Bulgaria

[BG] The Legal Framework of the National Film Centre

IRIS 2004-6:1/35

Rayna Nikolova

New Bulgarian University

The legal framework establishing the National Film Centre (NFC) comprises the Film Industry Act (State Gazette issue 105 dated 2 December 2003; see IRIS 2004-1: Extra); the Regulation No 97 of the Council of Ministers dated 13 May 2004 on the restructuring of the NFC from a department at the Ministry of Culture to an “Executive Agency NFC” to the Minister of Culture and for the adoption of the Internal Regulations of the Executive Agency NFC (State Gazette issue 42 dated 21 May 2004) and the Regulation No 104 of the Council of Ministers dated 25 May 2004 on the adoption of the Tariff on the Fees Collected by the Executive Agency NFC under the Film Industry Act (State Gazette issue 48 dated 4 June 2004). The competence of the Executive Agency NFC (“Agency”) includes inter alia :

- Supporting the creation, distribution and exhibition of Bulgarian films in Bulgaria and abroad;

- Co-operation with other countries’ similar organisations, funds and programmes of the Council of Europe and the European Union;

- Organising and supporting festivals, programmes and reviews of Bulgarian and foreign films and promotion of Bulgarian films abroad;

- Contributing to the protection of copyrights and related rights;

- Performing other functions related to the implementation and observation of the Act or assigned by the Minister of Culture;

- Supporting the activities of the Media Bureau - Bulgaria.

In each annual state budget the following provisions should be made:

- A subsidy to the Agency, the yearly amount of which should not be less than the total of the average budgets for the previous year of seven feature films, 14 full-length documentaries and 160 minutes animation;

- Means for membership fees in international organisations, funds and programmes, to which Bulgaria is a member; and

- Means for the maintenance of the Agency.

The Agency is managed and represented by an Executive Director who is appointed by the Minister of Culture after holding a contest for a 5-year term of office. The Executive Director shall among other things manage the performance of the functions and targets of the Agency and its relations with other authorities and represent the Agency.

The following bodies have been established with the Executive Director:

- National Film Council;

- National Creative Committee;

- National Film Rating Committee;

- National Technical Committee; and

- Financial Committee.

The Agency also administers the revenues, as e.g. taxes collected under the Film Industry Act and fines and penalty payments under Film Industry Act.