“It will be a crime if such a person stays in the party and is given a responsible job” (the case of the “unreliable” archivist Maria Konstantinova)
“It will be a crime if such a person stays in the party and is given a responsible job” (the case of the “unreliable” archivist Maria Konstantinova)

Summary/Abstract: This paper traces the dramatic fate of Maria Konstantinova, who oversaw theStudios for Chronicles and Documentaries from 1949 to 1951. Her short activity in thearchive of Bulgarian cinematography is outlined on the basis of documents from her profes-sional dossier. Some of these documents were required for her appointment while othersto provide information about her professional activities, or they are statements of her pun-ishment. She was persecuted for revealing a “state secret” and negligence, delayed deliveryof the film “The Long Way of a Cigarette” (dubbed in Russian), and the resulting “delayedproduction of a copy for the USSR”. Furthermore, in anonymous and signed reports, MariaKonstantinova was accused of financial abuse, immoral behaviour, a “grossly corrupt bo-hemian past”, “lesbian relationships with girlfriends”, “drunkenness and playing poker withmen, and especially with women”...

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