Love story of Atatürk and Bulgarian girl to be on big screen

ISTANBUL

The bittersweet love story of Atatürk and a Bulgarian girl, which was believed to left an indelible mark on his life, will be told to the audience through a movie scheduled for release in October 2023.

The movie “Dimitrina” will feature the short-term love affair between Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of Modern Turkey, and Dimitrina Kovacheva, the second daughter of Bulgarian General Stilian Kovachev, in the early 1900s.

The film will be shot by Fikri Harika, a Turkey-based company that achieved considerable success at the box office thanks to their previous production, “Dilberay.”

“We aim to produce works that leave a mark in the cinema sector. We started working to achieve this goal and bring the audience together with an Atatürk movie that they have always wanted to see,” said Özgür Tari, the founder of Fikri Harika.

Atatürk’s acquaintance with Kovacheva begins with his appointment to Sofia as a military attaché in 1913. The 32-year-old Ottoman officer meets with Kovacheva during a gathering in the Bulgarian capital.

According to narratives, Atatürk was strongly attracted to Dimitrina Kovacheva from their first meeting, and with her father’s permission, began dating her. The two spent time together on long walks in nature or as guests at other social events.

After a while, Atatürk invited Dimitrina’s father for a cup of coffee and asked for his daughter’s hand in marriage. However, the general was not that keen on this marriage and political developments in Europe were also hampering the relationship between the young duo.

In 1914, Ottoman Empire joined World War I, and in 1915, Atatürk, then a lieutenant colonel, was ordered to return to Istanbul. Thus this love story ended in an undesirable way.

It is widely accepted by historians today that Atatürk said, “I left my youth in Bulgaria,” even years after his unfinished love affair.