Levan Akin's Crossing opens Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama Section

Crossing. Photo by Haydar Taştan

Crossing, the new film by writer-director Levan Akin, is set to open the Panorama section at the Berlin Film Festival. Furthermore, Andrei Tarkovsky's Sacrifice (restored in 4K by the Swedish Film Institute) will screen in Berlinale Classics, and actress Asta Kamma August is Sweden's Shooting Star.

Crossing, Levan Akin's follow-up to internationally acclaimed And Then We Danced, is a moving drama set in Turkey. Lia, a retired teacher, made a promise to find her long lost niece Tekla. The search takes her to Istanbul, a beautiful city that seems full of connections and possibilities. There she meets Evrim, a lawyer fighting for trans rights, and Tekla starts to feel closer than ever.

– What an honour to have Crossing open Panorama at this year's Berlinale! Bringing this story, its characters and themes to life came with unique challenges, which makes this even more meaningful. I’m so excited to present the film on such a respected platform, says Levan Akin.

Levan Akin is a Swedish filmmaker of Georgian descent. His work explores class, gender and sexuality. His body of work includes the critically acclaimed film And Then We Danced, which premiered at the Director’s Fortnight in Cannes 2019 and was selected as Sweden’s official entry for the Oscars. Akin has also made notable contributions to television, including the series Real Humans (adapted as Humans for AMC in the US and UK). Additionally, he served as a co-executive producer and director for AMC’s highly regarded adaptation of Interview with the Vampire (2022). Crossing is his fourth feature film.

Crossing, written and directed by Levan Akin, is produced by Mathilde Dedye / French Quarter Film, in co-production with Adomeit Film (Denmark), Easy Riders Films (France), Bir Film (Turkey), 1991 Productions (Georgia) along with Swedish RMV Film and Sveriges Television. The film has been supported by The Swedish Film Institute, feature film commissioner Hanna Lejonqvist, and made with support from, amongst others, Eurimages, Nordisk Film & TV Fond and the Swedish Arts Grants Committee. The film stars Mzia Arabuli, Lucas Kankava and Deniz Dumanlı.

Swedish distributor is TriArt Film, with a domestic premiere set for March 22. World sales by Totem Films.

International press for Crossing is handled by Wolf Consultants, Gordon Spragg and Michael Arnon: hello@wolf-con.com

Berlinale Classics: The Sacrifice

The Sacrifice, Russian master Andrei Tarkovsky's final film, has been selected for Berlinale Classic. The film, shot on the island of Gotland and featuring a primarily Swedish team, has been digitally restored in 4K by the Swedish Film Institute.

Rainer Rother, head of the Berlinale Classics section and Artistic Director of the Deutsche Kinemathek:

– We chose The Sacrifice by Andrei Tarkovsky for the 2024 Berlinale Classics section because we were so gripped by the story – visually captured so brilliantly by cinematographer Sven Nykvist. In poetic images and philosophical-religious dialogue, The Sacrifice marries the merciless précis of its protagonist’s life with a powerful plea for modern humans to engage in self-reflection and self-restraint. In addition, the selection committee was impressed by the outstanding quality of the restoration work. In particular, the new restoration faithfully preserves the masterful lighting design and colour composition, including the sepia and black-and-white passages. We are thrilled to honour Andrei Tarkovsky’s oeuvre by presenting his final film at the Berlinale.

Shooting Star: Asta Kamma August

Swedish actress Asta Kamma August has been chosen by the European Film Promotion (EFP) as one of the 10 European Shooting Stars for 2024. From 16 to 19 February the selected ten will be presented to the international press, the industry and the public in an exclusive programme. The press presentation, including photocall and individual interviews, will be held on Sunday 18 Februari, 09:00 am, at the Mövenpick Hotel.

Swedish press meeting in Berlin

All things Swedish at the Berlinale be presented at our press meeting in Berlin – an invitation will be sent out at a later date. Stay tuned!

The 74th Berlin International Film Festival will take place 15-25 February.