Our crews deserve a lot of credit for the personal sacrifices they made to keep everyone safe in the fluid environment of 2021, says Nu Boyana CEO.

In the first days of the new year at Nu Boyana Film Studios we are already prepping the upcoming productions. One can see crew members saying Happy New Year to each other while waiting on the line to take their regular COVID-19 tests, or later during lunchtime at the cosy cafeteria (Kino Cafe). 2022 promises to be another challenging year for them but they all seem determined to work with devotion and adapt on the go as the situation demands.

The Kino Cafe is also the place where Nu Boyana CEO Yariv Lerner often holds his meetings. Closer to the employees and the crew. Yariv starts the year already busy, producing several projects that will shoot partially in Bulgaria, in Greece or in other places around Europe, as well as handling the postproduction of the films shot in 2021. 

We stop for a quick chat with him to reflect on the most important things at the studios from the past year.

Yariv, how many projects were we able to service this year at Nu Boyana?

We serviced 14 films and over 200 commercials. A lot of credit to our in-house production team B2Y and the leadership of Alex Kenanov who took each obstacle as an opportunity rather than a tragedy.

Which was the most challenging work decision you took?

We had a lot of disagreements throughout the year both internal and externally. At times your ego flares up and you end up wanting to win the battle knowing that you will lose the war. The challenge (and it is a daily one) is to put aside your own pride and look for the greater good. 

What was the best achievement for the film industry in Bulgaria?

This year we had the good news that the film rebate law was finally passed. It’s been a 15-year struggle to get it through, and with the realization that the film industry is about to collapse, all the parties put aside their differences, and agreed that this is a good thing for the industry as a whole. 

Tell us one of your New Year’s resolutions as a CEO?

To reopen Film Forge (The Nu Boyana center for vocational training)

Which are the 3 best things about Nu Boyana?

I believe we are a family here, so when the going gets tough, we bond together. Our crews deserve a lot of credit for the personal sacrifices they have made in order to keep working and keep everyone safe in a very fluid situation. 

We have state-of-the-art equipment and continue to reinvest in keeping current with what the client needs. 

We also love what we do and when you love what you do it’s not work.