17/09/2024 - The Georgian helmer known for her feature debut, Scary Mother, will tell a story of identity and transformation, revolving around a once-famous actor who is cast in a challenging role

Elene Maisuradze and Dato Bakhtadze in Supporting Role (© Zaza Films)

Emerging Georgian director Ana Urushadze is currently in post-production with her second feature, Supporting Role. Urushadze made her debut with the critically acclaimed drama Scary Mother [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ana Urushadze
film profile], which won the Best First Feature Award at the Locarno Film Festival. The film also travelled the festival circuit, securing the top prize at the Sarajevo Film Festival, earning a nomination for the European Film Academy’s Discovery Award and becoming Georgia’s submission for the 90th Academy Awards (see the news).

Supporting Role tells the story of a once-famous Georgian cinema star attending a casting call for the debut movie by a young director. Historically cast as charming, heroic leads, the actor feels insulted by being offered the supporting role of an elderly, bizarre and unsympathetic character. However, unbeknownst to him, he gradually begins to embody this new character, accepting the role he initially scorned, marking the start of a profound transformation. His physical and psychological metamorphosis mirrors the director’s vision, leading to an odyssey of self-discovery and acceptance.

“I want the film to be perceived as something like a myth or a fairy tale, seemingly deprived of any typical elements of the genre, but still having a verve that, despite the film’s straightforward cause-and-effect rendition, adds a somewhat mystical hue to the protagonist’s adventure,” noted Urushadze, who bills the plot as “an act of ego death”. The film stars Dato Bakhtadze (Wanted) in the lead role, with Nata Murvanidze, who delivered an award-winning performance in Scary Mother, portraying his wife. The cast also includes Lasha Mebuke, Nino Kasradze, Ekaterine Demetradze, Irakli Kvirikadze, Murman Jinoria, Elene Maisuradze and Sandro Samkharadze. Post-production is taking place in Georgia, Estonia and Turkey, with the film expected to be completed in early 2025. Estonian cinematographer Rein Kotov lensed the film on location in Georgia.

Davit Tsintsadze, the producer of Supporting Role through Zazafilms, revealed to Cineuropa that the film is “a modern fairy tale, a universal story that confronts the past and present status quo to seek a paradigm shift and reveal new truths”. He added that, from the outset, it has been “a female-gaze-driven story of an older male character struggling to navigate a rapidly changing reality”. As with her debut feature, Urushadze once again uses the framework of a strong, gender-driven conflict to explore deeper themes of internal struggle, relationships and ageing. Tsintsadze believes Urushadze is remaining true to her intuitive filmmaking style, allowing space for the images and atmosphere to tell the story. He praised Kotov's cinematography and Bakhtadze’s performance, calling the cast "absolutely striking" and complementary to Urushadze's artistic approach. Tsintsadze also confirmed to Cineuropa that they are currently seeking a sales agent and distributors for the film.

Supporting Role is being produced by Tsintsadze from Georgia’s Zazafilms, Ivo Felt from Allfilm in Estonia, Zeynep Atakan from Zeyno Film in Turkey, Andrey Epifanov from Cinetrain in Switzerland, Eleonora Granata Jenkinson from Melograno Films in the USA, and Sophio Bedenashvili and Bacho Meburishvili from Enkeny Films in Georgia, as well as Dato Bakhtadze. The production has been supported by funding from the Georgian National Film Center, the Estonian Film Institute, the Estonian Cultural Endowment, the Creative Europe – MEDIA programme,  Eurimages and Cinetrain.