Bulgaria Film

Heroes of Shipka was the first solo effort for Soviet director Sergei Vasilyev, who had previously collaborated with his late brother Georgi. As head of the Leningrad Film Studios, Vasilyev was obliged to traffic in propaganda, but he never forgot how to make his material entertaining. The film is set in 1887 during the pivotal battle between the Russians and the Turks at the Shipka Pass. Stressing the solidarity of the Soviet states, tribute is paid to the courageous Bulgarian volunteers who helped the Russians fend off their mutual enemy. American critics were impressed by Heroes of Shipka, but felt that the film would have been twice as effective had it been lensed in Cinemascope rather than "standard aspect."

The film is in 3 parts: 1) 'Eden' - Aliens from the planet Rhea have flown with a damaged spaceship to Earth, looking for intelligent beings. They find apemen and take one of them into their ship. 2) 'The Wanderer' - A crime writer, who is travelling to see his dying friend, picks up a strange hitchhiker. On his return from the sanatorium, his car goes off the road, but the stranger lifts it into the air and lands it back on the highway. Then he goes to the writer's house and shows him his supernatural abilities. 3) 'My First Day' - Len, an alien traveler arrives on Earth to share with humans the knowledge of their ancient civilization. He meets its inhabitants, who are served by robots and travel back in time, because their life is boring and meaningless. Every day his hostess Lena visits an ancient Slavic settlement and monitors its inhabitants. One day she appears before the hunter Bayan, who has been captivated by her beauty and takes her into his hut.

Two young men decide to migrate to the big city. While on the road, they start considering the ways of life through the relationships in the society.

Having remained alone in his village house, old Gatyo must move in with his son and daughter-in-law in their flat in the city. They receive him with great understanding and sympathy but cannot find the key to his heart. Torn out of his natural environment and left bewilderingly rootless, this good man cannot adapt himself to the urban way of life. He does not like the mayonnaise he is offered, does not know how to use the lift. The people hurrying in the streets seem to him indifferent, and some even sly and deceitful. He sees the city as a place full of hostile people and inanimate objects. He badly misses the warm human touch of his village. Death is the only possible solution to the tragic conflict of this peasant, crucified between the archaic and the modern, and unable to adapt to the urban lifestyle.

In a small provincial town, an young local artist exhibits his works. One of the paintings, depicting a fairy dance of naked women, provoke the people which discover similarities with a certain lady from the neighbourhood.

Andrey, former police officer is trying to find who is responsible for his false accusation and imprisonment.

The charming young man Ran is a director in a school in his hometown. His classmate Mariana is his wife. At the first glance, things are like, as they ought to be. In the world of untold words and timid gestures something important is missing - the understanding. He cannot succumb to the routine, hypocrisy and egoism. Ran sees every moment of his everyday life as a part of everlasting human strive for beauty and perfection, which brings him many troubles and causes conflicts with his colleagues and his friends. The intrigues and betrayal of a part of his colleagues during the visitation of a school inspector make him lose his patience. On a public place, he slaps the inspector who destroys the human dignity of the others. There is a court against Ran. He must leave the school. He leaves his wife Mariana who does not understand him. These misfortunes do not stop his search for real values, real work, real love, in another place, another town, another school.

There are essentially two types of people: those who think with their stomachs, and those who think with their hearts.

Sashko and Tanya are two lovers who want to go on a holiday at the seaside. In order to earn money, Sasho starts working in a brigade digging a well in the yard of Chief Krumov's villa. The workers accidentally discover the remains of human skeletons, a tin ring and several buttons, most likely belonging to participants in the September Uprising of 1923. To avoid complications, everyone decides to keep quiet. However, Sashko decides to break his silence and tell the truth, for which he pays with his life.

The wealthy Yurtalana is the undisputed master of his family. His older son Stoyko marries a poor girl - Sevda. On the wedding day, Stoyko tells her a dark family secret...