A documentary about Prof. Damyan Popchristov, "In the Service of the People", will be shown in Burgas on Tuesday, 20 October, at 6.30pm. The screening is in Hall 2 of the Flora Exhibition Centre in the Sea Garden, said the film's author, Stefi Stamenova.

The film premiered in Plovdiv a few days ago, and Burgas is the second city. Viewers will meet Prof. Popchristov and the film crew. Tickets are on sale online and at the door before the start.

The film tells the story of Prof. Popchristov's life and career. He has staged more than 40 plays as a director, and is also a researcher, teacher and theatre educator. He lived in America for years, taught directing in New York and staged a Bulgarian play on Broadway before returning to Bulgaria. He is also one of the founders of the Apollonia Arts Festival in Sozopol.

Stamenova, a journalist with Radio Plovdiv, is the film's author, producer and director. It is her first work as a director. Kaloyan Kalchev is the cinematographer and editor, and Meggie Angelova is in charge of the music and vocals.

People who know Prof. Popchristov well talk about him in the film. They include the poet, writer and playwright Stefan Tsanev, the esoteric writer Hristo Nanev, the astrologer Dr Svetla Baltova, and Prof. Hristo Smolenov, a lecturer at the Naval Academy in Varna. His wife, the musician Yordanka Hadzhiyska, also appears on camera.

The idea for the film came up during Stamenova's interviews with Prof. Popchristov. To her, he is a cosmopolitan, a refined and aristocratic man, a very interesting person and "a whole encyclopedia".

Stamenova says this is not a film of praise. It is a living film that tells a living story. As a psychologist and director, she wanted to show Popchristov himself, not only his achievements. So the film shows hard moments, joy and pain, love and loss, falls and recoveries, doubts, the people who helped him, and the strength to keep going when times are hard.

"We Bulgarians simply must be very proud that we have such people!" Stamenova told Bulgarian National Radio. She added: "I wouldn't want people like him to remain unknown warriors!"

The film will be shown in Varna on 22 October and in Sofia on 20 November. It has invitations from other towns in Bulgaria and from abroad.