About

Mariyana Lazarova is a lecturer at the department of "Film studies and dramaturgy" in the faculty of "Screen Arts" at the National Academy for Theater and Film Arts "Krastyo Sarafov”/NATFA/ in Sofia, Bulgaria. She has graduated as Master of laws /LL.M./ at the law faculty of “Kliment Ohridski” University and as Master of Film Arts at NATFA. Lazarova has a PhD in 'Film studies, cinema and television” and is an associate professor in Management in Screen Arts. She teaches different lecture courses with the undergraduates in Film analyses and Film poetics, as well as specialized courses: „Copyright in audiovisual production“ and „Management of producers’ rights in digital distribution of audiovisual works.“ She teaches master courses on “Copyright and related rights in Audiovisual sector” and „Contracts and copyrights in the performing arts“ and also lectures doctoral students on "Legal aspects of protection of stage and audiovisual works" and "Academic organization and strategy."

Lazarova has research interests in two scientific areas: film art/in particular film analysis/ and copyright law. In her teaching practice, she has developed training programs in both scientific fields .

She has published numerous critical articles and essays about film art in specialized journals and many journalistic publications in the press, as well as other papers and monographs about legal regulation and protection of intellectual property rights.

​

Mariyana Lazarova is an author of two books. For “The Centaur from Albion. Traditions and their Transformations in British Cinema of the 90s of the 20th century.” /“Prosveta – Sofia” AD, 2014./ she was awarded in 2015 with the prize of the Bulgarian Film Academy for best book on film criticism for 2014. Her second book “Copyright and Neighboring Rights in Audio vision” /“Vodolei”,Sofia, 2015/ is a profound study of the national copyright regime of audiovisual works in the European legal frame.

​

Lazarova has also long time practical experience as a legal adviser on copyright and has been a member of an expert group, established by the Ministry of Culture for amending and supplementing the Bulgarian law on copyright and related rights. She has also knowledge and expertise in media law and collective management of rights. As a former executive director of the Bulgarian collecting society of producers and performing artists, she is well acquainted with the peculiarities of the creative industries and can investigate and analyze the dominant business trends in different market sectors, in particular that of media: the radio and television sector.

​

As а member of the academic staff, Lazarova has been a member of the Academic Board at NATFA from 2011 until 2015 and a secretary of the Attestation Commission of the Faculty of Screen Arts since 2010 until 2015. At present, she is a member of the Scientific Policy Advisory Council and a Chairman of the Supervisory Board of NATFA. She also holds the position of a head of MA course „Film Studies“ and is a legal adviser on copyright at NATFA, consulting the student film productions.

She is a member of the Union of Bulgarian Film Makers and a member of the Union of Bulgarian Jurists, European Network of Intellectual Property Teachers – EIPTN and ENCATC -the European network on cultural management and policy.

Her favorite personal artistic skills and competences are in the sphere of scriptwriting and photography.

Areas of expertise: Copyright law, Film art, Media law, Collective management of rights, High education, Art education.