Georgian film Blind Dates succeeds on the world stage

Georgian movies are achieving global recognition at leading international film festivals, including one of the top post-Soviet film festivals.

Levan Koguashvili’s film Blind Dates won the Best Feature Film 2014 award at the KINO Film Festival, which ended on October 19 in Switzerland. The film also was awarded the top prize at the 12^thannual Zagreb Film Festival on October 26. 

The KINO Film Festival promoted films from Russia and other countries which used to be part of the Soviet Union.

Blind Dates (Shentkhveviti Paemnebi) is Koguashvilis’s second film where he takes a light-hearted, gentle look at relationships and the fear of making commitments.

He tells his tale through main protagonist Sandro, a teacher and confirmed bachelor who spends his time flirting online. He enjoyed the simplicity of not committing but things all change when he falls in love with Manana.

Meanwhile, for its "simplicity, originality, reliance on excellent scriptwriting, moving performance by the actors and humanity of all the characters”, the Georgian film was awarded the Golden Pram prize at the 12^thannual Zagreb Film Festival, an international festival showing filmmakers’ first or second films in its competition program held from October 19 to 26.

Earlier this year Blind Dates also won a top award of the Federal Foreign Office, and director Koguashvili received the Best Director’s award at the goEast Film Festival 2014.

Furthermore, the film was nominated for the Tokyo Grand Prix at the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2013 and the Louve d'Or at the Montréal Festival of New Cinema in 2013.

Watch the trailer of the Blind Dates below: