Lights, Camera... What Is Next for the Film Major

Correction: In this article, originally published on February 18, it is being implied that the internship in Nu Boyana Studios is a new addition for AUBG students. Professor Homer stated that the internships already exist and in the catalogue, they have been in place for a couple of years. There have already been students undertaking internships at Nu Boyana. The negotiations are to increase the number of students that can take an internship at any one time.

 

The Film and Creative Media Major at AUBG was officially announced back in Spring ‘25. One year later, students and faculty shared their views on its future.

 

Prof. Sean Homer, last semester’s Chair of the Film Department at AUBG, reflected on the ideas considered before the introduction of the program. 

 

One suggestion was to rent a studio space in Sofia. “I think we are coming to the realization that, actually, this is not necessarily the priority,” Prof. Homer stated. 

 

The reason being that most of the studios currently in use are TV studios. These are different from the necessary film studios.

 

Another option Prof. Homer explored was to use SWU's studio. However, when speaking to his colleagues there, “they informed me that actually their studio is a TV studio, it is not a film studio,” he said. 

 

A substitute for this opportunity may potentially come from an unpaid summer internship. Prof. Homer is currently in talks with Nu Boyana Film Studios in Sofia with the aim of providing students with the chance to receive practical experience on the filming set.

 

“This really depends on a firm commitment from the students who want to do an internship,” Prof. Homer said. 

 

Kristiyana Kiranska, the Student Representative for the Literature, Theater, and Film Department, shared her expectations of the potential internship in Nu Boyana Film Studios. “We can observe how professionals are doing their work, and we can learn tips and tricks on the ground,” she remarked.

 

Hristo Gemedzhiev, a third-year student enrolled in the Film major, commented on the timing of the internship negotiations, considering other summer plans that students might have. “It would certainly come kind of late in the timeline,” he shared.

 

According to the Registrar’s Office, currently a total of nine students are enrolled in the Film major. Kristiyana stated that there are around five people available for the aforementioned summer internship. 

 

Another prospective addition for the future of the Film major is a course in Acting for Film, instructed by Prof. Nedyalko Delchev. The current plan is to introduce it for the Fall ‘26 semester.

 

Speaking of courses, Kristiyana mentioned that some students experienced difficulties with planning their registration for Film major courses. This occurred because the Directing Part I course is available in the spring, while certain students did not manage to sign up for its prerequisite Film Production which is offered in the fall semester only.

 

 

Hristo shared a potential hardship for students enrolled in both the Film and Journalism and Mass Communication majors. “I need to sit to figure out what falls under JMC and what falls under Film, because I am doing those two majors,” he said.

 

The reason for this issue is that the same courses fall under the category of both major programs. Similarly, the Political Science and International Relations and the European Studies majors share many courses between each other.

 

Prof. Homer said that a higher enrollment is expected for Film courses in the future. “Every student who is making a film should be signing up for those filmmaking courses,” he stated.

 

Another important aspect of the Film major is the equipment necessary for filmmaking. “We are getting some more equipment this semester, so this is an ongoing process,” Prof. Homer commented.

 

Kristiyana stated that, at the moment, students have two high-quality cameras, lighting equipment, tripods, and lenses at their disposal.

 

Prof. Ezra Winton, an instructor for courses part of the Film major, reflected on the process of obtaining equipment. “I've worked at four different universities, and it takes time to get things done, for things to go through budget,” he said.

 

Prof. Winton shared his current personal plan is “to keep asking the university to support the major through helping us find space, hire more faculty, and purchase more equipment.”

 

Prof. Homer highlighted that the faculty members involved in the major are not expected to change for now. “The current lineup is going to remain for the foreseeable future,” he said.

 

The faculty has invested effort in spreading the word about the Film major. Last semester, a screening with the director of the movie Avant-Drag! was organized in the BAC Auditorium. However, few students showed up.

 

Prof. Winton highlighted a potential reason why few students came to the aforementioned event. “It [AUBG] is a relatively small campus population with an outsized amount of activities going on and events,” he said.

 

Despite the low turn out, more future events are in the making, including screenings and visits by filmmakers. Prof. Homer shared that Prof. Slava Doytcheva is planning to organize a screening of the students’ projects in the Filmmaking course later in the Spring.

 

Prof. Winton said that he will soon announce to the community a visit by an experienced filmmaker, Jason O’Hara, who will come to campus on April 8. The film director has practiced guerrilla filmmaking, which has often placed him under difficult circumstances.

 

Kristiyana's advice to students is to try out the courses in the Film and Creative Media major if they are interested. She explained that it is broad and can expand students’ knowledge in various areas such as editing, screenwriting, and theater.

 

Edited by: Kaloyan Ivanov and Vasil Paskov

 

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