Netflix set to premiere ’My Happy Family’ as first Georgian film on platform
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Award-winning feature My Happy Family by filmmakers Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross is set to become the first Georgian film featured on Netflix cinema platform this week.
The film’s story of a Georgian woman seeking a new stage in her life will go on screens of viewers of the popular platform that serves nearly 110 million users in 190 countries.
Ahead of the Sundance Film Festival-premiered feature’s debut on the platform it was reviewed by the Village Voice newsweekly website.
Village Voice ran the feature with a headline "The Best Film of the Year Isn’t Coming to Theaters — It’s Coming to Netflix This Week”.
There isn’t a single second of ‘My Happy Family’ that doesn’t ring as achingly true”, said the piece by Bilge Ebiri.
Ekvtimishvili and Gross’ film follows Georgian literature teacher Manana on the eve of her birthday as she announces to her family and relatives that she will be moving to live separately from them.
The script details the experience of several generations living under the same roof, with conservative family traditions set against the independently-minded protagonist.
Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross have claimed nearly a dozen awards for their feature since its release. Photo: My Happy Family film Facebook page.
The film has won nearly a dozen prizes at international festivals since its premiere in December 2016.
The accolades include awards at the Hong Kong International Film Festival and goEast International Film Festival.
In the wake of the film’s release, The New York Times named its directorial duo among nine emerging filmmakers to watch.
Netflix acquired global distribution rights for My Happy Family earlier this year.
Award-winning features My Happy Family and House of Others will represent Georgian filmmaking talent among over 200 films awaiting audiences at this year’s Sydney Film Festival starting next week.
Two films by Georgian directors were singled out for prizes at the annual goEast festival in Germany, with the awards ceremony honouring filmmakers Nana Ekvtimishvili, Simon Gross and Rati Oneli on Tuesday.
Acclaimed filmmakers Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross were singled out for their directorial work on their new feature My Happy Family with the Best Director prize at the Sofia International Film Festival on Sunday.
Young Georgian filmmaker Tamta Gabrichidze’s short documentary The Trader has been selected by global cinema distribution platform Netflix, making the film available to an audience of over 100 million viewers across the world.
Over five days of film screenings, Boston’s Museum of Visual Arts will introduce contemporary Georgian cinema to viewers on the occasion of the country’s Independence Day celebrations later this month.
A new film by award-winning Georgian filmmaker Nana Ekvtimishvili and German director Simon Gross will have its world premiere at a leading international film festival next January.