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| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Established | 1948; 78 years ago (1948) |
| Rector | Miroslav Datchev |
Academic staff | 259 |
| Students | 700 (approx.) |
| Location | , 42°41′32.26″N23°19′33.72″E / 42.6922944°N 23.3260333°E /42.6922944; 23.3260333 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Affiliations | |
| Website | www |
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TheKrastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts[a] (commonly referred to asNATFIZ)[b] is aperforming, cinematic andmedia arts institution ofhigher education based inSofia. It is the first Bulgarian university in the field of theatre and film arts. It was founded in 1948, being the only public and state-run institution of its kind in the country.[1]
The academy enrolls about 120 new students every year, including 20 international students. It is located in three adjacent buildings indowntown Sofia: a Training Drama Theatre (est. 1957), a Training Puppet Theatre (est. 1966), a cinema and video hall and an educational audiovisual centre, as well as an academic information centre that stores 60,000 volumes of Bulgarian and international literature. NATFA has a student dormitory inStudentski grad.[1]
After theSecond World War, there were changes in the political, economic and social life in Bulgaria. Higher education becamefree of charge which allowed more young people to pursue a career intheatre. The number of theatres also increased, which led to the need for more actors and directors. The academy started off as a temporary, two-year theatre course at theIvan Vazov National Theater. Subsequently, asBulgarian press raised the idea of creating a higher theatre school, it turned into the first Bulgarian State Higher Theater School in 1948.
In its first class, 22 students were admitted inacting and 9 were admitted indirecting, and two years later there were 16 new students intheater studies. Initially, the duration of all courses was four years, but it was later extended to five for directors and theater critics. The school's first seventeen teachers were prominent experts in theater art and theater critics. Over the years, the number of teachers increased and the curriculum improved.
Dimitar Mitov, a prominent author, publicist and literary and theater critic, was appointed as the firstrector. The School was initially housed at 43Vasil Levski Boulevard, but the building turned out to be too small to accommodate all of its students. In 1951, to commemorate the 75th anniversary ofKrastyo Sarafov’s birth, the school was named after him, and in 1954 it was renamed to Krastyo Sarafov Higher Institute of Theater Arts.
In 1955, the Institute received a new building with three stages and a larger audience capacity, located at 108ARakovski Street. The Training Drama Theater, one of the institute's main units, was inaugurated in 1957. Theamphitheater hall has 430 seats. In 1962, the Institute introduced apuppetry acting course. A decade later, directing for puppet theater was also added. In 1966, the Training Puppet Theater was inaugurated with a performance ofThe Carnival of the Animals to the music ofCamille Saint-Saëns, directed and written by Nikolina Georgieva. It is located at 20 Stefan Karadja Street and has a hall with 100 seats. In 1973, new courses such asfilmmaking andcinematography were added to the institute's curriculum.
On 1 August 1995, the university received its current name: Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theater and Film Arts.[1]
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