Lia, a retired teacher, has made a promise to find out what happened to her long-lost niece, Tekla. When Lia learns from a neighbour, Achi, that Tekla might have left their Georgian homeland and be living in Turkey, Lia and Achi set off together to find her. Arriving in Istanbul, they discover a beautiful city full of connections and possibilities. But searching for someone who never intended to be found is harder than they expected – until they meet Evrim, a lawyer fighting for trans rights. As Lia and Achi weave their way through the city’s backstreets, Tekla starts to feel closer than ever.
Emotionally rich, deeply humane and politically resonant […] Akin creates a beautifully poetic sense of place… Long weaving shots lead us through the uneven, cat-filled streets and cramped corridors of the city, where the ezan is called out from mosques and homeless kids try to hustle a few lira from passers-by. Akin offers a moving portrayal of the bonds that can form between people who, on the surface at least, have little in common. In the rooming houses of Istanbul’s red-light district, where women shout down from the windows and camaraderie unites them through the walls, the director explores alternative means of belonging. The beating heart and hope of Crossing lies ultimately with collective activism rather than with family.
Carmen Grey, Sight & Sound
Warmly humanistic… This novelistic drama takes time to connect its central triangle but does so with a suppleness and restraint that amplify the emotional rewards.
David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter
Dumanli, making her screen feature debut here, is a pure joy to watch, enveloping the movie in a sense of warm coziness and safety as, just being in her presence, you feel like everything will somehow work out. But that doesn’t mean Crossing holds back on pungent, tough truths.
Ryan Lattanzio, Indiewire
Breathes hope and joy… Part road movie, part mystery, Crossing pulls you in with engaging plot beats but unfolds with an unhurried grace that never cheapens the endeavor.
Robert Daniels, rogerebert.com
Levan Akin
Mzia Arabuli, Lucas Kankava, Deniz Dumanli
Sweden/Denmark/France/
Turkey/Georgia
2024
In Georgian and Turkish with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Screenwriter
Levan Akin
Cinematography
Lisabi Fridell
Editor
Levan Akin, Emma Lagrelius
Also Playing
That They May Face the Rising Sun
John and Kate have moved from London to a farm in Ireland, to the bemusement of the locals. This lyrical Irish reverie taps deep wells of feeling in the stuff of everyday life.
Secret Mall Apartment
The stranger-than-fiction true story of a group of artists who built and furnished a hidden apartment inside a mall, remaining undetected for years. This is an absurdly fun and surprisingly profound film about gentrification and art.
The Encampments
When pro-Palestine protests took hold of Columbia last year, the filmmakers were there from the beginning. This documentary charts the mounting tensions between students and the administration, as the protests were picked up across North America.
The Teacher
In this potent thriller, English teacher Basem witnesses the murder of a teenager by a Israeli settler. While the subsequent investigation rolls slowly towards a foregone conclusion, the teacher is caught up in a parallel kidnapping case...