AUBGenesis Documentary Project

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AUBGenesis Documentary Project

Support the AUBGenesis Documentary Project and Make History at AUBG!

What is the AUBGenesis Documentary Project all about?

The AUBGenesis Documentary Project is a multimedia initiative in commemoration of AUBG’s 30th anniversary. It aims to record, preserve and present to the general public the history of AUBG’s inception, and relate it to today’s impact of the institution on the region and worldwide. The produced content would appeal not only to the broad public but also to journalists and historians as a one-stop source of research on the volatile and impactful period and its key figures.

The project consists of two main components:

  • A feature-length (60 – 90 mins.) documentary;
  • Several shorter movies narrating the amazing stories of the people who played an active part in the University’s establishment.

Why AUBG?

AUBG is a unique institution that brings together bright academic minds from across the globe and talented students from the Balkans and the former Soviet Bloc to promote top-class higher education and advance Western democratic values. The idea to establish a US academic institution in this war-torn region crippled by the devastating effects of Communism dates back to the late 1980s. Back then, a group of visionaries, among whom financier and philanthropist George Soros, representatives of the US Embassy in Bulgaria, USAID officials, and many more, went against all odds to make what appeared as an impossible dream come true.

Why now?

On the eve of its 30th anniversary, AUBG has graduated over 5,000 students, who share a commitment to the critical elements of its mission to promote democratic values and have taken critical leadership positions in government, civil service, and non-governmental structures. They are also some of the most successful and accomplished executives and entrepreneurs in the region, bringing the benefits of their education to society at large and their individual lives.

How to join?

Join us in supporting the AUBGenesis Documentary Project and showcasing to the world the remarkable history of the American University in Bulgaria!

This historic endeavor, however, requires considerable investment. Therefore, we turn to you with an appeal to support us in funding the project and transmitting the highest values and ideas of AUBG to as many people as possible. Let us all join forces in spreading the mission of AUBG across the world!

Giving Opportunities

Learn how to become a part of the AUBGenesis Documentary Project. For more information click here. 

Thank you for your generosity!

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When I was approached to make a documentary on the inception of AUBG, I was thrilled, intrigued and honored – in that order. It’s a story of mystery, inspiration, and insight. We were excited about the first Internet, the first theatre production, the first commercial radio station, the things that were happening to us that were shaping us. At the same time, literally next door in the same building, a geopolitical fight was going on that would shape the society that we live in today. That’s the story I want to tell. These are the questions I want to ask in this film. How did AUBG come to be, how it almost wasn’t, how it survived? Can one person change the course of history? Can two? Who were those two persons? And did it happen at a chance meeting in a hotel in the center of Sofia? This film’s happy ending is that AUBG is a success story. Let’s make a document of how it began.

~Georgi “Starche” Iliev (‘96), Executive Producer

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