Silvia Vachkova, a distinguished Bulgarian journalist who has worked all over Europe,  was born in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1941. She studied Russian and German Philology at Sofia University. After graduating she worked as a Filmredakteur (News Producer) for INTERFILM, where the Redakteur in chief was Angel Wagenstein, and remains a close friend.   In 1990 Silvia started her own company FILMSERVICE to provide location services to foreign productions in Bulgaria with a strong focus on political and social issues, as well as other productions including many dealing with culture and tourism. For the past 35 years she has been a stringer, producer and a reporter for the German TV ARD, CNN, DW and numerous other foreign TV stations for Bulgaria.