Georgian Actor on the Latest Success & Berlinale 2018
European Shooting Stars, the annual prestigious selection of 10 young talents to watch, has announced its fresh faces for 2018, among them Georgian fledgling actor Irakli Kvirikadze, famous for playing the lead role in the film Hostages by celebrated Georgian director Rezo Gigineishvili.
The selected up-and-coming actors from Europe, including Irakli, will be honored at the Berlin International Film Festival 2018. He is the first Georgian actor to be given this prestigious prize.
"Irakli is a fresh talent, having given a truly impressive performance in Hostages, an ensemble drama in which he shines, thanks to the emotional depth he displays,” the Shooting Stars jury stated. “Still young, Irakli's admirable skills as a trained actor allow him to express passion, anger and sensibility. He has a natural presence and his overwhelming energy combined with humble eagerness, makes him an undisputed 'one to watch’."
For the 21st edition of European Shooting Stars, this year's jury of industry experts selected a list of what they deem to be 2018's 10 most talented, up-and-coming actors from all over Europe, who are ready to step out onto the international film scene. They will be presented to the film industry, public and international press during the 68th Berlin International Film Festival (February 15 – 25, 2018). The group will take part in a dedicated workshop program, rounded off by an awards ceremony at the Berlinale Palast on Monday, February 19, where each actor will be given a European Shooting Stars Award.
GEORGIA TODAY spoke to actor Irakli Kvirikadze who is currently based in Los Angeles, and asked him to tell us about his achievement.
“I ended up at Shooting Stars through the Georgian National Film Center,” he told us. “Georgia presented my candidacy and I was accepted. I succeeded thanks to the help of many people, in particular, director Rezo Gigineishvili and producer Tamara Tatishvili, who introduced my name to the Georgian Film Center. To be honest, I was not expecting to be selected for the award and I can hardly believe in it even now. It’s a really big achievement and it really means a lot to me.”
The world premiere of Hostages, through which the actor earned his fame, was held as part of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival and only afterwards, in April, was it screened in Georgia’s cinemas. The film by Rezo Gigineishvili is based on a tragic story that took place in 1980s Soviet Georgia. A group of friends who wanted to escape the Soviet regime attempted to hijack a plane in Tbilisi airport and flee to the United States, but their plan failed and the result was a tragedy.
“Playing this role in the film was extremely interesting and a big responsibility,” Irakli said. “It is a big challenge when you play a person who was known to the entire country. There are many people who knew Gega Kobakhidze very well and had close relations with him. I knew from the beginning that this film would receive controversial feedback, because the story on which the movie is based is very private and painful for many people in Georgia. The whole team put a lot of energy and effort into making work.”
Lika Chigladze