The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner film by director Stefan Komandarev is Bulgaria's nomination for the Academy Award Oscar in the best foreign-language film category.

The decision was taken by the Bulgarian National Cinema Council on September 9 2009.

Komadarev's film has so far received 18 different awards in and outside Bulgaria and has been enjoying keen interest among Bulgarian viewers since it was released in 2008. It is considered one of the best achievements of Bulgarian cinema in the past 20 years, which were dogged by a lack of financing, and disinterest among audiences.

It is based on the eponymous 1996 novel by Bulgarian author Iliya Troyanov. Troyanov became a political immigrant in 1971 when his family escaped to the West and got political asylum in Germany. Currently he lives in Vienna.

The film tells the story of a Bulgarian boy who grows up in Germany. After a car accident he can't remember even what his name is. In an attempt to cure him from amnesia, his grandfather Bai Dan comes over from Bulgaria to Germany and organises a spiritual journey for his grandson back into his past, to the country where he came from.

The film features some of Bulgaria's most popular actors – Hristo Moutavchiev, Ana Papadopoulu, Vassil "Zueka" Vassilev, Nikolai Urumov and Stefan Valdobrev - as well as Serbia's popular actor Miki Manojlovic

The film will be distributed in 16 countries. Among its achievements are awards such as the jury award at the Bergen Film Festival, the audience award and the best Bulgarian feature film award at the Sofia International Film Festival, the Donn Quixote award and the Netpac award – special mention at the Tallin Black Nights Film Festival, the special jury award at the Warsaw International Film Fetsival and the jury award at the Zurich Film Festival, all in 2008.

The 2009 Oscar winner in the best foreign-language film category was Japan's Departures film by director Yojiro Takita.