European Shooting Stars: Levan Gelbakhiani named in 2020 cinema talent list
The young actor has received praise from the jury team of European Film Promotion. Photo: Natalia Ghlonti.
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Georgia's emerging acting talent Levan Gelbakhiani is one of 10 young performers selected as this year's European Shooting Stars by the European Film Promotion and will be unveiled to the Berlin International Film Festival audience to accept the award next month.
Winner of best actor prizes at Sarajevo and Valladolid festivals for his part in director Levan Akin's And Then We Danced, Gelbakhiani is now recognised in the selection of "the best up-and-coming young actresses and actors from Europe".
The outstanding talents were selected by a jury of industry experts, who deemed them ready to step out onto the international film scene" - European Film Promotion
The young actor was included in the list - promoted as the "oldest and most efficient" initiative for highlighting new acting personalities of the European scene - alongside cinema talent like Ella Rumpf (Alexia) and Bilal Wahib (Fissa).
Proud to reveal the 2020 #europeanshootingstars???? In the following weeks the ten up-and-coming young actresses and actors will be introduced more extensive. Stay tuned! #europeanfilmpromotion #berlinale2020 @europe_creative https://t.co/1nFSWlDyeL pic.twitter.com/fdr1aI8ImN
— EFP (European Film Promotion) (@EFP_on_tour) January 9, 2020
At only 21-years-old, he is already a master of physical elegance and psychological sensitivity", the EFP jury team said while commenting on their selection of Gelbakhiani
The judge panel involved casting director Lucy Bevan, filmmakers Dome Karukoski and Vesela Kazakova, producer Katarína Krnáčová and film journalist Rüdiger Sturm. They praised the Georgian actor for the way "he is able to capture all the pains and pitfalls of growing up, while dazzling us with his technical prowess".
Gelbakhiani received international acclaim for his role in Akin's feature that places the protagonist in a romantic encounter with another male dancer within a conservative Georgian national dance troupe. Both the film and the actor have been distinguished with awards at festivals and competitions since the premiere of the work at the Directors’ Fortnight festival in Cannes.
Gelbakhiani, who was nominated for the ESS list by the Georgian National Film Centre, will face cinema professionals and the general audience at the Berlin International Film Festival to formally receive the award alongside his fellow performers. The festival is set to run between February 20-March 1.
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.
Levan Akin's award-winning feature And Then We Danced will be part of the line-up at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival next month, bringing a personal story of love to the high-profile cinema event.
The festival-touring feature And Then We Danced by director Levan Akin received accolade at the Chicago International Film Festival, with the film about an emotional encounter of two male dancers joining winners of the 55th edition over the weekend.
Georgian actor Levan Gelbakhiani has claimed latest round of plaudits for his performance in filmmaker Levan Akin's feature And Then We Danced after collecting the Best Actor Award at Spain's Valladolid International Film Festival last weekend, with the film itself also honoured at the event.
Filmmaker Levan Akin's feature And Then We Danced has been nominated for the European University Film Award, a prize by university students throughout Europe.
Actor Levan Gelbakhiani, cast as the principal protagonist of the newly released feature And Then We Danced by filmmaker Levan Akin, has been unveiled as the winner of the Best Actor Award at the Sarajevo Film Festival.
Locarno Film Festival prize-winning young director Davit Pirtskhalava is working on his debut feature A Long Break, with the work set to explore subjects of bullying at school, traumatic memory and revenge.
Georgia's young cinema talents Levan Gelbakhiani and Irakli Kvirikadze, winners of the European Shooting Stars awards in 2020 and 2018 respectively, have been interviewed for their take on the prize and its effect on their burgeoning careers in film.
Swedish-Georgian co-production And Then We Danced has been named among The Guardian’s top 50 best films of 2020 in the United Kingdom. "Intense, winning romance about two male performers who spark a secret relationship in the ultra-conservative world of traditional Georgian dance”, The Guardian says.