Actor Irakli Kvirikadze in trailer for Europe’s top film talent

Georgia’s Irakli Kvirikadze is featured in a trailer for the 10 most talented young actors throughout Europe, as selected by the European Film Promotion (EFP) ahead of their unveiling at the Berlinale Film Festival this month.

Kvirikadze, who was cast in Rezo Gigineishvili’s 2017 feature Hostages, was listed in the European Shooting Stars selection released by EFP in December.

Now the Georgian has been showcased in a video introducing all 10 emerging talents with fragments of their roles in recent films.

Kvirikadze, the first ever nomination from Georgia for the selection, was picked alongside the other professionals from around Europe by a jury of cinema experts.

A news story by Cineuropa on the December selection said Kvirikadze had "straight away won over the jury with his presence in Hostages".

Irakli is a fresh talent, giving a truly impressive performance in Hostages, an ensemble drama in which he shines, thanks to the emotional depth he displays”, the judges noted in their selection.

The featured actors will be personally unveiled at the upcoming Berlinale Film Festival later this month, participating in a workshop session before an awards ceremony on February 19.

Kvirikadze was cast in one of the principal roles in Hostages, which premiered at last year’s Berlinale edition.

The film is a dramatised account of the true story of a group of young Georgians who attempted to hijack a Soviet airline flight in 1983 in an attempt to escape from the repressive political regime for prospects of an independent life in the West.

A co-production between Georgia, Russia and Poland, the feature cast Georgian actors in screenplay written by author Lasha Bugadze and Gigineishvili.

The feature drama was called a "breathtaking blend of thriller and social commentary” by Cineuropa.