April (2024 film)

April
U.S theatrical release poster
Georgianაპრილი
Directed byDea Kulumbegashvili
Written byDea Kulumbegashvili
Produced by
  • Ilan Amouyal
  • Archil Gelovani
  • Luca Guadagnino
  • Francesco Melzi d'Eril
  • Gabriele Bebe Moratti
  • Alexandra Rossi
  • David Zerat
  • Adrien Dassault
  • Steven Darty
Starring
CinematographyArseni Khachaturan
Edited byJacopo Ramella Pajrin
Music byMatthew Herbert
Production
companies
Distributed byPyramide Distribution (France)
Release dates
  • September 5, 2024 (2024-09-05) (Venice)
  • January 29, 2025 (2025-01-29) (France)
Running time
134 minutes[1]
CountriesGeorgia
Italy
France
LanguageGeorgian
Budget€2 million
Box office$61,179[2][3]

April (Georgian: აპრილი, romanized: ap'rili) is a 2024 drama film written and directed by Dea Kulumbegashvili.[4] It stars Ia Sukhitashvili, Kakha Kintsurashvili and Merab Ninidze.

The film had its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival,[1] where it won the Special Jury Prize.[5]

Premise

Nina, an obstetrician in rural Georgia who aids patients seeking abortions despite legal prohibition, must defend her values and actions when she is accused of negligence and subject to investigation.[4]

Cast

Production

Following the success of her first feature film Beginning, Kulumbegashvili was awarded a 2022 Baumi Script Development Award to begin work on her next feature, then titled Historia, about a Georgian obstetrician who provides illegal abortions.[6] That December, Cineuropa reported that filming would commence the following March with financial support from Arte France Cinéma.[7] It was shot by Georgian cinematographer Arseni Khachaturan, who also shot Beginning, on 35mm film.[8]

Release

April was acquired for international sales by Goodfellas, then known as Wild Bunch International. By December 2022, the project was slated for a 2024 release date, though Screen Daily reported in May 2023 that the film was expected to premiere at that year's Cannes Film Festival.[9][10]

In July 2024, April was announced as a main competition entry at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.[11] It has been selected for the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024 under the World Cinema section.[12]

Reception

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 24 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.6/10.[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 85 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[14]

In June 2025, IndieWire ranked the film at number 53 on its list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 2020s (So Far)."[15]

Accolades

Award Ceremony date Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Venice International Film Festival 7 September 2024 Golden Lion Dea Kulumbegashvili Nominated [16]
Special Jury Prize Won
San Sebastián International Film Festival 28 September 2024 Zabaltegi-Tabakalera Award April Won [17]
BFI London Film Festival 20 October 2024 Best Film Nominated [18]
Asia Pacific Screen Awards 30 November 2024 Best Film Won [19]
[20]
Best Director Dea Kulumbegashvili Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
Best Performance Ia Sukhitashvili Won
Best Cinematography Arseni Khachaturan Nominated
TOKYO FILMeX 30 November 2024 Grand Prize April Won [21]
European Film Awards 7 December 2024 European University Film Award Dea Kulumbegashvili Nominated [22]
Singapore International Film Festival 8 December 2024 Best Screenplay Won [23]
Kino pavasaris (Lithuania) 23 March 2025 Best Film Dea Kulumbegashvili Won [24]

References

  1. ^ a b "Biennale Cinema 2024 | April". La Biennale di Venezia. 23 July 2024. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  2. ^ "April". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 12, 2025. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  3. ^ "April". The Numbers. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Those Who Find Me". Goodfellas. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  5. ^ Tartaglione, Andreas Wiseman,Nancy (2024-09-07). "Venice Winners: Pedro Almodóvar's 'The Room Next Door' Wins The Golden Lion; Also Wins For Nicole Kidman, Brady Corbet, 'I'm Still Here' & More". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2024-09-07. Retrieved 2024-09-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Roxborough, Scott. "Directors Dea Kulumbegashvili, Visar Morina Win Baumi Script Development Award". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  7. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (21 December 2022). "Arte France Cinéma supports Alain Guiraudie's Miséricorde". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  8. ^ Desowitz, Bill (2025-03-12). "20 Movies Shot on Film in 2025: Separate Safdie Brothers, Paul Thomas Anderson, and More". IndieWire. Retrieved 2025-03-13.
  9. ^ Lavallée, Eric. "FOREIGN FILM NEWSDea Kulumbegashvili's "Those Who Find Me" & Alain Guiraudie's "Miséricorde" Aiming for 2024". Ion Cinema. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  10. ^ Leffler, Rebecca. "Goodfellas unveils Cannes 2023 slate, includes starry period drama 'The Flood', 'Inside' with Guy Pearce (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  11. ^ Billington, Alex (23 July 2024). "81st Venice Film Festival Selection - Guadagnino, Kurzel, Almodóvar". FirstShowing. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  12. ^ Deb, Deepshikha (2024-09-30). "MAMI Mumbai Film Festival Unveils 2024 Official Lineup". High On Films. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  13. ^ "April". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  14. ^ "April". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  15. ^ "The 100 Best Movies of the 2020s (So Far)". June 16, 2025. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  16. ^ Vivarelli, Nick; Shafer, Ellise. "Venice Film Festival Lineup: 'Joker 2' With Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, Angelina Jolie's 'Maria' and Luca Guadagnino's Daniel Craig-Led 'Queer' to Debut in Competition". Variety. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Todos los ganadores del Festival de San Sebastián 2024". Escribiendo Cine. 28 September 2024. Archived from the original on 29 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  18. ^ Ntim, Zac (29 August 2024). "London Film Festival: Dea Kulumbegashvili's 'April' And Barry Keoghan Pic 'Bring Them Down' To Play In Competition". Deadline. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  19. ^ "17th ASIA PACIFIC SCREEN AWARDS NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED". Asia Pacific Screen Awards. 2024-10-16. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  20. ^ Frater, Patrick (2024-10-16). "'All We Imagine as Light' and 'April' Lead Nominations for Asia Pacific Screen Awards". Variety. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  21. ^ "フィルメックス授賞式". The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 2024-12-01. Archived from the original on 2024-12-16. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  22. ^ Calnan, Ellie (23 October 2024). "'Kneecap' among European University Film Award 2024 nominees". Screen International. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  23. ^ Merican, Sara (December 9, 2024). "Singapore Film Fest Closes With Highest-Ever Box Office Earnings; 'Mongrel' Wins Best Asian Feature Film". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2024-12-09. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  24. ^ "Konkursas". Kinopavasaris (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2025-06-30.
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