Georgian filmmaker Rusudan Glurjidze‘s second feature film “Antikvariati” (The Antique), which has its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in the Venice Days sidebar, is launching its trailer. MPM Premium has acquired international sales rights to the film.
Set around 18 years ago in Russia, the film follows a young Georgian man named Lado, who is involved in smuggling antique furniture from Georgia to Russia. Tired of his immaturity, Medea, Lado’s girlfriend, buys for herself an apartment in St. Peterburg’s historic center. It is sold at a very low price because the apartment comes with its owner, Vadim Vadimich – an opinionated, old-fashioned character. At the time of the deportation of thousands of Georgians from Russia, Lado is caught and deported. The antique warehouse is raided, while Medea hides in a wardrobe.
Glurjidze claims “The Antique” may have been the last film to be shot in the Russia by foreign filmmakers, and was completed despite great difficulties.
“Initially, problems started when the Russian Ministry of Culture demanded the removal of multiple scenes. The Georgian team refused, leading to attempts to obstruct the shoot and, ultimately, the confiscation of the film material at the border,” she says. “Fortunately, two copies were saved. After this, they started to block the film.”
Glurjidze’s directorial feature debut, “House of Others,” premiered in 2016 in the East of the West competition at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, taking home the Grand Prix, and became Georgia’s candidate in the 89th Academy Awards for best foreign language film.
She comments: “In my previous work, I’ve ventured into the complex political landscape of Georgia, shedding light on themes that often remain obscured in Western Europe. ‘The House of Others’ delves into the haunting aftermath of the 1992-1993 war in Abkhazia, exploring the fractured lives of two families against a backdrop of conflict.
“‘The Antique’ boldly portrays the brutal and unlawful deportation of my compatriots, encapsulated through the lives of four central figures: Medea, Vadim Vadimich, Lado and Peter. Like ‘The House of Others,’ this film intertwines fiction with stark reality, delicately yet powerfully addressing the intricate and often painful realities of immigration while presenting a raw depiction of Russia’s imperial cruelty.”
Salome Demiura, Sergey Dreyden and Vladimir Vlovichenkov lead the cast.
The producers are Zurab Magalashvili, Manana Shevardnadze, Andrey Epifanov, Tanya Petrik, Jussi Myllyniemi, Uschi Feldges, Ansgar Frerich, Eva Kemme and Tatiana Detlofson.
The lead production company is Cinetech. The co-production companies are Cinetrain, Whitepoint Digital and Basis Berlin Filmproduction.
