About Us
Our goal is to save old historical buildings from illegal demolition. Our mission is to make Bulgarian culture, and its architectural heritage, well known to the international public. It’s aim is to preserve culture and history, as well as the legacy of important European architects, artists and engineers, that helped to rebuild Bulgaria, after its liberation in 1878. Many of these architectural treasures are almost ruined now and will disappear, if an effort for their preservation is not quickly made.
In our work we rely on the active cooperation of highly qualified experts and professionals, think tanks and agencies, whose experience and expertise are solid. We have established constructive partnerships with foreign organizations and personalities.
“Angels of Culture” is an independent organization, without political or business affiliations. Our work is based entirely on professionalism. We value neutrality and strive for maximum high quality in the work process. Guided by the pursuit of knowledge and progress, our ultimate goal is to build a healthy and critical environment, which is fundamental in the process of reinforcement of the fragile bases of democratic society.
We Europeans should promote love and caring for our common heritage.
Billiana Christian
CEO, Co-founder (Bulgaria, USA)
Billiana has two master degrees – in Law and in Public Relations from Sofia Univercity “St. Kliment Ohridski” and is currently working on her PhD dissertation in advertising. She has a diverse experience as a lawyer, a copywriter as well as a creative councillor. Spending her time between USA and Bulgaria, Billiana is a dedicated activist for a number of civil causes. In the last 5 years she is following her passion of protecting Bulgarian Architectural Heritage.
Milena Kaneva
Co-founder (Bulgaria, Italy)
Born in Rousse, Bulgaria, a city on the Danube river with beautiful Viennese and Italian architecture from the beginning of XIX c., Milena grew up in an artistic family – her father Nikola Kanev was an acclaimed theater and film director, her mother – Boyana Kaneva was a renown Bulgarian actress. She graduated the Sofia Theater and Film Academy and started her theater career, as an actress, in Bulgaria.
In 1987 she moved to Italy, before the fall of the Berlin wall. Her theater career, had a turning point, as she started working as a journalist and news producer for WTN, later APTN ( Associated Press Television News).
For the celebration of 100 YEARS of Cinema in 1995, she created the DANUBEFILM Festival, the first travelling film festival on a boat, moving on the Danube river b/w Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest.
In 1996, as a journalist “under cover” she succeeded to come out of Burma with an exclusive interview with Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Prize laureate, kept under house arrest by the military dictatorship.
In 1997 Milena created her production company MK Production for long and short form documentaries shot around the world.
2000 to 2006 she produced, shot and directed the award – winning documentary “Total Denial”, which won her the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Award in Prague.
The film won many more prizes and was shown at more than 50 festivals worldwide.
In 2010 she founder Freedom From Fear Foundation.
From 2010 on she is collaborating with different foundations, such as the Robert F.Kennedy Foundation for Human Rights.
Milena has created and is Artistic Director of Migrant Film Festival in Italy, a festival dedicated to the hot topic of migration and of Mestiere Cinema Film Festival that celebrated Matera – European Capital of Culture 2019.
Her film “Un Tesoro nel Cuore” is part of the exhibition: “Bulgaria Through the Glass Prism of Time” shown in 2018 at the National Gallery of Sofia and in 2019-2020 at the “Museo di Roma in Trastevere”, in partnership with Comune di Roma and The Value Foundation – Bulgaria.
Billiana Christian
CEO, Co-founder (Bulgaria, USA)
Billiana has two master degrees – in Law and in Public Relations from Sofia Univercity “St. Kliment Ohridski” and currently working on her PhD dissertation in advertising.
She has a diverse experience as lawyer, copywriter and creative councillor.
Spending her time between USA and Bulgaria, Billiana is a dedicated activist for a number of civil causes.
In the last 5 years she is following her passion of protecting Bulgarian Architectural Heritage.
Milena Kaneva
Co-founder (Bulgaria, Italy)
Born in Rousse, Bulgaria, Milena grew up in an art family – her father Nikola Kanev was an acclaimed theater and film director, her mother – Boyana Kaneva was a renown Bulgarian actress. Milena graduated the Sofia Theater and Film Academy in Sofia. She started her theater career as an actress in Bulgaria.
In 1987 she moved to Italy, before the fall of the Berlin wall and after a short theater career, she had a turning point, starting a career as a journalist and news producer with the international news agency WTN, later APTN ( Associated Press Television News).
From 1993 to1995 for the celebration of 100 YEARS of Cinema, she created the DANUBEFILM Festival, the first travelling film festival.
In 1995, as a journalist “under cover” she succeeded to come out of Burma with an exclusive interview with Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Prize laureate, who was kept under house arrest by the military dictatorship. Thus from 2000 to 2006 she produced the award winning documentary “Total Denial” which was shot and directed by her.
For the extraordinary difficulties and courage during it’s creation and the importance as a documentation she was awarded the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Award in Prague.
As a result she created the Freedom From Fear Foundation.
In 1997 Milena created her production company – MK Production, with which she is producing till now long and short form documentaries around the world.
From 2010 on she is collaborating and doing films with different foundations, as the Robert F.Kennedy Foundation for Human Rights and much more.
In 2017 she created and is the Artistic Director of Migrant Film Festival in Italy, Palazzo San Gervasio and Lecce.
In 2019 her last film “Un Tesoro nel Cuore” is part of an original axhibition: “Bulgaria Through the Glass Prism of Time”, partnering with The Value Foundation – Bulgaria.
Monika Monova
Co-founder
Dimitar Petrov
Co-founder (Bulgaria)
Dimitar graduated from the Law Faculty of Sofia University “St.Kliment Ohridski” in 2000. In the period 2001 – 2018 he is a lawyer with independent legal practice. He loves nature, history and construction with eco-friendly materials.
Eleonora Petrova
Co-founder (Bulgaria)
Milena Kaneva
Co- founder (Bulgaria, Italy)