Desislava Tenekedzhieva

Desislava Tenekedzhieva — Dessy Tenekedjieva professionally — was born in Varna in 1971, made her first film at fourteen and studied at the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia. Her screen credits include Ermanno Olmi's Il mestiere delle armi, chosen for Cannes, and Eyes of Crystal, shown at Venice; her work runs across Bulgarian and international cinema, television and the stage, and she sings as well as acts. In 2000 she founded the production company NOVA Film. She is president of the Stoyan Kambarev Foundation, set up in memory of the theatre director to find and support young artists in every discipline. Her producing has gone on through Black Sea Film as well as Nova Film, and includes Devil's Play, directed by Ben Charles Edwards, whose original idea she developed with Edwards. The foundation, begun in 2008, added its 355 Film Award in 2019. Her Christmas programme Desi Tenekedzhieva and Friends was advertised for 27 December 2012 at the opera house in Ruse, with the Rousse Philharmonic Orchestra and guest singer Bogomil.