’My Happy Family’ named among 2017 films “you shouldn’t miss out on“

My Happy Family, one of last year’s standout films from Georgian directors, was selected among ‘Best Films Of 2017 You Didn’t See’ from a leading cinema platform The Playlist.

Reviewers of the film and TV website named the award-winning feature by Simon Gross and Nana Ektvtimishvili in their shortlist of productions that viewers might have missed in 2017.

[The selected works are] all terrific, hidden, sometimes ignored little gems that you shouldn’t miss out on. So, yes, these are the best films of 2017 ‘you didn’t see,’ which really means ‘you might not have seen’”, said the curators in their summary.

Gross and Ekvtimishvili’s work was obtained for distribution rights by Netflix in early December 2017, which meant that while the feature enjoyed prize-winning run at international festivals, it was not available for streaming until late in the year.

Ekvtimishvili and Gross’ heartbreaking, observant, intimate and empathetic drama is a story about liberation, but also a tale of a disregarded mother that wants to be heard and reclaim her life back from the throngs of loud, needy, thoughtless people around her”, notes the film’s profile for The Playlist selection.

Involving a cast of Georgian actors, the film’s principal protagonist is played by Ia Shugliashvili.

The feature was awarded nearly a dozen prizes at international festivals since its premiere at Sundance Film Festival in December 2016.

The accolades included 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 also named its directorial duo among nine emerging filmmakers to watch.