Tonislav Hristov Talks Music Doc About Rock Band The Rasmus and Tackling Pre-Election Fake News in ‘Truth or Dare’: ‘It Affects Your Life’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Tonislav Hristov takes on fake news in doc “Truth or Dare” – and the people influencing voters in Bulgaria.
“Some go: ‘No one cares. No one cares if a person claims ‘the Earth is flat’ because it doesn’t affect my life.’ But at the end of the day, those behind it don’t believe in democracy. I’ve lived through communism and believe me – there is a difference,” he says.
“When all of a sudden you have people in the parliament who are anti-vaccine and pro-Russia, it affects your life. In Bulgaria, fake news certainly influenced voting turnout.”
Hristov, based between Bulgaria and Finland, often uses his outsider-ish status to look at certain issues with fresh eyes. “It’s a comfortable position. I can stand on the viewer’s side,” he admits.
Already behind Berlinale awardee “The Magic Life of V” and “The Good Postman” – he’s also co-produced Ji.hlava opener “Virtual Girlfriends” – he is now developing a music documentary about Finnish rock band The Rasmus, best known for hit song “In the Shadows.”
“I’ve been following them for some time. It’s going to be a story of the band, about where they are and where they’ve been, their ups and downs,” he says.
“Musicians want to keep their image intact [in music docs], which I understand, but I already know them. They are good people and honest about their feelings, which Finns usually are.”
Before making “Truth or Dare,” he first came across fake news spreaders around the 2020 US presidential election.
“I interviewed some Macedonian guys who were doing this. They were in their 20s, suddenly making a lot of money. They were hired by a U.S. political party and the moment the election was over, so was the job.”
According to multiple outlets, including the BBC, North Macedonia saw a surge of fake news directed at U.S. readers. One of its secrets? Coming up with a lie so outrageous no one will question it.
“You see it and think: ‘Come on, no one is kidnapping your child,’ but then they talk about family and kids, and it starts building up [Hristov refers to the ‘Save the Children’ conspiracy theory]. Political parties use it to divide people, because that’s how they win elections.”
In the doc – shown at Ji.hlava Intl. Film Festival – he follows “both sides”: experienced journalist Genka Shikerova, who finds herself under fire, and content creator Ivan spreading misinformation on his growing channels.
“To be honest, I actually like him. He believes in these things. The difference between him and the Macedonians is that the Macedonians never cared – they just wanted to make money. He likes the attention, sure, but he also gets excited about the things he ‘discovers,’” says Hristov.
“Ivan doesn’t realize he’s being used until after the elections. They discard you when you’re no longer of service. So I like him, but he’s like a child. I like my children too, but I don’t agree with their views on playing computer games.”
Hristov sees the story as “extremely personal.”
“I have two boys and I’m trying to moderate what they access on their phones. But it’s actually the older generations who cannot distinguish what’s true and what’s fake.”
According to Hristov and his research, most Bulgarians don’t watch news anymore – they get all their information online, and over 60% of them believe this information is the truth. “They know what to feed you and how to use you, and that’s why during the elections, all this money goes to Facebook or X [formerly Twitter],” he notes.
“As a journalist, you can’t reach these people anymore, because they don’t watch TV. Genka has fewer viewers than Ivan: a construction worker who at one point started believing that someone tries to control his destiny and he needs to fight back.”
While the process seems irreversible, with Mark Zuckerberg announcing in January that Meta will end fact-checking and replace it with a “community notes” program – “They don’t want to take responsibility for moderating the content, because then you are losing customers.”
Hristov adds: “There’s this extremely important scene in the film where Genka is teaching kids. She says: ‘Look, the internet is wide open. You can find anything, but you have to be able to distinguish truth from a lie.’ The only way to do that is by education.”
“It’s important to teach our kids – and our parents – that not everything online is true. And if you’re not sure about something, check it. That’s the only solution to the problems we have.”
“Some go: ‘No one cares. No one cares if a person claims ‘the Earth is flat’ because it doesn’t affect my life.’ But at the end of the day, those behind it don’t believe in democracy. I’ve lived through communism and believe me – there is a difference,” he says.
“When all of a sudden you have people in the parliament who are anti-vaccine and pro-Russia, it affects your life. In Bulgaria, fake news certainly influenced voting turnout.”
Hristov, based between Bulgaria and Finland, often uses his outsider-ish status to look at certain issues with fresh eyes. “It’s a comfortable position. I can stand on the viewer’s side,” he admits.
Already behind Berlinale awardee “The Magic Life of V” and “The Good Postman” – he’s also co-produced Ji.hlava opener “Virtual Girlfriends” – he is now developing a music documentary about Finnish rock band The Rasmus, best known for hit song “In the Shadows.”
“I’ve been following them for some time. It’s going to be a story of the band, about where they are and where they’ve been, their ups and downs,” he says.
“Musicians want to keep their image intact [in music docs], which I understand, but I already know them. They are good people and honest about their feelings, which Finns usually are.”
Before making “Truth or Dare,” he first came across fake news spreaders around the 2020 US presidential election.
“I interviewed some Macedonian guys who were doing this. They were in their 20s, suddenly making a lot of money. They were hired by a U.S. political party and the moment the election was over, so was the job.”
According to multiple outlets, including the BBC, North Macedonia saw a surge of fake news directed at U.S. readers. One of its secrets? Coming up with a lie so outrageous no one will question it.
“You see it and think: ‘Come on, no one is kidnapping your child,’ but then they talk about family and kids, and it starts building up [Hristov refers to the ‘Save the Children’ conspiracy theory]. Political parties use it to divide people, because that’s how they win elections.”
In the doc – shown at Ji.hlava Intl. Film Festival – he follows “both sides”: experienced journalist Genka Shikerova, who finds herself under fire, and content creator Ivan spreading misinformation on his growing channels.
“To be honest, I actually like him. He believes in these things. The difference between him and the Macedonians is that the Macedonians never cared – they just wanted to make money. He likes the attention, sure, but he also gets excited about the things he ‘discovers,’” says Hristov.
“Ivan doesn’t realize he’s being used until after the elections. They discard you when you’re no longer of service. So I like him, but he’s like a child. I like my children too, but I don’t agree with their views on playing computer games.”
Hristov sees the story as “extremely personal.”
“I have two boys and I’m trying to moderate what they access on their phones. But it’s actually the older generations who cannot distinguish what’s true and what’s fake.”
According to Hristov and his research, most Bulgarians don’t watch news anymore – they get all their information online, and over 60% of them believe this information is the truth. “They know what to feed you and how to use you, and that’s why during the elections, all this money goes to Facebook or X [formerly Twitter],” he notes.
“As a journalist, you can’t reach these people anymore, because they don’t watch TV. Genka has fewer viewers than Ivan: a construction worker who at one point started believing that someone tries to control his destiny and he needs to fight back.”
While the process seems irreversible, with Mark Zuckerberg announcing in January that Meta will end fact-checking and replace it with a “community notes” program – “They don’t want to take responsibility for moderating the content, because then you are losing customers.”
Hristov adds: “There’s this extremely important scene in the film where Genka is teaching kids. She says: ‘Look, the internet is wide open. You can find anything, but you have to be able to distinguish truth from a lie.’ The only way to do that is by education.”
“It’s important to teach our kids – and our parents – that not everything online is true. And if you’re not sure about something, check it. That’s the only solution to the problems we have.”