Rotterdam Closing Night Film: The Aviatrix of Kazbek

39th International Film Festival Rotterdam
January 27 – February 7, 2010

PRESS RELEASE January 12, 2010

Rotterdam Closing Night Film: The Aviatrix of Kazbek

The 39th International Film Festival Rotterdam will close Saturday February 6 with the world premiere of Dutch film The Aviatrix of Kazbek, second feature film by Ineke Smits. The film, written by Dutch novelist Arthur Japin and produced by Isabella Films, stars among others Dutch actress Madelief Blanken, Georgian actor Zurab Jgenti, German actor Peter Lohmeyer and Romanian actress Anamaria Marinca from Cristian Mungiu’s Golden Palm winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. The Aviatrix of Kazbek will be released in Dutch theatres April 1, 2010.

Georgia in IFFR 2010
Situated on the Dutch island of Texel during the Second World War, when a Georgian regiment was stationed there, The Aviatrix of Kazbek is thematically linked to both the IFFR 2010 section ‘After Victory’ with films about war and its consequences, as well as with three world premieres in Official IFFR 2010 Selection: Street Days, Georgian film in VPRO Tiger Awards Competition, by Levan Koguashvili about a lost generation raised in soviet style but unable to cope with economical changes, Hubert Bals Fund supported film Susa by Rusudan Pirveli about a mother and son engaged in illegal vodka trade and Russian-Norwegian, politically outspoken documentary Russian Lessons about the Russian-Georgian conflict in 2008 by Andrei Nekrasov and recently deceased Olga Konskaya.
Furthermore, the Hubert Bals Fund supported film project A Fold of My Blanket by Georgian filmmaker Zaza Rusadze, also produced by Isabella Films, has been selected for CineMart 2010.

The Aviatrix of Kazbek: synopsis
Marie is a girl who has a vivid imagination. On the flat island of Texel, she dreams about mountains and even collects pictures of them. She would rather like to do something with her life instead of marrying Paul, the beachcomber’s son. But, being the only girl in a big and poor family during war time, she doesn’t seem to have much of a choice. The relationships and positions are tightened even more by the reality of war. Marie tries to outlive this reality by dreaming.
The sudden arrival of a regiment of Georgians stationed on the island cause a change. As soon as the Georgians Goga and Irakli are accommodated in the family, color, life and love enters Marie’s life. With Goga, Marie falls in love for the first time. On the island, the encounter of cultures leads to clashes and reconciliation, to misunderstandings and fraternization; to tragic, but also comic situations. When the Georgians revolt against the Germans, Marie takes the Georgians’ side.

Ineke Smits
Ineke Smits studied the arts at the Art Academy in Rotterdam and directing at the National Film and Television School in England. Her breakthrough in 2001 was the festival hit Magonia, also with a screenplay by Arthur Japin.
Magonia won among others the Circulo Precolombino de Oro (Bogota Film Festival) and the Golden Tulip (Istanbul IFF) for Best Film. Magonia was selected for competition at the international film festivals of San Sebastian, Mannheim, Tbilisi, Creteil, Bonn, Brussels, Leeds, Riga and Roma. In 2002 Ineke received the Nipkow Fellowship to work in Berlin. After, she developed the first version of The house of my Fathers at the Binger Institute in Amsterdam.
Two documentaries by Smits, Putin’s Mama (2003) and Black Gold under Notecka Forest (2005), got selected for the Silver Wolf competition the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam. In 2008 Transit Dubai premiered at the same festival and won the Audience Award at Gdansk Film Festival 2009.
Ineke Smits has been living and working partly in Georgia since 19 years.

The 39th International Film Festival Rotterdam opens January 27 with South Korean film Paju by Park Chan-Ok. January 21, the full festival lineup will be online on www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com.

(End of press release)

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IFFR Press Office, Bert-Jan Zoet / Nancy van Oorschot
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