Award-winning director Levan Akin reveals work on new film

Film director Levan Akin, recipient of awards from international festivals for his feature And Then We Danced, has revealed he is working on a new film project, with shootings set to be held in Turkey and Georgia.

Akin revealed the work, titled Passage, to Screen Daily on Wednesday, telling the online publication it would be centred around "love and longing for a place to belong". The director also said Turkish music, as well as his visits to grandparents in Georgia, served as inspirations for the project.

While doing research on And Then We Danced I heard many stories that stuck with me. As I dug deeper I found themes that resonated with me, particularly one of the stories that I could not let go. It led me on a journey from Tbilisi to Istanbul,” the filmmaker told Screen Daily.

Akin, born in Sweden to parents who emigrated from Georgia in the 1970s, told the film news website his travels to grandparents back in Georgia meant the story he is using for Passage was "deeply personal" to him. With the director working on screenplay, filming is scheduled to start in summer 2021.

The new film project is produced by Mathilde Dedye of Sweden’s French Quarter Films, who also worked on Akin's award-winning feature.

The roster of producers also includes Nadia Turincev of France’s Easy Rider Films, Nadir Öperli of Turkey’s Liman Film, Ersan Congar of Turkey’s Birfilm and Ketie Danelia of Georgia’s Takes Films. The production of Passage is supported by the Swedish Film Institute.

The Swedish director also told Screen Daily he was working on the Swedish TV drama Dough, with filming set to take place later this year.

Earlier this month Akin's name was revealed to be on the latest list of cinema professionals invited to become members of the United States' Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as a recognition of the success of And Then We Danced.

The film received dozens of awards and nominations during its festival run and was picked by Sweden as the country's 2020 Academy Award for Best International Feature Film bid.