Chernobyl documentary about Bulgaria opens in cinemas nationwide
'Chronicles of the Inconvenient Truth' examines how Bulgarians were informed about radiation in 1986. The film has been showing nationwide since Oct. 16.
Symbolic image · Photo: Ivano Giambattista / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (cropped and resized)
The Bulgarian documentary 'Хроники за неудобната истина' (roughly 'Chronicles of the Inconvenient Truth') has been showing in cinemas across the country since Oct. 16, the BTA news agency reports. The film traces how, after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, information about radiation levels in Bulgaria was gathered, interpreted and presented to the public. It draws on archive material, documents, eyewitness accounts and expert assessments.
Chernobyl is presented not only as a historical and technological event but as an example of the relationship between expert knowledge, institutional power, political decisions and public access to information. The film also questions the role of institutions, science and journalism.
The official premiere took place last Sunday in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia – in front of more than 2,500 viewers, according to the film's team. Before that, the film toured Kozloduy, Ruse, Haskovo, Stara Zagora, Plovdiv, Varna and Sofia; according to the organisers, it was among the most-watched titles of the week with 4,423 viewers. The team also plans screenings and discussions at schools and universities.