On July 17, 2026, NATFA received an official letter from Assoc. Prof. Manuel José Damasio, Chief Coordinator of the European University Alliance FilmEU, questioning the Academy's future membership in the Alliance. The letter outlines specific requests to the rector of NATFA, Prof. Miroslav Dachev, and sets a deadline of seven working days for a response.
The coordinator is categorical that the problem is not with the NATFA team working on the project:
“Our concerns do not stem directly from the level of commitment and performance of the NATFA team [...] Our concerns stem directly from the fact that this operational commitment is not accompanied by the necessary strategic and institutional commitment from the top management of NATFA."
By “institutional commitment from the top management of NATFA” the personal participation of the rector himself is clearly meant.
According to the letter of the coordinator Assoc. Prof. Damasio, FilmEU has repeatedly and over a long period invited the rector of NATFA to a direct institutional dialogue, but without result. Invitations were made related to the FilmEU Summit, a meeting of the Council of Rectors and Presidents (Leadership Council), as well as a proposal for a meeting in Sofia, for which the coordinator explicitly states that he was ready to travel personally. Separately, an invitation was sent directly to the Rector for the meeting of the Council of Rectors and Presidents in Brussels on June 22, 2026. Despite all this, the requested direct dialogue never took place, and most of these invitations remained without an official response from NATFA.
„The FilmEU coordinator and the Alliance leadership have repeatedly and for a long period tried to establish a direct institutional dialogue with you, in your capacity as Rector of NATFA. [...] However, the requested direct dialogue did not take place and most of these requests remained without an official response." is written in the letter from Assoc. Prof. Damasio.
The Coordinator warns that the issue can no longer be postponed and that a phased withdrawal of NATFA from the Alliance will begin if trust is not restored.
The rector's response bypasses this very issue. Instead of commenting on the Academy's future participation in the Alliance, he confirms the implementation of the current project
FILM EU +.
„NATFFA confirms its full institutional support for the implementation of the current project FilmEU+ and confirms its commitment to fulfill all obligations arising from the existing Project Agreement." – writes the rector in his official response.
For context: FilmEU is a long-term European university alliance, and FilmEU+ is a specific, time-limited project under the “Erasmus+” program, financing part of the
activities of the Alliance. It is the mixing of these two things that is at the heart of the disagreement between the two parties.
Regarding institutional representation, the rector announced that a decision will be made by the General Assembly only in October, and until then the Academy will be represented not by him, but by the vice-rector and the dean of the faculty “Screen Arts”.
“NATFIZ will continue to be represented on issues related to FilmEU by the appointed vice-rector – Prof. Trencheva, and by the dean of the faculty “Screen Arts” – Assoc. Prof. Tsvetkova."
However, the official letter received by FilmEU explicitly emphasizes that the appointment of a representative cannot replace the personal commitment of the rector:
„The appointment of a vice-rector or other representative to participate in the operational work of FilmEU is important and fully respected. However, it cannot replace the commitment of the Rector on issues affecting the long-term institutional position of NATFA [...] These are not issues on which the project team can make decisions on behalf of the institution without the active participation of its senior management."
The coordinator also raises the issue of the growing dissatisfaction among students and faculty, for which the Academy only responds that its internal governance is a matter of university autonomy – without prejudice to the substantive concerns.
FilmEU summarises the dispute as follows:
“The question before us [...] is whether NATFA, as an institution, represented by its Rector, remains ready and able to fully participate in the transformational goals, strategic management and long-term mission and commitments of the Alliance."
What FilmEU wants
The Coordinator has requested within seven working days:
1. Personal meeting with the Rector and representatives of the Council of Rectors and Presidents – The response does not contain any confirmation, refusal or even comment on this request. The Rector simply does not state whether he will personally participate in such a meeting.
2. Written position on how the management will engage strategically with the Alliance – Instead of a strategic position, the letter reiterates that NATFA “confirms its full institutional support for the implementation of the current FilmEU+ project” and that the teams will continue to carry out the activities. This is a confirmation of operational work on the project, and not an answer to the question about the strategic management of the Alliance, which FilmEU explicitly raised.
3. A specific plan with institutional commitments for the next phase – Such a plan is completely missing. The only thing related to the future is the announcement that the issue of representation will be considered by the General Assembly “in early October 2026” ” that is, a decision is postponed, not a plan is proposed.
4. Transparent communication with students and faculty – The response does not address the concerns of the academic community in substance. Instead, the Rector notes “with concern” that public statements were made before there was any official institutional clarification, and refers the issue to the “internal procedures and official institutional correspondence” of the Academy.
5. Confirmation that the project team will receive support and will not be subjected to pressure – Not specifically addressed.
6. Explanation of how the trust of the academic community will be restored – Not addressed. The only thing that is said on the subject of internal governance is that these issues “fall exclusively within the competence of the governing bodies of NATFA, in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Bulgaria and the principles of university autonomy” – a reference to autonomy, not an answer to the question of trust.
Of the six specific requests of the coordinator, the rector's letter does not directly respond to any of them. It confirms the implementation of the FilmEU+ project, notes a procedural timetable (the General Assembly in October) and refers to university autonomy – but does not contain a personal commitment to a meeting, a strategic plan, a communication plan towards students, nor guarantees against pressure on the project team.
The two parties answer different questions. FilmEU asks whether the rector and the senior management of NATFA are ready to make a strategic commitment to the future of the Alliance. The rector is only responsible for the implementation of the current project and delegates the representation to someone else.
We remind you that the problems related to the participation of NATFA in the “Film EU” alliance were the initial reason for the mass dissatisfaction among students and teachers
to the management of the rector – Prof. Miroslav Dachev. In recent weeks, accusations of repression, institutional incompetence and avoidance of direct dialogue with the academic community have been raised against his leadership. The protesters are categorical that trust in the leadership has
been irretrievably lost and the only way out of the situation is the resignation of the rector Prof. Miroslav Dachev.
Detailed information on what is happening at NATFA can be found at: kinematograf.bg/natfiz