Stephan Komandarev’s suspense drama Blaga’s Lessons world premieres next month at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Komandarev’s 2017 feature Directions premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes. His film The Judgement was Bulgaria’s official entry for the 2016 Oscars, while The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner was shortlisted for the Oscar’s best foreign language film category.

Blaga’s Lessons is the story of a retired, recently widowed teacher, played by Elie Skorcheva, who falls victim to a phone scam that robs her of her life savings. Her life turns upside down when she realises that there’s no way of gaining her money back until she receives an alluring, yet suspicious offer for work. The tables then turn as cash begins rolling in as she transforms into a scammer herself.

Blaga’s Lessons is produced by Komandarev and Katya Trichkova of Bulgaria’s Argo Film and co-produced by Eike Goreczka and Christoph Kukula of Germany’s 42film.