In 2007, the BBC documentary Abandoned Children in Bulgaria sparked an international outcry for its shocking images of being neglected in a country that had just joined the European Union. Viewers were emotional and angry as they watched Bulgarian children being abused and dying before their eyes after being abandoned by their parents with some form of disability.
After the film aired, MEPs and ministers from across Europe visited Bulgaria to demand change, learn about other institutions and donate money to kick-start the process of change and deinstitutionalization in a country plagued by the legacy of communism. After 18 months filming Bulgaria’s abandoned children, director Kate Bruvert returned to Bulgaria this year to film with some of the children in this deeply disturbing original documentary, looking at their situation today, and How her life has changed since the protests.
It bears witness to the concrete transformative power of television and shows how regressive and “damaged” children who seem hopelessly hopeless can be reached and helped to lead meaningful lives and futures with proper care. Abandoned Children in Bulgaria: Revisited – Presenting two worlds, past and present, in a 60-minute program.
The 2007 film sparked an international outcry because the images of being overlooked in a country that had just joined the European Union were so shocking. This documentary shows how seemingly hopelessly withdrawn and “damaged” children can be reached and helped to lead meaningful lives and futures with proper care.
