(Entertainment-NewsWire.com, September 24, 2014 ) Sofia, Bulgaria --- Pavel Penchev is a student working on an important mission. For his senior project, he has joined with a group of local professionals to produce a documentary film that explains the benefits of medical marijuana.
“Bulgaria is a country where marijuana possession is severely punished,” said Penchev, who will direct the film, which is titled The Illegal Health. “People here still believe that marijuana is a dreadful, harmful narcotic that leads to addiction and aggressive behavior. Our goal is to restore the good name of an unjustly blacklisted herb.
“For thousands of years, cannabis has been used as medicine and its criminalization deprives many people of the benefits and pain relief that it could provide.”
Penchev has assembled a team of young Bulgarian professionals in various fields of arts and social sciences to support his student project. He has enlisted a cameraman, screenwriter, sound engineer and video editor.
“We’re not producing this documentary to make money,” he said. “We want to help our country finally abandon the burden of outdated thinking, which has been forced upon the general public through misinformation and propaganda.
“We want patients to realize there are alternative solutions to their health problems and we want legislators to understand that the current laws are antiquated. All advanced countries have enacted legislation that legalizes medical marijuana.”
Penchev is aiming to raise $5,000 to cover production expenses for The Illegal Health. To generate this funding, he has launched a crowdfunding campaign through Indiegogo. The web page can be viewed at yhr Indiegogo site.
Donations of any amount are welcome. For $10, backers can receive a digital download of the film. A pledge of $50 is rewarded with the download plus the donor’s name in the film credits. A $100 donation fetches the film download plus a DVD, name in the credits and a signed poster.
“This documentary film will help Bulgaria becoming a part of the avant-garde,” Penchev said. “Instead of fearing and banishing marijuana, we want people in our country to embrace the fact that this herb not only has its place in medicine, but it’s often the only way to cure or at least relieve people suffering from certain conditions.”
