“155 years BAS: The Living Spirit of the Creators” is an amateur feature-documentary film created without targeted funding. The author of the film (amateur director, screenwriter, cameraman and editor) is Associate Professor Ina Aneva, scientific secretary of the BAS. All participants participated free of charge and with great dedication to the cause of showing that the spirit of the creators is alive and has been illuminating the path of science in Bulgaria for 155 years.The roles of Mihail Arnaudov, Marin Drinov, Vasil Stoyanov, Vasil Drumev and Vasil Levski are recreated with great feeling Bulgarian scientists in their scientific field: Prof. Petar Zhelev, Prof. Georgi Gadjev, Associate Professor Dimitar Antonov, Associate Professor Svetoslav Georgiev and the student Stoimen Shopov.
The beginning was made with the strong words of Academician Julian Revalski, who introduced the audience to the founding of the Academy as the Bulgarian Literary Society in 1869, nine years before the Liberation of Bulgaria. The film is an inspiring story about the indomitable spirit and dedication of the Bulgarian minds, who over the centuries have built the path to enlightenment and national upliftment. He emphasizes the establishment of the Bulgarian Literary Society, led by the tireless will of patriots, whose spirit remains alive today. It is a story of unyielding faith in enlightenment and science as the basis for the progress of society. In the worst moments of statelessness and crises, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences survived political and historical storms and established itself as a pivot of Bulgarian science, culture and spirituality.
The feature part of the film begins with a narration by Academician Mikhail Arnaudov, who collects and analyzes archival documents about the creation of the Book Society in Braila, revealing the key moments and personalities in the process. The first scene recreates the meeting between Marin Drinov and Vasil Stoyanov in Prague in 1867, when they considered ways to increase education and uplift the spirit of the Bulgarian people. Viewers are introduced to correspondence between Marin Drinov and Nesho Bonchev, which brightly illuminates the purity of their characters and fields of thought in this period. Moments from the correspondence between Vasil Stoyanov and Marin Drinov have been restored, in which they share their dreams and difficulties on the way to creating a sustainable organization.
The film goes through different eras, from the founding of the BAS to the present day, showing the key moments and personalities who contributed to the development of science and statehood in Bulgaria. The documentary part of the film delves into the challenges the Academy has faced in recent years, including the period 2008-2012. Academician Nikola Sabotinov (President of the BAS 2008-2012) shares about the difficulties, the subsequent international audit and the protests that helped save BAS.
The film shows a small part of the work of scientists from various institutes, presented by scientific direction, reveals activities of national significance, mentions the scale of international activity and the recognition that our scientists receive on the world stage. The Academy is very proud of the Center for Training Doctoral Students and the Student Institute of the BAS, which promise that the mission of the creators of the BAS will be continued. The film ends with the inspiring words of Academician Revalski, who looks to the future, full of faith and optimism for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for BAS and Bulgarian science.