BRIGHTON 4th is a beguiling portrait of parental sacrifice and the love of a father for his son, former wrestler Kakhi (played by real-life Olympic champion Levan Tediashvili) embarks on a journey from his home in the Republic of Georgia to visit his son Soso (Giorgi Tabidze) in the Russian-speaking neighborhood of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. There he finds him living in a shabby boarding house populated by a colorful group of fellow Georgian immigrants. Soso is not studying medicine, as Kakhi believed, but is working for a moving company and has accrued a $14,000 gambling debt to a local Russian mob boss. Kakhi sets his mind to helping his hapless son out of his debt, leading to situations as often comic as they are dire. Lensed by Oscar®-nominated cinematographer Phedon Papamichael (The Trial of the Chicago 7, Nebraska), Levan Koguashvili’s BRIGHTON 4TH won three major awards at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival – Best International Film, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay – and is Georgia’s official submission to the 94th Academy Awards®. Director Levan Koguashvili joins us for a conversation on the challenges and the great rewards of working with non-professional actors, exploring the ex-pat community of Brighton Beach and working with the first time actor and wrestling legend Levan Tedaishvili and Russian screen legend Kakhi Kavsadze. 

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Playing in Los Angeles at: laemmle.com/brighton-4th

For updates and screenings go to: kinomarquee.com/Brighton 4th

Georgia’s Official Submission for International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards®

WINNER at Tribeca Film Festival 2021:  Best International Feature; Best Screenplay & Best Actor

About the filmmaker – Levan Koguashvili is a Georgian film director and screenwriter. He studied Film at the State University in Tbilisi, but a war broke out in Georgia and he worked as a journalist for the first Georgian TV. In 1999, he graduated from the VGIK (Moscow) and in 2007 – from the Tisch School of the Art’s Graduate Film Programme. Street Days (2010) was premiered in Competition of the Rotterdam IFF and was regarded as the beginning of a new wave of the Georgian cinema. Blind Dates (2013) premiered at Toronto and Berlin IFF and won 20 awards.

86% Rotten Tomatoes

“A gentle, naturalistic story of parental devotion and sacrifice… balances rueful humor with genuine sweetness.” – Alissa Simon, Variety

“Touchingly absurd and absurdly touching… A slow-burn family drama infused with welcome doses of deadpan dark humor.” – Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter

“If you want a potential foreign language contender, Brighton 4th could be it.” – Joey Magidson, Awards Radar  

“A near-perfect, semi-comic portrait of the low-rent Georgian enclave in Brighton Beach.” – Michael Atkinson, The Village Voice

“A touching and surprising exploration of masculinity that features a stunning central performance from former Olympic wrestling champion Levan Tediashvili.” – Kaleem Aftab, Cineuropa

“Koguashvili deftly blends tones in his vividly realized snapshots of Georgian manhood.” – Wendy Ide, Screen Daily

“A compelling portrait of the Eastern European community that exists in Brighton, [featuring] a great performance by Tediashvili, in his first film role.” – Christian Gallichio, The Playlist