Dea Kulumbegashvili’s first feature film ’Naked Sky’ awarded Rotterdam fest production grant

Award-winning filmmaker Dea Kulumbegashvili’s upcoming feature Naked Sky is in full production phase as the project has been selected for a development grant of the prestigious International Film Festival Rotterdam.

The director’s first feature work was picked among less than a dozen projects from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East to receive the festival’s Hubert Bals Fund grant.

Naked Sky follows 45-year old writer Alex on his return to his native village in Georgia following a long immigration to the United States.

The @IFFR's Hubert Bals Fund @IFFRPRO announces fall 2017 selection https://t.co/YtNPKgipl7

— Cineuropa (@Cineuropa) October 20, 2017

Coming back to look after his dying father, Alex finds himself in discord with his parent as he is waiting to sell the land and leave the place following the inevitable passing away of Shota.

In the meanwhile the failed writer also finds human connection with Yana, a Jehovah’s Witness, as an affair develops between the two.

The development sees Alex in the midst of a religious conflict between two local communities while he also faces his own struggles.

Selected for the grant, the 11 projects will receive €72,500/$85,000 in total to aid their development expenses.

Naked Sky has been selected for other grants throughout this year, with the feature project awarded $20,000 from the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab in July.

Kulumbegashvili’s work split the earlier grant with Israeli director Maya Dreifuss’ project Highway 65.

The Georgian director’s most recent complete work Lethe was awarded the Cinematic Achievement Award at the Thessaloniki International Short Film Festival in Greece last year.

She was also honoured with the 2016 Tsinandali Cinema Art Award in Georgia for her film work.