THE BOY WHO WAS A KING

After THE MOSQUITO PROBLEM AND OTHER STORIES (goEast 2008), Andrey Paounov returns to the festival with a documentary that blends rare archive footage with contemporary material and interviews. At the tender age of six, Simeon of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha succeeded his father on the throne of Bulgaria, thus becoming the world’s youngest head of state and at the same time an ally of Adolf Hitler. The reign of the child king lasted merely three years: Simeon II. was forced into exile when the Communists abolished the monarchy. After fleeing to Egypt with his family, Simeon found himself more popular than ever before. His supporters ranged from monarchist cranks to ordinary Bulgarians who simply dreamed of a better future. In 2001, one decade after the fall of the Communist regime, the charismatic ex-monarch and bon vivant returned to Bulgaria, where he was frenetically celebrated by his followers. Simeon founded a new political party and was promptly elected prime minister. Once again, however, events in the real world soon put paid to the former ruler’s comeback.