Driving Lesson by Anastassya Angelova | BGR | 14’

In a Bulgarian village, Angel is torn between two paths when his grandfather offers to teach him to drive, a symbol of manhood and tradition. Accepting could mean losing his close bond with his sister and conforming to patriarchal norms, while rejecting it risks being labeled weak. Angel must choose between his independence and the pressures of village expectations.

Anastassya Angelova was born and raised in Warsaw, Poland to Bulgarian expatriates. She was interested in visual arts from a young age, when she completed a photography course at the Warsaw School of Photography and Graphic Design. After finishing high school, she went on to study film at King's College London. She completed numerous internships on film sets in Poland and Bulgaria. After graduating, she moved to Prague to study MA directing in FAMU. She is currently in her last year of studies, and she will be graduating in 2025. Currently living in Heidelberg, Germany. Nowadays, she is developing her first Bulgarian feature film.