He lost his arms to electricity. What he built next shocked the world.
The movie is inspired by the true life story of Bulgarian paralympic ‘Long jump’ triple world champion Mihail Hristov. The film follows Mihail from the moment he loses both his arms in an electric current incident and makes the life-changing decision of becoming a professional athlete as he goes through the catharsis of deciding to start a new life without arms. He goes through a number of difficulties, both on the sports field and in his personal relationships with his parents, his coach, the girl he falls in love with but most of all, the difficulty of accepting what has happened to him. The script traces Mihail's difficult fate from the accident that left him without arms to becoming a triple long jump world champion, inventor of a new type of prosthetics and a motivational speaker.
Acting
Naum Shopov's physical transformation—no arm doubles, all commitment.
Practical Effects
Custom prosthetic designs recreated from Mihail's actual patents.
Direction
Iliev shoots Bulgaria's rusted industrial landscapes like characters.
Director
Niki Iliev
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The actual Mihail Hristov consulted on set and appears briefly as a bartender in the Sofia training montage.
Bulgaria's Paralympic program was nearly defunded in 2019; this film became unlikely propaganda that secured government support.
BG
