Stephan Komandarev: I'm aiming for the Oscars with my new movie

We will try to be the Bulgarian Oscar nominee for a foreign language film, said Stephan Komandarev, director of the 3-award-winning Karlovy Vary film "Blaga's Lessons", in the English-language morning block of BGNES.

"Let's see how far we can get, we have a lot of invitations to festivals. I think we got off to a very strong start with the three awards from the Czech Republic. We will try to be the Bulgarian Oscar nominee for a foreign language film, but it depends on the Bulgarian National Film Centre jury. We will do our best to present the film wherever we can," he said.

Komandarev also shared the difficulties around presenting a film at the Oscars.

"To be successful in this competition you need to have a very good movie but also a lot of money to make a campaign. There has to be money for American publicists and streaming platforms in this campaign. I know this because I've been the Bulgarian candidate for this twice. I know a screening costs about 10,000 dollars. It's not just about quality, it's about finances," the director emphasized.

He also recounted the initial emotions of the awards in the Czech Republic.

"It was completely unexpected because we didn't expect to win the big prize. It was a great joy for me and the team. Most importantly it will help promote the movie and help our next project, it's a great achievement for us."

"It was a very lucky moment," said Komandarev about meeting the film's lead actress, Eli Skorcheva.

"Eli Skorcheva was one of the stars of Bulgarian cinema in the 1980s. We joke that during that period all the teenagers, including me, were in love with her. 30 years later, when we saw her by chance in a garden in Sofia, we recognized her immediately. There was no casting, we just talked to her if she wanted to come back to the cinema and she said it all depended on the script. It was a dream come true for us, we sent her the script immediately and she agreed. At that point we knew we had a lead actress. That was a big stroke of luck," he explained.

Komandarev also talked about the idea of the film and why it was able to appeal to foreign audiences.

"'Blaga's Lessons' is part of a trilogy. The first film is 'Directions' 2017, the second film is 'Rounds' 2019 and for the third film we decided to focus on the older generation, on our parents. To tell the story of this generation in present times. The idea was that this generation is the biggest victim of the changes towards democracy, for them it's a process in which they lose their identity. This generation was completely ignored by politicians, but also by our cinema. We wanted to focus on this group and we used the story to represent these people."

"Why the jury and the audience liked it so much are difficult questions. We have a very strong story, very emotional. A unique lead actress. We also kept in mind the critics' reviews (such as the Hollywood Reporter, Variety, etc.) that were submitted were very encouraging. The stories of Bulgarian pensioners are completely understandable everywhere. These problems are not just Bulgarian, it happens everywhere. One British actor told us that the story of Blaga's family was very close to their families".

Komandarev shared more information about future projects.

"Right now I'm focused on a new movie. It's very helpful for me not to take any achievement too seriously. I want the next film to be made in the best, so it's better not to be in heaven and stay focused."

Komandarev said that bringing back the glory of Bulgarian cinema is entirely a matter for the institutions.

"It's a matter for the Ministry of Culture and the people at the National Film Centre. There are many administrative difficulties that I hope one day will not exist and Bulgarian cinema will have the opportunity to show its potential. We waste a lot of energy with difficulties related to funding, how to deal with the administration, etc. I hope it will be resolved soon," he concluded. /BGNES