The Swedish director’s fearless and hopeful takes on LGBTQ+ narratives have made him one of the most exciting gay directors working today. His new film, a border-hopping trans drama about generational tolerance, further cements his ascent
To say that Levan Akin’s experience of making his new film, Crossing, was more tranquil than his previous one, And Then We Danced, is a bit like observing that Manchester’s Canal Street has a more inclusive vibe than Moscow’s Red Square. Both movies are queer-themed: Crossing follows a retired teacher searching for her transgender niece in Istanbul; And Then We Danced concerns a Georgian ballet dancer inching out of the closet.
This time around, however, there were no death threats for Akin to deal with, no bodyguards required on set, no riot police called in to quell protests. Cultural figures have not denounced Crossing, as they did with its predecessor. (“There are no gay people in Georgian dance,” said Nino Sukhishvili of the Georgian National Ballet.) And there has been no need to pack cast members off to more tolerant parts of the world for their own protection. “It’s been quite nice,” says the bearded, 44-year-old film-maker, letting the note of understatement hang in the air.
