Paris-based sales outfit Totem Films has boarded the new, as-yet-untitled project from “And Then We Danced” director Levan Akin, which has just wrapped shooting in Istanbul. Totem will present the film to buyers at next month’s European Film Market in Berlin.
The story is “about finding your family, not your blood relatives, but those that accept and love you unconditionally, without prejudice, for who you are,” the production company, French Quarter Film, said.
Akin said of the project: “My whole life, Istanbul and its inhabitants have held a special place in my heart, and I’m very excited to soon be able to share this world and its unique spaces with an audience.”
Totem Films said: “Levan perfectly knows how to capture genuine atmospheres and characters. We launched Totem in Cannes 2019 with ‘And Then We Danced.’ What a joy to continue our collaboration with this tribe!”
Akin’s Georgia-set “And Then We Danced” premiered in Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes before playing in the Spotlight section at Sundance. A coming-of-age story set amidst the conservative confines of modern Tbilisi, the film received one of the Cannes Film Festival’s longest standing ovations. The film later sparked protests in Georgia due to its portrayal of a homosexual love story.
“And Then We Danced” racked up healthy sales for Totem in more than 40 international territories as well as winning a slew of awards as it traveled the festival circuit.
The new film, which is a Swedish/Danish/French/Turkish/Georgian co-production, was produced by Mathilde Dedye of French Quarter Film, and co-produced by Katja Adomeit of Adomeit Film, Nadia Turincev and Omar El Kadi of Easy Riders Films, Anna Khazaradze and Nino Chichua of 1991 Productions, Ersan Çongar of Bir Film, and Anna Croneman and Charlotta Denward of SVT. Executive producers are Ludvig Andersson of RMV Film and Mattias Sandström of French Quarter Film.