Maria Averina

Maria Averina is a Bulgarian documentary film director and academic researcher at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA) in Sofia, specializing in archival-based documentary construction. She serves in the Faculty of Screen Arts, Department of Pre-Production and Production, as a Researcher since 2018 while completing her doctoral dissertation.

Her academic background includes:

• Bachelor's in Slavic Philology (Polish specialization) from Sofia University
• Master's in Film and Television Arts (Directing) from New Bulgarian University
• Master's in Documentary Cinema from Royal Holloway University, London
• Doctoral candidate in Documentary Film Editing at NATFA

Averina's research pioneers methodologies for transforming archival materials into narrative documentaries, examining temporal manipulation and ethical reconstruction of historical footage. Her work bridges film theory and practical editing techniques, establishing new frameworks for archival documentary production within cinematic arts.

Her award-winning filmography demonstrates exceptional artistic achievement:

• From Cremona to Cremona (2017): Triple award-winner including Bulgarian Film Academy's Best Documentary
• To Fly with Flippers (2023-2024): Swept major Bulgarian festivals with eight awards across criticism, composition, and technical categories

A longstanding Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers member (since 2015), Averina has no documented student supervision or research grants but maintains active industry engagement through festival circuits and academic collaborations.