Crossing: A powerful Georgian film about trans life in Istanbul

When Levan Akin’s gay love story And Then We Danced came out in Georgia five years ago, it was met with violent protests. Right-wing groups threatened and attacked cinemagoers in Tbilisi and Batumi; it was removed from Georgian theatres two days later. Yet, around the world, And Then We Danced amassed a passionate following, its Robyn-themed dance number proving particularly popular online. And then Akin made Crossing.

“And Then We Danced helped me realise that films and images have power,” says Akin, 44, in a King’s Cross meeting room, the week before Crossing comes out in cinemas. “That reaction in Georgia with the post-Soviet generation versus the Soviet generation – like, old versus young – informed the themes of Crossing. I wanted to tell a story from the point of view of an older character who’s a relative to somebody who’s LGBTQI+, and to show it isn’t just like, ‘Old people don’t understand, because they’re bigoted.’ It’s far more nuanced than that.”

Crossing, then, funnels the balletic energy of And Then We Danced into its trio of determined leads, the main one being Lia, a retired teacher in Georgia played by 72-year-old Mzia Arabuli. Upon learning that her long-lost trans niece Tekla might be in Istanbul, Lia heads out to Turkey with the assistance of a young neighbour, Achi (Lucas Kankava), who’s desperate for a new life outside of Tbilisi. “Lia is based on many Georgian women I knew growing up,” explains Akin, who was raised in Sweden by Georgian parents. “She’s a homage to feminine power in this very patriarchal context. She’s not married. She didn’t want to subjugate herself to a man.”

Novelistic in its structure, Crossing weaves in and out of its textured character’s lives, some of whom only appear for a scene but are worthy of a film of their own. Receiving ample screen time, though, is Evrim, a human rights lawyer who works for an NGO in Istanbul. She’s played by Deniz Dumanli, a trans actress in her first-ever film role. “Our main casting person in Turkey was a trans man called Bulut [Sezer] who knew a lot of people in the community,” says Akin. “I wanted Evrim to be a resilient character that faces the world with bravado. Deniz really has that spirit within herself. She’s so open, so positive, so hungry for life.”

As a trans woman, Evrim faces discrimination of her own, whether it’s paperwork difficulties or safety concerns when strolling around in public. Akin’s fourth feature, which won the Teddy Award at the Berlinale, thus spends time with its queer characters in Istanbul, including a found family who inform Evrim and Lia that Tekla, a former housemate, might by untraceable for a reason. “When I interviewed people that work with NGOs and human rights, they said they would first question the motive of the person who came to them,” says Akin. “They’d be like, ‘Does this person even want to be found by you?’”

As well as casting trans actors, Akin ensured there were trans artists amongst the crew. “Our assistant costume designer is trans,” says the director. “We had Bulut. We had many queer people in the team, including myself and our DOP [director of photography]. It’s important to have representation throughout, not just in front of the camera, because that’s different. There’s so many specific things within Lubunca culture in Istanbul. Lubunca is an old Roma word. They have their own slang that they speak in the film. I couldn’t have made this film any other way.”

In fact, Akin was so insistent on deep research that the shoot was delayed by a year when COVID prevented him from visiting the locations beforehand. The screenplay was already finished, financing was secured, and there was a risk that postponement could lead to the project’s cancellation. “There was a lot of opposition [to my decision],” says Akin. “But I didn’t feel comfortable going out there. I actually rewrote the script – a whole new round. I’m happy I did.”

While Akin’s last two films have been set in Georgia and Turkey, he started out directing in Sweden. As an assistant to the arthouse legend Roy Andersson, Akin helped build sets for the 2007 comedy You, the Living, and his eventual first two features were Certain People and The Circle, the latter scored by ABBA’s Benny Andersson. After the success of And Then We Danced, Akin turned down numerous high-profile projects “much to the chagrin of my agents”, choosing to write his own scripts. His next one, he teases, will explore “wealth disparity and body autonomy”.

However, as a fan of Anne Rice growing up, Akin couldn’t resist working on AMC’s Interview with a Vampire. As an executive producer, Akin directed five episodes of the American TV series that has an online fandom but not that much mainstream press attention. Akin dismisses the notion that homophobia and racism are at play. “As soon as it’s on Netflix, people are going to tune in. There are so many queer shows that do super well when they’re widely available. The writing on the show is so layered, and the characters are so fun, campy, and crazy.”

Akin admits there’s frustration when it comes to financing his movies. Often, they require a plot-driven script to secure a budget, when he’d rather have more freedom upon embarking on a shoot. A highlight of Crossing is when the camera spins around for a minute on a boat, luxuriating in the presence of characters that don’t drive the story. In the script, it was a single sentence. “And Then We Danced was more accessible,” says Akin. “It’s more classical, more dramaturgical, more manipulative. Crossing takes a step back and requires more from the viewer. I wanted to push it. In a perfect world, I’d veer even more from the narrative form.”

A more direct moment, though, is a monologue from Lia in which she expresses regret that she didn’t support her trans niece from a younger age. Akin believes it’s a scene that queer Georgian viewers will appreciate. “Many of us from that region have never been able to talk to the older generation openly about this,” he says. “Even if we have grandmothers who are alive, it’s like: they know you’re queer but won’t talk about it. Lia says, ‘We wasted so much time. We could have spent that time together. And for what? I love you regardless.’ That’s something a lot of us want to hear.”

After all, Akin felt impassioned about the power of images in the aftermath of And Then We Danced, and that belief is all over Crossing, a rich, poignant drama that’s optimistic in how three strangers unite in their battle for a better world. “We live in precarious times where everything feels polarised,” says Akin. “There’s a lot of negativity and darkness. I wanted to show solidarity on the screen between people regardless of their sexual preference or gender. We’re all in the same boat, essentially. We’re all victims of capitalism, which is very tightly tied together with the patriarchy. We’re all fighting the same fight.”

Crossing is out in UK cinemas now.