14-03-2017

OBITUARY: Bulgarian Scriptwriter Georgi Danailov

By
    Georgi Danailov Georgi Danailov

    SOFIA: Respected Bulgarian screenwriter and playwright Georgi Danailov passed away at the age of 81. He was one of the most loved Bulgarian writers for cinema.

    Danailov was born in Sofia in 1936. He graduated for Chemistry and Physics at the Sofia University in 1958 and for over a decade was one of the leading scientists in the Sofia-based Chemistry Institute. He also started publishing articles both as a researcher and a publicist. In 1976 he moved to the “Tear and Laughter” Drama Theatre and his plays, including The End Is Left to You (1975), The Judge and the Yellow Rose (1977), The Autumn of an Investigator (1980), Thessalonica conspirators (1983), Mr. Balkanski (1985) etc., became very popular among the audience.

    Nineteen films, 14 of which produced by the ex-state owned Boyana Kinocenter studios, were based on Danailov’s scripts, including Ivanka Grabcheva’s Children Play Out (1973), Surgeons (1977), and Carnival (1990). Together with his close friend Ranguel Valchanov, Danailov made three highly estimated eccentric comedies Where Are You Traveling? (1986), Which Way Now? (1988) and Which Way Today (2007). He also worked in a close collaboration with eminent director Georgi Djulgerov, with whom he co-wrote the script of The Camp (1990).

    Films based on Danailov’s scripts were awarded in Cannes, Moscow, San Sebastian and at many other international festivals. Most of his books and plays were translated into German, Russian, Armenian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Czech and other languages.

    Georgi Danailov passed away on 8 March 2017.