The in-Depth Discoveries of the...Outsider

By: Svetlana Dicheva, Bulgarian National Radio

It is not an exception that sometimes foreigners are more sensitive and courageous to point a finger at the painful local problems than the natives. Such is the case of the young Bulgarian documentary film director Christina-Alexander who has been living for many years in Los Angeles. The 1981 year born Bulgarian made her first documentary "Undocumented Citizens" in 1999. It was broadcast by several LA TV channels. In 2003 she began making a series of films about the shady side of life in the city - "LA in the Dark" dedicated to travestites, rappers, escaped prisoners and firemen. The Bulgarian audience had the chance to see the films on one of the national televisions and was impressed by the fresh approach of the young author. The dream of Christina is to come back to Bulgaria one day and to make films about the "Bulgarian Underground", as she puts it. She is one of the many Bulgarians who live abroad but plan to come back to the motherland to thrive as artists applying foreign experience.

Besides her artistic ambitions, Christina has initiated the creation of a student foundation in Los Angeles raising funds for homeless children in Bulgaria. Svetlana Dicheva from the Bulgarian National Radio met the young film director: