Actor Levan Gelbakhiani, feature 'And Then We Danced' sweep four prizes at Sweden's leading cinema awards
Actor Levan Gelbakhiani (pictured fifth from left) with producers and director of the feature at the awards ceremony in Stockholm. Photo via Guldbagge Awards.
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The widening collection of international awards for director Levan Akin's feature And Then We Danced and its protagonist Levan Gelbakhiani saw the addition of four prizes at the Guldbagge Awards, the leading cinema awards in Sweden, on Monday.
Gelbakhiani, a young actor who broke through on the international scene with the premiere of the feature at the Directors’ Fortnight festival in Cannes last year, was distinguished with the Best Actor Award at the event in Stockholm.
The recognition follows similar prizes for the actor cast in the role of Merab, a dancer in a Georgian national troupe, from the Sarajevo and Valladolid film festivals as well as his selection for the European Shooting Stars list by the European Film Promotion.
Gelbakhiani was praised by the EFP jury for being "already a master of physical elegance and psychological sensitivity" at the age of 21. The panel also noted the actor's ability "to capture all the pains and pitfalls of growing up, while dazzling us with his technical prowess".
Akin's film also scooped the Best Film Award in Sweden's capital, with the director himself selected for the Best Screenplay Award and Lisabi Fridell singled out for her cinematography for the work.
In the feature Gelbakhiani's character develops romantic feelings towards Irakli, a newcomer to the conservative dance company, with the two young men pitted against prejudice surrounding them.
The Guldbagge Awards has selected Sweden's best in cinema since 1964, with 19 prizes used to pick annual winners.