Maria Koleva | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Maria Koleva 2 October 1940 |
| Died | 9 May 2025 (aged 84) Paris, France |
| Occupations | Writer, director, producer, cinematrographer |
| Years active | 1973–2025 |
Maria Koleva (Bulgarian: Мария Колева; 2 October 1940 – 9 May 2025) was a Bulgarian writer and independent film-maker who lived and worked in France. Koleva was also known as a producer, film-editor and cinematographer.
Maria Koleva was born in Sofia, in the then Kingdom of Bulgaria, and studied chemical engineering in the United States and Germany before emigrating to France in 1971. There she studied cinema in Vincennes and began work as a film-maker. Her 1982 four-hour film-book L'état de bonheur... permanent won the Grand Prize at the Belfort Festival and is recognized as representative of the political-shown-through-the-personal film-making style of the period. Her 1974 film La fête aujourd'hui, la fête demain featured the English rock band The Who performing in Paris in 1972. She also made five films on Antoine Vitez featuring the French director conducting workshop sessions.
In 1989, Koleva conducted a 45-day hunger strike to bring attention to the fact that independent film-makers were unable to obtain distribution on French TV. After 1990, Koleva worked more in video and digital format than in film.
Koleva died on 9 May 2025, at the age of 84.
Selected films include:
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
