Venice Giornate degli Autori Halts Georgian Film ‘The Antique’ Over Copyright Issue

Venice’s Giornate degli Autori (GdA), which was previously known as Venice Days, has halted the screenings of Georgian director Rusudan Glurjidze’s film The Antique due to a copyright issue.

The section issued a statement explaining the suspension of Wednesday’s press and industry screening. This was due to an emergency decree from the Court of Venice, a result of a dispute initiated by the companies Viva Film (Russia), Avantura Film (Croatia), and Pygmalion (Cyprus), regarding the film’s script.

The film’s principal producer is the Georgian company Cinetech, with Paris-based MPM Premium handling international sales.

GdA is seemingly balancing its support of Glurjidze and the need to adhere to the court’s ruling.

“We will do whatever is in our power, in observance of the law as well as the freedom of expression of the filmmaker, to support the existence of the work itself and its visibility in Venice over the coming days,” the statement read.

The film draws inspiration from the real-life illegal expulsion of thousands of Georgian nationals from Russia during the 2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy.

Source: Deadline