2025, Bulgaria, 69 minutes, documentary
Director: Diana Zacharieva
Writers: Alexander Grozev, Diana Zacharieva, Gospodin Nedelchev
Cinematographer: Dimitar Nedelchev
Producer: Gospodin Nedelchev
Cast: Iva Vanja, Alexander Grozew
A life full of unexpected twists, dramas and fateful blows – this is the life of actress Ivanka Yanakieva. Fame came to her early, and the chorus of a song popular in 1930s Germany reads: “The whole of Berlin worships me, I am the Bulgarian Iva Vanya!”. In her long career, she played many roles and remains the only Bulgarian woman whose name is known in European silent cinema.
Diana Zacharieva
Diana Zacharieva has a master’s degree in film editing and TV directing from “Neofit Rilski” South-West University. She has worked at Bulgarian National Television since 2002 as a video editor and editing director for numerous successful shows and films. Following her acclaimed debut “Three Candles – Scars from the Balkan Wars” (2014), she released her second feature documentary “Iwa Wanja – Kissed by Fate, Forgotten by All” (2025).
Filmography:
2025 – Iwa Wanja – Kissed by Fate, Forgotten by All
2014 – Three Candles