Blaga's Lessons

Blaga's Lessons
Theatrical release poster
BulgarianУроците на Блага
Directed byStephan Komandarev
Written by
  • Simeon Ventsislavov
  • Stephan Komandarev
Produced by
  • Stephan Komandarev
  • Katya Trichkova
Starring
  • Eli Skorcheva
  • Stefan Denolyubov
  • Ivaylo Hristov
CinematographyVesselin Hristov
Edited byNina Altaparmakova
Music byKalina Vasileva
Production
companies
  • Argo Film
  • 42film
Release dates
  • 3 July 2023 (2023-07-03) (Karlovy Vary)
  • 17 November 2023 (2023-11-17) (Bulgaria)
Running time
114 minutes
Countries
  • Bulgaria
  • Germany
LanguageBulgarian
Budget€1.14 million[1]

Blaga's Lessons (Bulgarian: Уроците на Блага, romanized: Urotsite na Blaga) is a 2023 drama film directed and produced by Stephan Komandarev, who co-wrote it with Simeon Ventsislavov.[2] 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.[3]

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.[4]

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).

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference cineuropa was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Wise, Damon (18 July 2023). "'Blaga's Lessons' Review: Brutal Drama Packs A Provocative Punch – Karlovy Vary Int'l Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  3. ^ Lodge, Guy (5 July 2023). "'Blaga's Lessons' Review: A Victim Turns Venal In a Bitterly Potent Social Thriller From Bulgaria". Variety. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Winners at IFFI54". Press Information Bureau. 29 November 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.