synopsis

Returning home for the funeral of her grandmother, seventeen-year-old Ariadna must cross the unspoiled Georgian countryside to connect her grandmother’s soul with her resting body in an ancient burial custom. Traversing this exhausting and raw terrain, Ariadna is forced to confront the impact that the complex, sometimes cruel matriarch had on her not-so-distant childhood.

cast

Anastasia Davidson, Anushka Andronikashvili, Guliko Gurgenidze, Alexander Glurjidze, Anastasia Chanturaia, Ana Chiradze

the director

Juja Dobrachkous is a director, writer and painter based in London. Born in Soviet Russia, she graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Moscow. Juja has published two works of fiction and her short stories (Rubber Baby, 2011; Very Scary and A bit Shameful, 2019) have appeared in a several anthologies of modern Russian literature, as well as a number of magazines. Juja’s short works of fiction were rapturously received, several being optioned by film production companies. Bebia is Juja’s feature film debut.

festivals

festivals & awards

International Film Festival Rotterdam | Tiger Competition | 2021
Seattle International Film Festival | New Directors Competition | 2021
GoEast Film Festival | 2021
- Award of the City of Wiesbaden for Best Director
- FIPRESCI International Film Critic's Award (fiction feature)
New Directors/ New Films at the Lincoln Center | 2021
Garage Screenings - Moscow | June 2021
New Horizons International Film Festival | 2021
Sarajevo Film Festival | 2021
Zerkalo Film Festival | 2021
- Grand Prix
Split Film Festival | 2021
- Grand Prix
Cinematik Film Festival | 2021
Cinecitta International Film Festival | 2021
Riga International Film Festival | 2021
Ljubljana Film Festival | 2021
Bosphorus International Film Festival | 2021
- Special Jury Award
Thessaloniki International Film Festival | 2021
Gijon International Film Festival | 2021
International Film Festival of India | 2021
Trieste International Film Festival | 2022

reviews

crew

Cinematographer: Veronica Solovyeva

Editor: Andrey Klychnikov

Sound Designer: Stefan Smith

Producer: Juja Dobrachkous, Olga Dykhovichnaya

Executive Producers: Stephen Minervino, Lubov Duiko, Oxana Virko

Writer: Juja Dobrachkous