My Mate Manchester United (2011)

My Mate Manchester United (Bulgarian: Манчестър Юнайтед от Свищов) is a Bulgarian documentary film written and directed by Stefan Valdobrev. The film premièred during the 2011 Sofia International Film Festival and went on to air at a number of international festivals around the world, including the Cannes Film Festival. The film follows the story of unemployed construction worker Martin Zdravkov Levidzhov from the Northern Bulgarian town of Svishtov and his struggle to have his name legally changed to that of his favourite football club Manchester United. The story does not concentrate on the fan or sports aspects of the story, but aims at showcasing the contemporary life in remote Bulgarian towns where people are disillusioned with economic woes and do everything possible to escape from the surrounding dire reality. The film raises questions about identity and the dream of being someone else.

My Mate Manchester United is the first documentary directed by Stefan Valdobrev. The director got interested in the story of Mr Levidzhov's struggle with Bulgarian institutions and legal system. Wondering about the motives, the inspiration, and frustration that forced a perfectly normal person to undertake such radical steps in transforming his personality, Valdobrev decided to document Levidzhov's story.

Synopsis

Martin Levidzhov's journey to becoming Mr Manchester United begins back in 1999 when he was watching the Champions League final between Manchester United and Bayern Munich. In the 89th minute of the match he vowed to change his name to Manchester United if his favourite team managed to turn around the 0:1 negative score. The British team did it in the most dramatic of fashions, thus determining Levidzhov's future struggles for the next fifteen years. The protagonist then undertook his fight with the Bulgarian legal system to have his name changed, a right he was repeatedly denied by various court instances.