Blaga's Lessons

Blaga's Lessons (Уроците на Блага) is a 2023 drama film directed and produced by Stephan Komandarev, who co-wrote it with Simeon Ventsislavov. The film stars Eli Skorcheva as Blaga, a retired schoolteacher in Shumen, who is grieving the recent death of her husband and falls victim to a criminal scam while trying to raise the money to pay for his gravestone.

Blaga's Lessons premiered at the 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it won the Crystal Globe for Best Film. It was selected as the Bulgarian entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards. It also fetched Silver Peacock-Best Direction at the 54th International Film Festival of India.

An international co-production of Bulgaria and Germany, the film is the final installment in Komandarev's trilogy on Bulgarian social issues, following Directions (2017) and Rounds (2019).

Premise
Blaga is a retired teacher who falls prey to a cunning phone scam, leaving her penniless. As hope dwindles and her dreams fade away, a tantalizing yet enigmatic job opportunity emerges on her horizon. Once a strict and honest woman, she slowly begins to trample on all her principles.

Cast

 * Eli Skorcheva as Blaga
 * Stefan Denolyubov
 * Ivaylo Hristov
 * Ivan Barnev
 * Gerasim Gerasimov
 * Rozalia Abgarian
 * Assen Blatechki
 * Irini Zhambonas

Development
In 2021, it was announced that Stephan Komandarev was working on a film with the working title Hello, which would center around a 70-year-old retired teacher and wrap up his trilogy on Bulgarian societal issues which began with Directions (2017) and Rounds (2019). It was also reported that the film would be Eli Skorcheva's return to acting after a 30-year break.

Production
Production on the movie was delayed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Principal photography eventually began in 2021; however, it experienced further delays after multiple crew members contracted the virus.

Release
Blaga's Lessons premiered in-competition at the 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it won the Crystal Globe for Best Film and the Ecumenical Jury Award, and Skorcheva won the award for Best Actress.

The film will receive a theatrical release in Bulgaria on 17 November 2023. It had its North American premiere at the 2023 Calgary International Film Festival, in the International Narrative Competition lineup, and was also screened at the 28th Busan International Film Festival on 6 October.

Reception
In September 2023, the film was selected as Bulgaria's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.