Crossing (2024 film)

Crossing (Turkish: Geçiş, Georgian: გადასვლა) is a 2024 drama film written and directed by Levan Akin. It stars Mzia Arabuli, Lucas Kankava and Deniz Dumanlı. The film was selected in the Panorama section at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 15 February 2024. It was released in Sweden on 22 March 2024, by TriArt Film. It fetched the IFFI ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal at the 55th International Film Festival of India.

Crossing
Festival poster
Directed by	Levan Akin
Written by	Levan Akin
Produced by	Mathilde Dedye
Starring	Mzia Arabuli Lucas Kankava Deniz Dumanlı
Cinematography	Lisabi Fridell
Edited by	Levan Akin Emma Lagrelius
Production companies	French Quarter Film Adomeit Film Easy Riders Film Bir Film 1991 Productions Swedish RMV Film Sveriges Television Swedish Film Institute Eurimages Nordisk Film & TV Fond
Distributed by	TriArt Film
Release dates	15 February 2024 (2024-02-15) (Berlinale) 22 March 2024 (2024-03-22) (Sweden)
Running time	106 minutes
Countries	Sweden Denmark France Turkey Georgia
Languages	Georgian Turkish English
Box office	$553,529[1]

Premise

Lia, a retired schoolteacher from Georgia, sets out to find her long-lost niece Tekla, a transgender woman. Accompanied by Tekla’s former neighbor, the unpredictable Achi, she travels to Istanbul to continue the search. There, they meet Evrim, a transgender legal advocate active in the city’s trans community.

Cast

• Mzia Arabuli as Lia
• Lucas Kankava as Achi
• Deniz Dumanlı as Evrim

Production

In January 2023, it was announced Levan Akin had written and directed the film, with principal photography concluding in Istanbul.^[2]

Release

The crew of Crossing at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival

Crossing had its world premiere on 15 February 2024, as part of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, opening Panorama.^[3][4] Prior to its premier, Mubi acquired distribution rights to the film in North and Latin America, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Germany.^[5] It was released in Sweden on 22 March 2024, by TriArt Film.^[6]

At Berlin, the film received the Jury Prize from the Teddy Award jury for LGBTQ-themed films.^[7]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 60 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "A tender odyssey with Mzia Arabuli's wonderful performance as the audience's guide, Crossing marks another humanist triumph for writer-director Levan Akin."^[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 83 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".^[9]

Accolades

Award	Ceremony date	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
Berlin International Film Festival	15 February 2024	Teddy Award – Jury Prize	Levan Akin	Won	[7]
Guadalajara International Film Festival	15 June 2024	Maguey Award – Special Jury Prize	Levan Akin	Won	[10]
International Film Festival of India	28 November 2024	IFFI ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal	Levan Akin	Won	[11]
Guldbagge Awards	13 January 2025	Best Film	Mathilde Dedye	Won	[12]
		Best Director	Levan Akin	Won
		Best Actress in a Leading Role	Mzia Arabuli	Nominated
		Best Screenplay	Levan Akin	Nominated
		Best Cinematography	Lisabi Fridell	Won
		Best Sound Design	Anne Gry Friis Kristensen and Sigrid DPA Jensen	Won
		Best Production Design	Roger Rosenberg	Nominated
GLAAD Media Awards	March 29, 2025	Outstanding Film - Limited Release		Won	[13]