18/11/2019 - The project by Georgian helmer Uta Beria has snagged the Arras Film Festival’s main development support grant, while Triumph was also singled out

The winner of the main development support grant, director Uta Beria (left), and one of the jury members, Patrice Carré (© Léa Rener/Arras Film Festival)

Following an intense day of pitches, the jury of the eighth edition of the Arras Days, which hands out the development support grant as an integral part of the 20^th Arras Film Festival (see the news about the award winners), decided to confer the top prize upon the project Love in the Time of Riot by Georgian director Uta Beria, who, two days beforehand, had unveiled the world premiere of his promising feature debut, Negative Numbers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Uta Beria
film profile], in the festival’s European competition.

Love in the Time of Riot, written by the filmmaker himself, tells a love story that unfolds in the midst of social protests. Elene and Andro find one another among the thousands of demonstrators and, eager to get to know each other better, they stay at the demonstration, which grows increasingly violent. The fireworks launched by the demonstrators create a romantic atmosphere for Elene and Andro, and they start kissing. But the special forces begin to use rubber bullets, and Elene and Andro lose one another in the chaos.

Handed out by a jury that included producers Delphine Schmit and Pavlina Jeleva, as well as journalist Patrice Carré, this development support grant, worth €7,500, is provided by the Arras Film Festival.

The second grant, worth €5,000 and provided by the City of Arras, went to Triumph, written by Bulgaria’s Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov and Decho Taralezhkov, which will be the fourth feature by Grozeva and Valchanov, following The Lesson [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kristina Grozeva, Petar Val…
interview: Margita Gosheva
film profile], Glory [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Petar Valchanov
interview: Petar Valchanov, Kristina G…
film profile] and The Father [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: GoCritic! Interview: Kristi…
interview: Kristina Grozeva, Petar Val…
film profile] (which won the Crystal Globe for Best Film at Karlovy Vary and emerged victorious in the European competition at Arras this year; furthermore, the project was awarded the main grant at Arras Days in 2016). As a reminder, the project Triumph won the Eurimages Co-production Development Award at the MIA in Rome in late October (see the interview with the directors).

(Translated from French)