The first Latvian feature partially financed by a local crowdfunding campaign, THE FOUNDATION OF CRIMINAL EXCELLENCE follows a man’s hilarious search for inspiration for his screenplay about the criminal underworld. What begins as a few harmless scams turns into an elaborate heist, as the wannabe con artist and his reluctant companion find themselves more entangled in crime than they ever imagined. With an entirely nonprofessional cast, this irreverent buddy comedy from first-time director Oskars Rupenheits was a surprise hit at the Latvian box office, becoming the No. 1 film of 2018.