On how crucial patience can be
The second interview from the new series: FemGems in the Arts, featuring film producer Veselka Kiryakova.
The young and talented Veselka Kiryakova is only 30 years old, but she has already made a name for herself as the lead producer of Red Carpet Productions and also the Film Editor of some of their successful projects. Speaking to her reminds me of clear and calm water that constantly hollows out the stones around it with great patience and modesty.
Her filmography includes some of the most successful Bulgarian films in the last few years, notably Alienation (2013) and Aga (2018) by Milko Lazarov, which are examples of pure European Arthouse. She is also a co-producer for Glory (2016) by Petar Valchanov and Kristina Grozeva. They all have been selected for prestigious Class A international festivals, such as the Venice Film Festival, Berlinale, Locarno and San Sebastian.
Recently, Red Carpet Productions finished a TV mini-series for Bulgarian National Television called “The Island of the Blue Birds” and are currently working on director, Pavel Vesnakov’s second feature film. Also in development is the idea for Milko Lazrov’s third fiction film and several other projects, among which some international co-productions.
What made you pursue a career in the Arts?
My aunt worked in the National Theatre in Sofia. When we were kids, together with my older sister we loved to watch the spectators and to spend some time backstage. We immediately fell in love with the magical atmosphere there. At that time they had some workshops for children and we enrolled in one, where we were tutored by Dimitar and Angel Elenovi. We’ve even participated in a theatre show called “The Cuckoo”. So it was only natural that later on we chose to work in the film and theatre fields.
Why did you choose to study Film Editing?
Film editing fits my personality well. I’m very calm and I have the needed patience.
It is a very interesting process that requires precision, devotion and a lot of time. The forming of a film is a really long journey.
What made you switch from editing to film producing?
I worked with Milko Lazarov on his first feature “Alienation”. At some point the executive producer Hristo Jivkov set out on another professional path abroad and Milko asked me to take over the management of the company and the communication with festivals. By this time we already had received some invitations from major international film festivals like Venice. After “Alienation”, we immediately started working on “Aga”, so there wasn’t a way back. I was in.
What did you have to change and adjust in yourself in order to make that professional transition?
I never thought too much about it. It just happened. I think editing and producing have many things in common, because in both cases you must take special care of the film, to give it all it needs.
I definitely had to overcome my shyness. I still work on that, but when the film and your team (and the team could be quite big) depend on you — you have no choice. You have to clench your teeth and jump into the unknown.
What was the most exciting thing in that profession that made you want to stick to it?
It is really exciting that as a producer I can be a decisive part in the whole process of the film creation — from the initial idea through the scriptwriting phase right until the very end — the meeting of the film with the audience.
Which aspects of the job are the most challenging and demanding?
If it’s done properly and with a sense of duty, film producing means really hard work for a great period of time.
We worked on “Aga” for five years, day in and day out. We filled literally hundreds of applications for forums and funds, we wrote thousands of emails to potential partners from all around the world, we’ve been to thousands of meetings with different people… We had to make deals, big decisions…
I was learning as we go along the process. I wasn’t prepared beforehand, but I’ve found the strength to cope with all that.
Thankfully Milko Lazarov was all the way beside me and helped me a lot.
How would you describe your journey from “Alienation” to “Aga”, which includes different other projects for the Bulgarian National Television, such as the reading format in “The Manuscript” and the TV mini-series for kids “The Island of the Blue Birds”?
My first producing task for “Alienation” was to manage the festival correspondence, which was totally new for me. That gave me the opportunity to make some important contacts with different colleagues from around Europe. But as the editor of the film, I also took part in the artistic process. In the case of “Aga” I was involved in everything from the very beginning. While I was carrying on the correspondence with our co-producers in France and Germany and executive producers in Yakutia and coordinating the whole complicated process, I also had to be aware of what is happening on set, if we have all the shots needed for the editing etc. While we were searching for additional funding for “Aga”, we made “The Manuscript”. The work on this project taught me to be super precise with the documentation and paperwork, which is something of great importance in this field. That experience was quite helpful. Then we made the mini-series where we had to work mainly with kids. It was a very difficult and responsible project. It is currently being broadcasted on the National Television.
Maybe I’m talking too much about the working process, but that’s because there is certainly a lot of work. The truth is that when it’s over and the film is ready, you feel totally exhausted, but also absolutely pleased, because you made it happen. And the more you give in the process, the more you get in the end.
Red Carpet has a very strong creative main team — yourself, as a leading producer and editor, the director and producer Milko Lazarov, the scriptwriter Simeon Ventsislavov and the Director of Photography Kaloyan Bozhilov. How did you manage to create such a strong team and what does it take to support it?
Our team has a very strong leader — Milko Lazarov. In all of these years of working together we’ve created a very strong bond between us. It sounds a bit cliché, but it’s really true — we are like a big family.
How do you feel about your personal role in the team?
I’m the “mother computer” in our family. I love to take care of all of them.
Different film directors or scriptwriters often propose their projects to you. How do you choose your projects and do you identify fully with everything you work on?
The subject matter of the project is of great importance for the decision. Also very important for me is if we share a similar way of looking at things with the author. These are the fundamentals.
When does your work bring you most pleasure?
On every different stage of the process. Every project has its moments of difficulty and then things are put in order. That brings satisfaction. Then, of course, new obstacles are arising and you need to handle them. It’s a never-ending process of coping with problematic situations. But the weirdest thing is that the ending of every project brings me sadness. It’s kind of a relief, but it’s sad, because that was it… and it’s over.
What can inspire and motivate you?
Lately, I feel very demotivated by the Bulgarian Film Society. I don’t like the current situation and the direction in which our cinema goes and I’m really worried about that. What could be really motivating for me is to work on meaningful projects. Projects that are dealing with important subject matters. Projects that provoke the audience to get out of their comfort zone. I really don’t like the industry of fast and foolish entertainment.
Do you like taking risks or do you carefully plan your decisions and actions?
Generally, I’m not a risk-taking person, but there are many situations in my work in which I have to act fast, so I don’t have the time to think twice. I move according to my intuition, but sometimes I have some hesitations.
How do you deal with those hesitations and fears?
With patience.
What is important for you in arts?
To create artworks that can touch the audience and make them think.
And what is important in life?
We must love and respect each other. I believe in the formula 1+1 = 1
This portray is the second of the brand new FemGems in the Arts series, proudly part of FemGems, whose mission is to foster female entrepreneurship.
Subscribe to our museletter right here to get new episode and article alerts! Share this article and give it 50 claps, so other people can get inspired!
Oh, and if you’d love daily motivation to keep you pumped and on track, you will find it on the FemGems instagram channel.
