Crossing

media release: Sweden, Turkey | 2024 | DCP | 106 min. | Georgian, Turkish with English subtitles

Director: Levan Akin

Cast: Mzia Arabuli, Lucas Kankava, Deniz Dumanli

In rural Georgia, retired schoolteacher Lia sets off on a quest to bring her long-missing trans niece back home. A young neighbor informs Lia that he’s heard the runaway has landed in Istanbul, and then surprises her by tagging along for the search. The odd couple of stoic retiree and restless teen join forces to scour a foreign city’s subculture. Levan Akin’s moving followup to the acclaimed And Then We Danced boasts a pair of fantastic lead performances, and doubles as a rich portrait of contemporary Istanbul.

The Premieres series returns with more early and exclusive looks at the very best in current arthouse cinema! This fall kicks off with Sebastian Stan in A Different Man, one of the best films from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, screening at the Cinematheque nearly a month before it hits theaters. For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience, don’t miss Eno, a documentary portrait about the iconic musician which is digitally reconfigured every time it screens—the version you’ll see here on October 10 will never be shown again. Plus: wild new entertainments by boundary-pushing favorites Don Hertzfeldt, Harmony Korine, and Quentin Dupieux; equally adventurous and riveting nonfiction works by Mati Diop and Johan Grimonprez, and much more! This series was made possible by a generous donation from an anonymous cinephile.