Leading Danish festival marks Georgian cinema day in Copenhagen

Two of the latest works coming from Georgian filmmakers were screened at Denmark's largest feature film festival CPH PIX as the event hosting its first-ever Georgian Day last week.

Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross' multi-award-winning feature My Happy Family and Rezo Gigineishvili's feature drama Hostages presented the contemporary cinema from the country at the event.

My Happy Family received over a dozen prizes since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016.

The Danish festival hosted its first-ever Georgian Day within this year's program. Photo: Guste Vaitkeviciute/CPH PIX.

The feature follows 52 year-old Georgian woman Manana as she decides to move out of her family in search of independence — a decision met by consternation from her conservative relatives and friends.

Rezo Gigineishvili’s Hostages is a dramatised portrayal of the true story of a 1983 hijacking of a Soviet airliner by a group of young Georgians looking to flee the life under the regime.

The film earned Gigineishvili the Best Direction award at the Sochi Open Russian Film Festival, with Vladislav Opelyants awarded as Best Cinematographer.

#CPHPIX invites you to Georgian Day at Cinemateket, screening ‘Hostages’ & 'My Happy Family' https://t.co/0Kb0Tormbq

— CPH PIX (@CPHPIX) September 29, 2017

The two works were screened during the Georgian Day held on day two of the festival at the Cinemateket cinema theatre.

The focus on the Georgian cinema was part of the two-week festival program that saw over 150 films go on screen in Copenhagen.

Visitors of the Georgian Day were hosted by Ambassador of Georgia to Denmark Gigi Gigiadze and CPH PIX Festival Program Director Nils Lind Larsen.

The reception saw cinema-goers welcomed for Georgian wine and cuisine between the two screenings and addressed by Gigiadze who spoke about the recent international success of new Georgian cinema.