Logline: An orphan painter from Bulgaria dreaming for adventures volunteers for a newly opened exchange program with China where he falls in love with a princess in communist time when a marriage with foreigner is considered treason.
Premise: This is an enchanting modern tale of the power of love, based on a true story. Mid 50s of 20th century. A young orphan from Bulgaria with visionary artistic skills goes to an exchange student program to Communist China only to fall in love with beautiful aristocrat. Their forbidden love bonds them in a way that will challenge the rules of modern art and the Communist system. This is the story of life, struggles and success of world-renowned tapestry master Marin Varbanov and princess Sun Huai Qui.
Tagline: Don’t seek fame. Love will make you famous.
SEMPERIA FILMS MORE INFORMATION
Producer Statement: “The Muse of Infinity”
The story of the Bulgarian artist Marin Varbanov and a Chinese Princess is a true modern tale of love, worth telling to the world. It is not since the last few years articles and reports are being written about the inspiring love between the tapestry master born in a small Bulgarian village Marin Varbanov and his aristocratic wife – Sun Huai Qui. There is no feature movie yet on the subject.
Semperia Films is a Bulgarian production company, founded by filmmakers Eleni Dekidis and Katerina Borisova. Our mission is to tell inspiring stories that encourage the spirit, the beauty and the goodness in people all over the world.
We produce different artists and genres though our main focus is on original tales, adaptations and contemporary interpretations of traditional stories. That is why the untold story of Marin Varbanov attracted our attention.
Moreover, the story contains a strong female character. As women filmmakers we also seek to work on themes either with interesting female characters or on significant social topics concerning women. A catalyst in our actions to start the project now is the fact that we contacted the niece of the famous artist who also turned to be a filmmaker. Now, with our forces combined we are in development phase and looking for co-producers from Asia.
We believe both main characters are of great national value for their countries of origin – Bulgaria and China and that the film would find significant amount of viewers at international level because it gravitates around the eternal theme of the power of love that knows no boundaries (physical or artistical).
The project is a challenging one and we dare to dream big. As big as the main characters of the film. The action takes place in different countries: Bulgaria, China, France as it follows major events from the life of Marin and Sun. This is why we are looking for co-production with China and France. We believe that mixing the different cultures is a must and will create a memorable vision of the project. The genre is a modern tale, drama with historical elements, and the film will be suitable for a worldwide audience and a wide age range.
The true story behind the concept
Marin’s life was not easy. He was born in at the beginning of the 20th century in a small Bulgarian town. His parents died early and he was adopted, separated from his other 3 brothers. His dream to study at the Academy of Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria came true. One day, an exchange program with China was opened and he was the only one willing to go and study to the distant country. His encounter with a girl of aristocratic origin destined his life. Of course, it was Sun. The love between them was at first sight, but according to the laws of that time, it was doomed and impossible. For a long time, the lovers met in secret, and young Sun, a descendant of an ancient dynasty, brave and proud, managed to change the laws of Communist China and to marry the foreigner of no title – Marin. Her unbreakable spirit remained eternal support for Marin during their whole life.
Marin Varbanov has reached his career peak, pioneering a new style – the 3D tapestry. He was driven by talent, effort and perseverance, but most of all he unleashes his potential thanks to the love of his wife and mother of his children – Sun. An extraordinary woman, Sun was also an artist and entrepreneur who discovered the uniqueness in Marin’s work and transformed it into a world famous modern art trend. Today, a department at the Chinese Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing is named after Marin Varbanov.
