Stiliyan Ivanov
Stiliyan Ivanov is a Bulgarian film director, writer, and astrologer. He has directed over 63 documentaries and written eight books about history, culture, and philosophy.
He has directed films about global cultural sites and traditions around the world, including the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, the traditions of Shamans in Canada, the Sufi traditions in Iran, the ancient world in Mesopotamia, and the history of Anatolia, Turkey.
His work has been recognized with international awards and is kept in Bulgarian national libraries as educational material.
He is a member of the Union of Bulgarian Journalists. He co-owns the production company DodoFilm, where he teaches documentary filmmaking and internet television. He has also led journalism masterclasses at the Moscow State University branch in Sevastopol and Bulgarian school in Istanbul.
In 2009, he founded Tv Art, a television and web platform focused to culture, tourism and the arts.
Education
He graduated with a gold medal from the National Gymnasium of Natural Sciences and Mathematics “Academician Lyubomir Chakalov” in Sofia. In 1994, he graduated from the directing department at the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in the class of Prof. Hacho Boyadzhiev.Career
Ivanov is the author of 63 documentaries, including "Vanga" 1996, “Emil Dimitrov - Love, Glory and Loneliness” 2001, "For Dogs and for People" 2002, "The Truth about Orpheus" 2007, "The Thracians" 2008, "The Dervishes, Mystics of the East" 2013, the tetralogy "Confession" 2020-2024, "The Centaurs" 2025.Ivanov began his career at Bulgarian National Television while still a student, making biographical documentaries on notable figures like the prophet Vanga and pop icon Lily Ivanova.
In the early 2000s, he moved into private media as the managing director of Balkan Bulgarian Television. During this period, he produced several television programs, including Naked News for Msat, and documentaries, including the documentary of his academy teacher - filmmaker Hacho Boyatzhiev.
In 2011, an initiative committee released on DVD Ivanov's documentaries,,,,, and sent copies to all regional libraries in Bulgaria.
In 2019, a panorama of Ivanov's work was presented in Varna at the Festival & Congress Centre. This was followed by a similar showcase in Sandanski in 2024, featuring a selection of his documentaries.
A selection of world premieres of his films:
- The Hague: "The Path of Human Civilization"
- Munich: "Aseman - the heaven in Me"
- Moscow: "The Truth about Orpheus" and "The Thracians"
- Istanbul: "Orpheus and the Golden Fleece" and "Aseman Heaven within me"
- Athens: "Beyond the Pain" and "Confession with Love and Pain"
- Toronto, Montreal, Quebec city, Ottawa: "Vanga", "Emil Dimitrov", The trilogy "The Thracians", "Orpheus" and "The Music", "The Healer" and "Lighthouse for Souls"