AND THEN WE DANCEDc

AND THEN WE DANCED, 2019
Sweden | DCP, Color, 113’ | Georgian
Director:Levan Akin
Cast: Levan Gelbakhiani, Bachi Valishvili, Ana Javakishvili

Selected as this year’s Oscar entry from Sweden, And Then We Danced, is a production that Georgian director Levan Akin was inspired to make after the attacks during the Pride Walk in Tbilisi in 2013. Professional dancer Merab, like many others in his family, is a traditional Georgian folk dance performer. Merab trains hard and tirelessly to become a better dancer with his strict teacher, who pushes him at every opportunity and never avoids his harsh criticism. The young man’s life will be forever changed following the sudden arrival of Irakli, a fellow male dancer. Although at first Merab sees Irakli as competition, soon he falls for this charismatic man. Akin asserts, “I wanted to show that there wasn’t any contradiction in loving your heritage, being part of your culture, and also breaking the norm.”