into one movie.
14:38So, each action star that we used,
14:40Antonio Banderas, for example,
14:42had the Zorro franchise.
14:44So, Sylvester Stallone, obviously,
14:46Arnold Schwarzenegger.
14:48We took all these franchises together
14:50and made one super franchise.
15:12That's good.
15:14Yeah.
15:16We have a young star
15:18that's going to be in our event tomorrow.
15:20Anton Kotes.
15:22He's the next Elvis.
15:26Who is he? Tell us a bit more.
15:28That's the show
15:30Tomorrow in Bojana,
15:32part of a big reality project.
15:34Yeah, so, we do a fashion show every year.
15:36We do music shows and fashion shows.
15:40We met a beautiful soul,
15:42Marina Penkova,
15:44about three years ago at our grocery market.
15:46She's a school teacher
15:48and when the orphanages
15:50were all being shut down here in Bulgaria,
15:52she took 14 kids
15:54into an apartment with two dogs
15:56and the show tomorrow
15:58is actually going to be a fundraiser for her
16:00to help her buy a house
16:02in Beligo, Tornado.
16:04And the amazing thing
16:06about her,
16:08the school,
16:10just call it,
16:12the amazing thing about her is
16:14she's just a school teacher
16:16and she just opened up her heart
16:18and home to these children.
16:2014 kids,
16:22two of them have graduated,
16:2412 are still with her
16:26and she continues to call them
16:28and ensures they're successful.
16:30She didn't have to do it,
16:32but she did it from her heart.
16:34So that's why we're wanting
16:36to help her out with the show.
16:38It's going to be a launch
16:40of a new brand
16:42and it's a traditional show.
16:44It's more of like the old-fashioned show
16:46which is a performance and a story.
16:48It's called The Black Swan.
16:50And black swans
16:52are usually shunned by society,
16:54but there's beauty within them.
16:56So that's the show's thing.
16:58And afterwards we have a party
17:00with a DJ from Berlin
17:02and they'll go on
17:04total with the night.
17:06I hope to see you there.
17:12So I found out
17:14that a lot of Ukrainians
17:16are involved in this.
17:18Am I right?
17:20The reality show we did
17:22which is called Runway Reels
17:24Fashion on Film
17:26took models.
17:28Runway Reels Fashion on Film
17:30will be coming out next year, 2021.
17:32Runway Reels
17:34That's the name of the show, right?
17:36Yes.
17:38So we took models
17:40from all over Europe
17:42Where are they sleeping?
17:44Which hotel?
17:46We had them in a studio.
17:48We put them all in
17:50one location.
17:52And we took them through acting challenges.
17:58The show asked a simple question.
18:00What happens to a model's career
18:02after 25?
18:06And acting
18:08is a normal transition
18:10from modeling.
18:12But you need much more
18:14than just good looks in acting.
18:16You need to portray emotion.
18:20So that was our show
18:22and the team that came through
18:24from Ukraine
18:26were doing Ukrainian
18:28stop models.
18:30And you know
18:32a lot of the work was shut down.
18:34And so they just came here
18:36as a team and they worked with
18:38our Bulgarian crew members as well.
18:40We had about
18:4270-80 Bulgarian crew members as well.
18:44And the whole show
18:46became a reality show.
18:50Which team
18:52is going to air it?
18:54So we got it in the States with Paramount+.
18:56But in Europe
18:58at Nikon
19:00which is October 20th
19:02we're going to sell it all over Europe.
19:08Is this why Chris Evans is here?
19:10For the show?
19:12For the Ukrainian models?
19:14You know it's funny.
19:16Chris Evans is here on the studio.
19:18I walked past him the other day.
19:20They didn't even notice it was Chris Evans.
19:22Just because of a day's work.
19:26And then I looked back
19:28and I said, I know this person.
19:30He's Captain America.
19:36He's in Bulgaria.
19:38He's in Germany.
19:40Who else?
19:42I was really hoping for
19:44Jack Savoretti.
19:46Then I saw Vincent Cassell.
19:48Anna Taylor-Joy is here.
19:50We're friends.
19:54Our
19:56critique,
19:58he took a photo with her the other day.
20:02We'll talk about this later
20:04all those movie stars.
20:06But you said that those girls
20:08the Ukrainians
20:10were there. Chris was there.
20:12Tell us a bit more about this.
20:14Because everyone thinks
20:16it's easy. It's show business.
20:20It's not like that.
20:22It's a lot of work.
20:24Is this correct?
20:26Let's see if it's true.
20:28It's not so true.
20:30You see it on the red carpets
20:32and Oscars and cameras.
20:34It's a lot of work.
20:36And Chris Evans is here.
20:38But the crew are working
20:40and he's working.
20:42He's not here for the paparazzi.
20:44So he walks by you
20:46like anyone else
20:48but he works.
20:50You asked me about discipline
20:52on the set.
20:54If you walk onto a movie set
20:56you will notice
20:58a lot of people doing nothing.
21:00But they're all
21:02in a department.
21:06And when needed
21:08they're on it
21:10and quick they do their thing
21:12to make the whole machine run.
21:14And it's discipline
21:16because if one person
21:18decides to do another person's job
21:20the whole thing falls apart.
21:22It's like a domino effect.
21:24So for example
21:26the pyrotechnic guy
21:28the special effects guy
21:30he could be lying down
21:32but when the camera gets fired
21:34he's out, he's quick, there's fire
21:36and then he's lying down.
21:38But if the electrician
21:40decides to do his job
21:42then he'll do the group job
21:44and everything will fall apart.
21:46So it seems like
21:48nothing is happening
21:50but if you understand
21:52the minutia of it, the nuance
21:54things are happening at an incredible speed.
21:56And that's why
21:58people come to Bulgaria
22:00to film.
22:02Yes, the rebate is great
22:04but the crews
22:06make it even better.
22:08The experience and the infrastructure.
22:10So you mean
22:12we have serious teams?
22:14Serious crews?
22:16Yes.
22:18I saw movies with Tomas Arana
22:20and Mike Bongiorno
22:22switching from set to set.
22:24There were cars
22:26that were supposed to drive.
22:28300 people were doing something.
22:30Someone was going in
22:32someone was going out.
22:34Everything was
22:36very precise.
22:38Yeah.
22:40So imagine
22:42you say Chris Evans is here.
22:44Wait.
22:46Wait.
22:48So could Chris Evans
22:50be a movie star
22:52not to show up tomorrow?
22:54Just to say, I'm sleepy, I'm tired.
22:56He could, of course.
22:58But he won't. He's a professional.
23:00But
23:02the point I'm trying to make here
23:04Are you going to find him?
23:06No.
23:08The point I'm trying to make here with Chris Evans
23:10he's here, he's getting paid a lot of money.
23:12Right?
23:14So every minute of his time
23:16is very valuable.
23:18And if the crew isn't on top of it
23:20it costs a lot of money
23:22for the producers.
23:24So
23:26getting him from wardrobe to makeup
23:28is scheduled
23:30to the second.
23:32And the AD makes sure that they move fast.
23:34Getting him out of makeup
23:36comfortable
23:38and excited to perform
23:40is scheduled to the second.
23:42The makeup truck is the last point
23:44before they get to set.
23:46And
23:48the artists are not only
23:50making them look good
23:52but they do something very special before that.
23:54They make them feel good.
23:56So anyone
23:58to be a makeup artist
24:00but to be a movie makeup artist
24:02you have to be a psychologist
24:04psychiatrist
24:06and artist and everything in between
24:08so that when the actor
24:10comes out of that trailer
24:12they feel like
24:14a million dollars.
24:16And they are.
24:20That's a great tactic.
24:24Let's talk about
24:26Daisy Ridley.
24:28How did she perform?
24:30I was there
24:32on set.
24:34I saw
24:36her trailer
24:38and the other trailers.
24:40It was difficult for her.
24:42The shots were starting
24:445 p.m.
24:46You were there?
24:48Daisy Ridley filmed here in Sofia
24:50and they filmed in Varna.
24:52And the way Disney
24:54does a movie
24:56is huge.
24:58Yoham, the director
25:00directed Pirates of the Caribbean.
25:02He worked here
25:04in Bulgaria previously on the movie
25:06Pomp and Circumstance.
25:08And so he took
25:10Daisy...
25:12Jerry Bruckheimer is the producer.
25:14Jerry Bruckheimer is the producer.
25:16The director was
25:18Yoham.
25:22He took Daisy Ridley
25:24to the pool
25:26in Spartak.
25:28She trained with
25:30Peter Stoychev,
25:32one of the best swimmers in the world.
25:34And that's Niki Kynchev
25:36with Peter Stoychev.
25:38She's not training with Niki Kynchev
25:40but with Peter Stoychev.
25:44I'm ready
25:46for anything.
25:48Everything.
25:50She trained here and then
25:52he took her 10 miles
25:54across the shore of Varna
25:56to swim.
26:00And with its 55 boats
26:02so there were
26:04the camera boats,
26:06the group boats, the lighting boats
26:08and then around them
26:10the safety boats for each department
26:14and he put her in the water
26:16in the deep sea
26:18and made her swim
26:203-4 hours a day.
26:22But it was the sort of Bulgarian swim team
26:24that was here to support her
26:26that made the movie happen.
26:32Because ultimately she is an actress
26:34not a swimmer.
26:36So before she got in the water
26:38and after she left the water
26:42Peter Stoychev and his team
26:44were there to support her
26:46the whole way through.
26:48And they worked 5-6 hours
26:50in the water a day
26:52which is incredible.
26:56So when I was in Kavarna
26:58during the night shots
27:02in the sea it was cold.
27:04Well done.
27:08You work very well with Disney.
27:12You did this breakthrough
27:14during COVID. How did this happen?
27:16Well, I mean
27:18the way Disney approaches a project
27:20they have a checklist
27:22before they even come here.
27:24So the first thing they asked
27:26is does Bulgaria have a rebate law?
27:30And that was the first time
27:32that we had a rebate law.
27:34So I got a call
27:36from the head of physical production
27:38her name is Diane Sabatini
27:42She is the number 2
27:44head of physical production
27:46at Disney.
27:48Did she come to Bulgaria?
27:50Yes, she did.
27:52Jerry Bruckheimer came here
27:54and the whole Disney team
27:56they came back to display the movie actually.
28:00We want to invite them here
28:02if you help us out.
28:04We want them to come back
28:06but that's a long story
28:08on how we got there.
28:10But I got a call from her
28:12and I heard you just got a rebate law.
28:14Does it work?
28:16And I said, I don't know.
28:18It's the first one.
28:20She said, ok
28:22we're going to send you another movie
28:24to test you out without the rebate.
28:30Yeah, he never promises something
28:32he can't...
28:34It's true. So they sent us another movie
28:36called The Princess
28:38to test if our crews are good
28:40to see if they work.
28:42Where was it shot?
28:44It was a much smaller movie.
28:48The story is about a princess
28:50like Rapunzel
28:52waiting for her prince
28:54to rescue her.
28:56He doesn't come.
28:58He doesn't arrive.
29:00She's got to then fight her way down.
29:02She makes the knights, the witches
29:04she exits the castle
29:06and he says, I'm here to save you.
29:08He arrives.
29:10But she says, I don't need you.
29:14He might probably be a Bulgarian.
29:18I don't know.
29:20But yeah,
29:22they tested us
29:24and they were happy with our services.
29:26So they brought a bigger movie
29:28called Young Woman in the Sea.
29:34In the video stream
29:36you will see
29:38Yuri Yakovlev show the trailer.
29:40Very nice trailer.
29:42So this is on the
29:44Disney platform.
29:46Yes, so The Princess was on Hulu
29:48which is owned by Disney
29:50but this one became Disney+.
29:56Is there a chance to see this
29:58on the big screen in Bulgaria?
30:00In cinemas?
30:02We did a screening in Bulgaria
30:04already.
30:08It went to 3500 screens
30:103500 in China.
30:12It was the number one foreign film
30:14in China
30:16which is very rare.
30:18They did a 750 screen
30:20release in the States.
30:26So what is
30:28best for you?
30:30What do you feel
30:32is relevant to you?
30:34To have it on one platform
30:36or to have it on the big screen?
30:38Or you don't care?
30:40No, I love the big screen.
30:42I love the experience
30:44of sharing
30:46with strangers
30:48a story.
30:50Because they laugh, you laugh.
30:52It's much better.
30:54Like Gundy.
30:568000 people.
30:58So Gundy was an arena med.
31:00And even before
31:02the movie started
31:04the crowd was chanting
31:06Gundy, Gundy.
31:08And so even before the movie
31:10you were excited to see it.
31:12And I think those types of movies
31:14you have to watch with a crowd.
31:20We will hear about news.
31:24Maybe a little bit from Kirill
31:26if we have time.
31:28The show is dominated by the music
31:30of the Storks, by Kirill Marichkov.
31:32We sent him on that day.
31:34But the show continues.
31:36We have to congratulate
31:38Nikolay Volev.
31:40He was a great friend
31:42of Darik,
31:44of the music of Darik,
31:46of Darik Nostalgy.
31:48He listened to Darik Nostalgy
31:50like crazy. He wanted me
31:52to record 5 albums for him.
31:54He chose the songs
31:56Nikolay Volev was a film director.
31:58He was also our
32:00director.
32:02He was a director
32:04of one of the biggest movies
32:06in history.
32:10Many, many movies.
32:12He passed away a couple of days ago.
32:14Also.
32:18It's a black week.
32:20But we go on.
32:22Something important
32:24that we didn't say.
32:26What are the difficulties
32:28that you face in your job?
32:30Daily there's
32:32difficulties.
32:34We're like a dysfunctional family.
32:36The crew.
32:38We have to
32:40argue, work, figure things out.
32:44It's not an easy process.
32:46There's more reasons not to make a movie
32:48than to make a movie.
32:50Whether you don't have the financing
32:52cast, the director, the script.
32:56And you do your best.
33:00Within the difficulties
33:02are also the opportunities for growth.
33:06My approach is
33:08do your best.
33:10Kind of in sports.
33:12You leave it on the field.
33:18Very interesting person Yariv.
33:20He was born in Israel.
33:22He grew up in South Africa.
33:24He worked in the United States,
33:26London, here.
33:28He works all over the world.
33:30He's a good morning person.
33:32He can say good morning
33:34to anyone.
33:40Exactly like this.
33:42Two days.
33:44The day here and the day there.
33:46And so at the end of my day
33:48I talk to clients from LA.
33:50I have questions from all over the world.
33:52We service people from
33:54China, Japan, Germany,
33:56England, the States,
33:58and all over Europe.
34:00So we're always working
34:02with different time zones
34:04and sometimes you get asked
34:06what did you do this weekend?
34:08Weekend?
34:10What are you doing this weekend?
34:12We're filming a movie, a commercial,
34:14on the A-sides.
34:16No, weekend.
34:20Millennium Films is your company, right?
34:22Actually, no.
34:24Millennium Films is my father's company.
34:28It's working, right?
34:30Yes.
34:32Millennium Films is a sales company.
34:34Initially when we were doing the studio
34:36when we first started,
34:38most of the business was from Millennium.
34:40But over the last 10 years
34:42we've started servicing Disney,
34:44Lionsgate.
34:46We opened up.
34:50It's just one of many companies
34:52that we service.
34:54And that's an important thing to understand
34:56because we're a service company.
35:00We provide services
35:02here in Bulgaria.
35:04We're not really a producer.
35:08There's a lot of talk about
35:10how we're benefitting from
35:12the rebates.
35:14Yes, we benefit from the work.
35:16But the investor benefits
35:18from the rebates.
35:20And without the rebate and the studio
35:22the investor doesn't come to put the money
35:24into the country.
35:26And so I've heard a lot of accusations
35:28or rumors
35:30that these foreign producers
35:32are stealing money from the country.
35:34But it's the exact opposite.
35:36It is the opposite.
35:38The rebate client is not the studio
35:40They wouldn't come here to invest.
35:42And from our business
35:44we just put in
35:4649 million euros into the economy
35:48last year.
35:50Because they care.
35:52Because of the rebate works
35:54for the local economy.
35:56So it's a very important
35:58distinction to make
36:00between what Nuboyan is,
36:02which is a studio
36:04and Millennium is a sales company.
36:06So
36:08we service
36:10foreign investors.
36:12And as a result
36:14the money comes into the local economy.
36:18Your father is Avi, isn't it?
36:20Yes, yes.
36:22I remember
36:24his first steps here.
36:26Yes, 1999.
36:28It was him and his brother Dani
36:30who is his past.
36:32But they did a movie with Dolph Lundgren
36:34called Birds of Dragon.
36:36And they were supposed to shoot in Russia
36:38actually.
36:40But as of now and back then
36:42there were complications of shooting in Russia.
36:44And what
36:46Bulgaria offered was very unique.
36:50Russia had left.
36:52But they left
36:54the people here and the army
36:56actually jumped on board on the movie
36:58and they provided tanks and guns
37:00and people.
37:02Which army?
37:04The Bulgarian army provided
37:06guns, tanks.
37:08Overnight they had nothing to do
37:10because the Russians
37:12had left.
37:14And then comes a movie with Dolph Lundgren
37:16and
37:18they jumped on board
37:20in such a way with enthusiasm
37:22and resources
37:24that
37:26after this movie
37:28we committed to five more movies
37:30to speak about.
37:32Now obviously
37:34things have changed and
37:36prices went up.
37:38But that initial welcome
37:40was what caused us
37:42to come here.
37:46I remember
37:48your father was well received
37:50in fashion circles,
37:52sports circles.
37:54I met him a lot.
37:58So your career
38:00in volleyball?
38:02You are a professional athlete.
38:04Which teams?
38:06I played beach.
38:08I played indoors
38:10and I had a choice to make
38:12whether to continue indoors
38:14or to go on the beach.
38:16For volleyball
38:18I'm a little undersized.
38:20So I decided
38:22I'd have more success on the beach
38:24which is more of a
38:26game of chess.
38:28And it's not about
38:30how hard you hit.
38:32It's about hitting whether or not
38:34it's not about how hard you hit.
38:40It's about vision and seeing the court
38:42and putting the ball
38:44where the opponent isn't.
38:48It's a mind game.
38:54You were a guest last week.
38:56You are a sponsor.
39:00I noticed they have a lot of talent.
39:02They are very good beach players.
39:06And like me
39:08they are a little undersized
39:10for the indoor game.
39:12Kouchev
39:14played in Northridge
39:16and he had great records
39:18in the States.
39:20He was the number one ace scorer.
39:22Very good
39:24outside hitter.
39:26And Mekicinski
39:28has a great mind for the game.
39:30Defensively
39:32he just knows how to hit the game.
39:34And every year
39:36I noticed they were one of the top
39:38teams in Bulgaria.
39:42Last year they won the Bulgarian championship.
39:46And this year
39:48I convinced them
39:50to try and focus on the beach.
39:54The first reaction I got
39:56was how are we going to earn money.
40:00And I said it's going to be tough.
40:02But the money earned indoors
40:04is never going to support you
40:06for the rest of your career.
40:10So you're going to have to find sponsors.
40:14But the success you'll have as a result of this
40:16will be much more
40:18rewarding.
40:20And because of your talent
40:22you'll go a lot further
40:24in beach volleyball.
40:28So they put a little bit of trust in me.
40:32And we're working through the process.
40:34I'm going to send them to a camp
40:36in Brazil in January
40:38with a good friend of mine
40:40who's always a professional coach.
40:42He used to play.
40:44He's a very good player.
40:46I used to play with him.
40:48They're going to get the most incredible
40:50beach volleyball experience
40:52they've ever had.
41:00Is it possible for them to go to LA?
41:02After the camp in Brazil
41:04we're going to go for
41:06March Los Angeles
41:08where they're going to spend a month.
41:10They're competing.
41:12I mean Olympic games.
41:14It's like climbing a mountain.
41:16They have the talent.
41:18They need the support
41:20to get there.
41:22I say work meets talent
41:24unless talent works.
41:26Let's hope that
41:28our volleyball federation will help.
41:30Oh, I hope so too.
41:32But we haven't depended on them
41:34and we've decided to go
41:36and crowdfund.
41:38So we have websites
41:40sophiasports.com
41:42where people can help support their journey.
41:44Right.
41:48Can you repeat one more time?
41:50The name of the website?
41:52sophiasports.com
41:58You speak a little bit Bulgarian?
42:00Some days I understand.
42:02Other days I feel like a stranger.
42:06When you haven't had your coffee
42:08you don't understand.
42:14We got very lucky
42:16with the movie called
42:18Hitman's Bodyguard.
42:20And the reason we got lucky
42:22is we had a great actor
42:24called Ryan Reynolds
42:26who when we were filming
42:28we already committed to the actor
42:30and he came out with a movie
42:32called Deadpool
42:34which was a huge success.
42:36But without Deadpool
42:38we wouldn't have made it.
42:40You mean that there are
42:42lucky chances?
42:44Yes, it's a lot of luck.
42:46I think work creates luck.
42:48You have to do the work
42:50because if you don't work
42:52there's no luck.
42:54But if a movie opens
42:56on the wrong weekend
42:58or there's another movie competing
43:00or one of the actors gets in trouble
43:02with the press
43:04or there's another movie competing
43:06or one of the actors gets in trouble
43:08with the press
43:10you never know.
43:12But the idea is
43:14have hope.
43:16It's like a 55 year old
43:18to have a baby.
43:20The definition of hope.
43:22That's it.
43:28Again, a couple of words
43:30on the people you worked with.
43:32What do they want
43:34or the movie stars?
43:40Were they people
43:42that actually wanted to see Bulgaria?
43:46Take me to Borovets for example.
43:48Melnik.
43:50Getting them here is very tough.
43:52But once they're here
43:54they really enjoy it.
43:56When Samuel Jackson was here
43:58he walked around the streets
44:00and he found a local restaurant
44:02and he posted a picture
44:04of the food he ate
44:06and he said
44:08I think they served horse.
44:10He was very excited about that.
44:12And so
44:14once they get here
44:16they actually appreciate it.
44:18They appreciate the professionalism of the crew
44:20and what the city has to offer.
44:24So slowly, slowly
44:26over the years we've convinced
44:28more and more big names
44:30to come here.
44:32And what happens when they come here
44:34they do a little poster
44:36and Bulgaria gets spread
44:38around the world.
44:44I notice a lot of young Bulgarians
44:46leave the country.
44:50They leave it because the base salary is low.
44:54They get a job in Germany
44:56as a taxi driver
44:58for 3,000 euros a month.
45:00They're educated here.
45:02They're smart kids.
45:04They go for the money.
45:06It's fantastic at 21.
45:08At 31
45:10you're still getting 3,000 euros a month
45:12because there's no
45:14up on the taxi driver.
45:16And then you come back here
45:18and you say I need a job.
45:20I need a car.
45:22I'm starting a family.
45:24And then they complain
45:26and well, I've got to start from the beginning.
45:30My advice to these young kids
45:32who are smart
45:34stay here.
45:36Take the lower salary
45:38but find a career
45:40and you can develop it.
45:42Because if you do that
45:44you'll use your mind
45:46and you'll earn a lot more money
45:48than 3,000 euros a month at 31.
45:50But you've got to do the work.
45:53Super.
45:55You're smarter than you actually look.
46:00I think that's an insult.
46:06Have you done
46:08have you made
46:10something like this
46:12going somewhere for more money
46:14because
46:16but when you lose the perspective
46:18have you done something similar?
46:20I've had a lot of opportunities
46:22for money in my life
46:24but I like to make movies
46:26not to make money.
46:28So
46:30I think the money will come and go.
46:32You can't
46:34be dependent on how much money
46:36you had in the lifetime
46:38to show your success.
46:40Your success is based
46:42on what you did in the day
46:44and how many rides you touched
46:46and what you did to make the world
46:48a little bit better.
46:50And this is something I learned
46:52playing indoor volleyball
46:54from a very good coach.
46:56He used to say
46:58leave the van cleaner than you find it.
47:02So we would
47:04go travel to various
47:06events and places to play.
47:08The school would provide
47:10a van
47:12and before we left
47:14we had to clean the van.
47:18So that lesson
47:20stayed with me. Leave the world
47:22better than you find it.
47:24Bravo.
47:28Well done.
47:30Do you wish
47:32to
47:34to interfere
47:36in the work of the director
47:38if you see something
47:40with your own eye
47:42that something is not going well
47:44that this director
47:46can
47:48just spoil the movie?
47:50So many situations I've seen
47:52that but
47:54you have to let people
47:56do the best they can.
47:58If I intervene in a director's
48:00vision it becomes my fault.
48:02Then why do I have a director?
48:06I have to give the director
48:08as much support as I possibly can
48:10and then when he gives me
48:12back his vision
48:14we talk or not talk
48:16or discuss it.
48:18But if you step in front of the director
48:22the crew and the actors
48:24don't know who to listen to.
48:26So a lot of times
48:28you just have to bite your tongue.
48:34It's not easy for you.
48:38Just briefly
48:40what are you filming right now?
48:44What's the movie?
48:46Is it ok to reveal it?
48:48What are you going to film next year?
48:50So next year
48:52we're going to start with another
48:54Film Forge course.
48:56Sorry?
48:58Film Forge. It's our film school.
49:00We have a film school
49:02which will lead into a musical
49:04a little bit of Broadway.
49:06We're going to also get another movie
49:08with Paramount Plus called The Factor.
49:10I can't announce
49:12the stars of The Factor
49:14but it's going to be a big star.
49:16And the movies
49:18that we're filming now
49:20I can't announce the names
49:22because it's a dream.
49:24But one is
49:26supported by Amazon Studios
49:28the other one is
49:30Paramount Plus
49:32and the third one we're doing
49:34this year is a Millennium movie.
49:40How do you see
49:42changes
49:44in the big industry?
49:46The big movie industry?
49:48For example
49:50the mobile operator
49:52A1
49:54they made a sport
49:56is this something
49:58that's going to happen in the movie industry?
50:00Someone with money to come
50:02to do something different?
50:04Constantly changes.
50:06The movie industry is always pushing boundaries.
50:08You know
50:10if you were doing
50:12coat hangers
50:14for clothing
50:16and I say I'm going to give you
50:182 million dollars
50:20to invest
50:22you will dominate
50:24the coat hanger industry.
50:26If I gave you the same
50:28amount in a movie
50:30you'll say it's not enough.
50:32Because
50:34it's never enough.
50:36And it's
50:38a very interesting
50:40dynamic of learning
50:42how to be on time
50:44on schedule
50:46on budget.
50:48So
50:50Bloom is a very
50:52people-oriented business
50:54and people change.
50:56Why aren't you teaching?
50:58Natwiz
51:00New Bulgarian
51:02Natwiz
51:04We have a
51:06thumb for it.
51:10You have this in you.
51:12Yeah, I was a coach
51:14for many years too.
51:16So, yeah
51:18volleyball.
51:20No, cinema.
51:22Because you coach a team
51:24you have a bunch of individuals
51:26with a common cause.
51:28When you make a movie
51:30you have a bunch of individuals
51:32with a common cause.
51:34It's the same process.
51:36Thank you very much.
51:38Was it interesting for you?
51:40Yeah, yeah.
51:42I learned about a new singer.
51:44I was reminded about him in London.
51:46Maritskov.
51:48And I just heard his music for the first time.
51:50And yeah, it's been interesting.
51:52Good luck.
51:54Come to the show
51:56in New Boyana.
51:58They'll raise the money
52:00for the charity auction.
52:14Buy a gun, buy a knife.
52:16You promise?
52:18Yes.
52:22We have to find out if we can sell a gun.
52:24Legally.
52:26But the knife, for sure.
52:32That's Darik.
52:34Charity auction.