From acclaimed director Levan Akin (AND THEN WE DANCED), CROSSING is a moving and tender tale of identity,
acceptance and unlikely connection that transcends borders and generations. Lia, a retired school teacher living in the country of Georgia, hears from a young neighbor Achi that her long lost niece Tekla, a transgender woman, has crossed the border into Turkey. Hoping to bring Tekla home, Lia travels to Istanbul with the unpredictable Achi to
find her. Exploring the hidden depths of the city, they cross paths with a transgender lawyer called Evrim, who helps them in their search. Humanistic and compassionate, Akin’s third feature is a heartfelt portrayal of overcoming the degrees of separation that divide us. Director and writer Levan Adkin joins us for a conversation on his own
connection to the setting for Crossing, Turkey, how the story lent itself to exploring the generational divide between Soviet era and Post-Soviet era attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ rights, his reaction to Crossing being selected by Sweden as their Oscar entry for 2024 Best International Feature and working with lead actor Mzia Arabuli as Lia.
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About the filmmaker – Writer, Director Levan Akin is a Swedish filmmaker of Georgian descent. His work explores class, gender and sexuality. His body of work includes the critically acclaimed film AND THEN WE DANCED, which premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes 2019 and was selected as Sweden’s official entry for the Oscars. Akin has also made notable contributions to television, including the series Real Humans (adapted as Humans for AMC in the US and UK). Additionally, he served as a co-executive producer and director for AMC’s highly regarded adaptation of Interview With The Vampire (2022). Akin’s latest film, CROSSING, premiered at Berlinale in 2024.
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“Dumanli, making her screen feature debut here, is a pure joy to watch, enveloping the movie in a sense of warm coziness and safety as, just being in her presence, you feel like everything will somehow work out.” – Ryan Lattanzio, indieWire
“Sweet without being cloying, it’s a love letter to the commonalities between Georgian and Turkish culture; one that encourages empathy and reminds us it’s never too late to change for the better” – Hannah Strong, Little White Lies
“Akin takes his time to establish an authentic bond between these two lost souls. The film is a penetrating and often devastating look at the destruction caused by ignorance and intolerance. It’s also a call for unity and acceptance.” – Frank J. Avella, Edge Media Network
“Dream-like even as it cruises through a purposefully-shaped narrative. Levan Akin brings beauty to the back streets and back waters of the Bosphorus” – Fionnuala Halligan, Screen International
“A thoroughly intelligent, emotionally engaging and robustly performed movie from Levan Akin, the Georgian-Swedish director who had an international breakthrough four years ago with the love story And Then We Danced.” – Peter Bradshaw, Guardian
“Akin keeps his mood piece feeling natural and breezy, allowing only a few camera flourishes on his own quest for tiny moments of connection” – Amy Nicholson, New York Times