In this passionate tale of love and liberation set against the backdrop of Georgian traditional dance, ambitious young Merab has been training from an early age to earn a spot in the National Georgian Ensemble with his partner, Mary. But his world is suddenly turned upside down with the arrival of the charismatic, naturally gifted Irlaki, who becomes both his strongest rival and desire.
Within the highly gender-conservative, traditional world of Georgian dance, Merab must navigate his newfound feelings of attraction while competing for his lifelong goal. But as the two young men grow closer together and their mutual longing comes to the surface, they may unleash a floodgate that will pit them against the country’s culture. Directed by Levan Akin (Sweden, 2019)
Initially screened in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, And Then We Danced offers a riveting and visceral lead performance from newcomer Levan Gelbakhiani as Merab. The film has been selected as the Swedish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards.
“An unmissable, touching film about dance, identity and everything in between.”—Film Inquiry
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Levan Akin is a Swedish-born filmmaker whose work often plays on class and gender. He most recently directed The Circle, based on the bestselling YA book. He has also directed the feature film Certain People, which received its international premiere at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival to rave reviews.
He has also directed several TV-series for SVT Drama, most notably Real Humans. Currently Levan Akin is writing and directing a new TV-series for SVT titled Dough set to premiere in the spring of 2021.