Georgia’s ‘The Antique’ Reveals Trailer Ahead of Venice Premiere, MPM Selling

Georgian filmmaker Rusudan Glurjidze’s second feature film, “Antikvariati” (The Antique), recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival in the Venice Days sidebar. MPM Premium has taken on the international sales rights for the film, which is set about 18 years ago in Russia. The story revolves around a young Georgian man, Lado, who is involved in smuggling antique furniture from Georgia to Russia.

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In the film, Lado’s girlfriend, Medea, buys herself an apartment in St. Petersburg’s historic center out of frustration with Lado’s immaturity. The apartment is available at a remarkably low price because it comes with a catch: its owner, Vadim Vadimich, an old-fashioned and opinionated man, still lives there. Meanwhile, during the deportation of thousands of Georgians from Russia, Lado is caught and deported. The antique warehouse gets raided and Medea hides inside a wardrobe.

Glurjidze explains that “The Antique” might be the last film shot in Russia by foreign filmmakers, as it was completed amid tremendous challenges. According to her, the Russian Ministry of Culture demanded the removal of multiple scenes, leading the Georgian team to refuse. This led to various attempts to obstruct the shoot, and eventually, the film material was confiscated at the border. Fortunately, two copies of the film were saved, but further efforts were made to block the film from being released.

Glurjidze’s debut directorial feature, “House of Others,” premiered in 2016 in the East of the West competition at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prix. It was also selected as Georgia’s candidate for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards.

In discussing her work, Glurjidze remarks, “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.”

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With “The Antique,” the filmmaker continues to portray significant historical events, focusing on the brutal and unlawful deportation of Georgians. The lives of four central figures—Medea, Vadim Vadimich, Lado, and Peter—are intertwined, presenting a stark yet powerful depiction of the intricate realities of immigration and Russia’s imperial cruelty.

The cast of “The Antique” includes Salome Demiura, Sergey Dreyden, and Vladimir Vlovichenkov. The production team comprises Zurab Magalashvili, Manana Shevardnadze, Andrey Epifanov, Tanya Petrik, Jussi Myllyniemi, Uschi Feldges, Ansgar Frerich, Eva Kemme, and Tatiana Detlofson.

Cinetech leads the production, while Cinetrain, Whitepoint Digital, and Basis Berlin Filmproduction are co-production companies.

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Source: Variety