Estonian-Georgian Tangerines named Golden Globe finalist

Estonian-Georgian co-production Tangerines (Mandarinebi) is one step closer to winning a Golden Globe after being nominated as a finalist in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

The final list of nominees for the 72nd Golden Globe Awards was announced earlier today at the Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

War-time drama Tangerines,directed by Georgian man Zaza Urushadze, was chosen as one of five finalists from a larger pool of 53 nominated films in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

"I am getting crazy,” was the response Urushadze wrote on his Facebook page this afternoon when news broke that his film had been shortlisted for the prestigious award.

The film’s plot takes place against the backdrop of the war in Georgia's breakaway region Abkhazia. It focused on an Estonian man who decided to live in Abkhazia after the war and goes on to describe bizarre situation he finds himself in when he discovers two wounded soldiers – a Georgian and Chechen – who are on opposing sides.

Since the film’s release, Tangerines has been recognised abroad and won several major prizes.

Tangerines has participated in 28 international film festivals and won 19 awards, including top prizes at the Warsaw International Film Festival 2013, the Seattle International Film Festival 2014 and the BIFEST - Bari International Film Festival 2014.

The 72nd Golden Globe Awards, which honour the best in film and television for 2014, will be held on January 11, 2015, at the Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, where they have been held annually since 1961.