Georgia’s Oscar-nominated film Corn Island opens Italian film festival

Georgia’s award-winning film Corn Island will open the international section of the Terra di Siena Film Festival during its screenings in Italian cinema theatres.

Corn Island’s Italian tour will open on Monday, September 28, in Milan’s Beltrade cinema before the film travels to Siena the following day to open the Festival’s Eyes on the World section that showcases international productions.

Cinema halls in Milan, Rome and Bologna are among the other confirmed venues presenting the European Film Awards (EFA)-shortlisted production while a number of other theatres are expected to confirm additional screening dates.

The film, directed by Georgian man Giorgi Ovashvili, has been presented at 60 international festivals, winning 31 awards.

It is a collaborative production of Georgia, Germany, Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic, France and Hungary and was Georgia’s nominee for the Best Foreign Language Film at last year’s 87^th Academy Awards.

The film’s plot tells a story about an old Abkhazian farmer and his granddaughter as they try to make a living by growing corn on a temporary island created by the Enguri River that divides Georgia from its breakaway Abkhazia region following the 1992-1993 war.

Corn Island has been called a "master class in emotionally charged minimalism” by hollywoodreporter.com.