Bulgaria, Greece, 2014, 105’
directed by: Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov
written by: Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov
cast: Margita Gosheva, Ivan Burnev, Ivanka Bratoeva, Ivan Savov, Deya Todorova, Stefan Denolyubov
cinematography: Krum Rodriguez
edited by: Petar Valchanov
producers: Magdelena Ilieva, Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov, Konstantina Stavrianou, Rena Vougioukalou
production: Abraxas Film, Graal Film, Little Win
Toronto IFF 2014; Gothenburg FF 2015 – International Debut Award; Rotterdam IFF 2015; Thessaloniki FF 2014; Wiesbaden goEast 2015 – SKODA Film Award
Nadezhda is a young English teacher in a small Bulgarian town. Her stiff moral principles make her strict to others as much as to herself. When the wallet of one of her students gets stolen in class one day, Nadezhda tries to find the perpetrator to teach him a lesson. However, the situation soon puts her own moral values to the test. She is in dire financial straits: her debt has accumulated, threatening to destroy her family; her passive husband – an alcoholic – is doing nothing to help her out. When they fail to make a payment to the bank, they face eviction. Nadezhda has three days to find the money. Her noble principles start yielding under pressure. With humor and without any embellishment, Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov tell us a story about the struggle between personal values and harsh living conditions.
Kristina Grozeva was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, she received a degree in journalism from the University of Sofia. Petar Valchanov received his degree in film and television from the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia. Together they co-directed the documentary Parable of Life and the short film Jump. The Lesson marks their fiction feature debut.
