Levan Akin

{{Infobox person

| image = Levan Akin-63420.jpg

| caption = Levan Akin at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival in 2024

| name = Levan Akin

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1979|12|14|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Botkyrka, Sweden

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height =

| occupation ={{flatlist|

| years active = 2007－present

}}

Levan Akin (born 14 December 1979) is a Swedish film director and screenwriter, best known for his film And Then We Danced,{{cite news |last=Meza |first=Ed |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/global/levan-akin-and-then-we-danced-1203305898/ |title=Levan Akin on the Impact of 'And Then We Danced' |work=Variety |date=19 August 2019 |accessdate=2020-04-26 }}{{cite news |last=Andersson |first=Jan-Olov |url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/film/a/QoO72Q/levan-akin-om-att-hans-film-ar-sveriges-oscarsbidrag-det-ar-helt-gal |title=Levan Akin om att hans film är Sveriges Oscarsbidrag: "Det är helt galet" |language=Swedish |work=Aftonbladet |date=13 September 2019 |accessdate=2020-04-26 }} that received critical acclaim and won the 2019 Guldbagge Award for Best Film.{{cite news |last=Dalton |first=Ben |url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/and-then-we-danced-aniara-lead-winners-at-swedens-2020-guldbagge-awards/5146350.article |title='And Then We Danced', 'Aniara' lead winners at Sweden's 2020 Guldbagge awards |work=Screendaily |date=21 January 2020 |accessdate=2020-04-26 }}

Biography

Levan Akin was born and raised in Tumba, Sweden.{{cite web|language=sv|last=Oscarsson|first=Mattias |title=Levan Akin: Vi hade livvakter under inspelningen|url=https://www.sydsvenskan.se/2019-05-16/levan-akin-vi-hade-livvakter-under-inspelningen|date=16 May 2019|publisher=Sydsvenskan|accessdate=12 November 2019}}{{cite web|language=de|title=Als wir tanzten|url=https://www.queerfilmfestival.net/2019/07/als-wir-tanzten/|date=|publisher=Queer Film Festival|accessdate=12 November 2019}} His parents, of Georgian origin, had moved to Sweden in the 1960s, when Georgia was one of the republics of the Soviet Union.{{cite web|language=sv|last=Lagercrantz| first =Ylva Spindler|title=Hyllade Levan fick ha livvakter i Georgien|url=https://www.scenfilm.se/2019/06/13/hyllade-levan-fick-ha-livvakter-i-georgien/|date=13 June 2019|publisher=Scen & Film|accessdate=12 November 2019}} Akin returns to Georgia every year with his sister for the summer holidays. There he consolidates his knowledge of Georgian culture and the practice of the Georgian language.{{cite web|last= Cauhapé| first=Véronique |title=Levan Akin, réalisateur de " Et puis nous danserons " : " La Géorgie est composée de deux mondes parallèles "|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2019/11/06/levan-akin-realisateur-de-et-puis-nous-danserons-la-georgie-est-composee-de-deux-mondes-paralleles_6018192_3246.html|date=6 November 2019|publisher=Le Monde|accessdate=12 November 2019|language=fr}} He is openly gay.{{cite web|last= Gibley| first=Ryan |title=‘I saw In Bed with Madonna 50 times. I’d never seen guys kissing before’: Levan Akin on formative films, trans rights and usurping his heroes"|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/jul/12/levan-akin-formative-films-trans-rights-heroes|date=12 July 2024|publisher=The Guardian|accessdate=12 July 2024|language=en}}

= Career =

Akin started out as an assistant director in film productions, mainly at Sveriges Television. He worked at Studio 24 for the production of You, the Living (Du Levande) by Roy Andersson (2007).

In 2008, he won two awards at the Hamburg Film Festival alongside film designer and producer Erika Stark for the short film De sista sakerna (2008).{{cite news|url= https://www.svd.se/filmfest-med-kulturhipsters|publisher=Filmfest med kulturhipsters – SvD|title=Filmfest med kulturhipsters – SvD|last=Eriksson|first=Karoline |newspaper=Svenska Dagbladet|date=8 November 2011|language=sv|accessdate=12 November 2019}} Levan Akin then directed series such as Second Avenue (Andra Avenyn, 2008–2010), Livet i Fagervik (2009), Anno 1790 (2011) and Real Humans (Äkta människor, 2012) for the television channel Sveriges Television.

In autumn 2011, his first feature film Katinkas kalas, premiered at the Stockholm International Film Festival. The scenario was based on the inner tensions of a group of young people celebrating a birthday on a summer night. Three of the cast, mostly not known to the wider public, received nominations for the L'Oréal Paris Rising Star award,{{cite web|language=sv|url=https://news.cision.com/se/stockholms-filmfestival/r/svenska-skadespelartalanger-nominerade-till-l-oreal-paris-rising-star,c9175311|publisher=News Powered by Cision| title= Svenska skådespelartalanger nominerade till L'Oréal Paris Rising Star|accessdate=12 November 2019}} and Yohanna Idha was nominated for 2013 Guldbagge Award as Best Supporting Actress.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2012/film/reviews/certain-people-1117947502/|publisher=Variety|title=Certain People|date=6 May 2012|author=Boyd Van Hoeij}}

In 2019, Akin's second film And Then We Danced was released to critical acclaim.{{cite web|title=And Then We Danced|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/and_then_we_danced|access-date=11 September 2020|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango Media}}{{cite web |title= And Then We Danced |url= https://www.metacritic.com/movie/and-then-we-danced |website= Metacritic |access-date= 4 April 2020 }} It was premiered in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival{{cite web|last1=Keslassy|first1=Elsa|date=4 April 2019|title=Cannes: Deerskin With Jean Dujardin to Open Directors' Fortnight|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/cannes-deerskin-with-jean-dujardin-to-open-directors-fortnight-1203180491/|archive-url=|archive-date=|accessdate=19 April 2019|website=Variety|language=en}}{{cite web|last1=Goodfellow|first1=Melanie|date=|title=Cannes Directors' Fortnight unveils genre-heavy 2019 selection|url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/cannes-directors-fortnight-unveils-genre-heavy-2019-selection/5138683.article|archive-url=|archive-date=|accessdate=23 April 2019|website=ScreenDaily}} where it received a fifteen-minute standing ovation.{{Cite web|last=Fenwick|first=George|date=2020-03-06|title=And Then We Danced is putting a spotlight on homophobia in Georgia|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/film/and-then-we-danced-film-georgia-a4380816.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-10-08|website=Evening Standard|language=en}} Set in Georgia, the film follows Merab, a student from a Georgian traditional dance school who falls in love with his male rival. The Georgian Orthodox Church officially expressed its disapproval of the promotion and screening of the film, and the release of the film in November 2019 caused riots in Tbilisi and Batumi.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=8 November 2019|title=Police mobilized at Amirani Cinema|url=https://www.interpressnews.ge/en/article/104467-police-mobilized-at-amirani-cinema|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-10-08|website=InterPressNews|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=8 November 2019|title=Riot police mobilized at Amirani Cinema|url=https://www.interpressnews.ge/en/article/104473-riot-police-mobilized-at-amirani-cinema|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-10-08|website=InterPressNews|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=8 November 2019|title=Georgian March members trying to forcibly enter Amirani Cinema|url=https://www.interpressnews.ge/en/article/104472-georgian-march-members-trying-to-forcibly-enter-amirani-cinema|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-10-08|website=InterPressNews|language=en}}[https://www.interpressnews.ge/en/article/104479-protesters-clash-with-police-officers-at-apollo-cinema-in-batumi Protesters clash with police officers at "Apollo" cinema in Batumi]{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=8 November 2019|title=Protesters clash with police officers at "Apollo" cinema in Batumi|url=https://www.interpressnews.ge/en/article/104479-protesters-clash-with-police-officers-at-apollo-cinema-in-batumi|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-10-08|website=InterPressNews|language=en}}

In June 2020, Akin was selected as a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.{{Cite web|date=2020-06-30|title=ACADEMY INVITES 819 TO MEMBERSHIP|url=https://www.oscars.org/news/academy-invites-819-membership|access-date=2020-12-07|website=Oscars.org {{!}} Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|language=en}}

In 2024, Akin's third film Crossing had its world premiere at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/01/berlinale-2024-full-panorama-forum-generation-line-ups-1235795060/|title=Berlinale Unveils Full Panorama, Forum & Generation Line-Ups With New Films By Nathan Silver, Levan Akin, André Téchiné & Bruce LaBruce|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Melanie|last=Goodfellow|date=17 January 2024|access-date=23 January 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.berlinale.de/en/2024/programme/202415217.html|title=Crossing|website=Berlin International Film Festival|access-date=23 January 2024}}