site.btaMacedonian Bulgarian Revolutionary Mara Buneva Commemorated with Film Screening in Skopje

A film about Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionary Mara Buneva (1901-1928), titled The Avenger, was screened at the Bulgarian Culture and Information Centre (BCIC) in Skopje on January 16 to mark her 96th death anniversary.

Buneva was a member of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization. She is known for the assassination of the former Serbian Chetnik commander and Yugoslav legal official of the Skopje Oblast Velimir Prelic, after which she committed suicide. Prelic was held responsible for the torture of young revolutionaries. Today Buneva is considered a heroine in Bulgaria.

Released in 2023, The Avenger draws on facts about the life of the young revolutionary, documents, authentic photos and opinions expressed by historians and other experts.

BCIC Director Antonia Veleva told the audience: "It has become a tradition to commemorate the heroic life of Mara Buneva, who ended her earthly existence by sacrificing it with the words 'Because I love my fatherland'."

According to Bulgarian Ambassador to North Macedonia Angel Angelov, Buneva is an icon of local Bulgarians. "Her death had no geopolitical effect, but with her self-sacrifice she remains a memory which cannot be broken," the diplomat said.

The Skopje screening of The Avenger was attended by its director Ralitsa Dimitrova and cinematographer and producer Plamen Gerasimov. The script was written by Tony Nikolov. The film was co-produced by the State Archives Agency in Sofia.