During the Second World War, the arrival of a group of hot-blooded Georgian soldiers forced to side with the Nazis, forms a welcome change in the life of the Texel girl Marie. She dreams of mountains, but suffers under the bigotry of the religiously conservative island inhabitants. While her family has already chosen a husband for her, she falls in love with the Georgian Goga. Ineke Smits combines the harsh reality of war with a layer of magic-realism. Marie's dreams are augmented by the Georgian music and the Soviet musical The Aviatrix of Kazbek, a film within the film (with the leading role for the Romanian Anamaria Marinca, protagonist of Cristian Mungiu's Golden Palm winning 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) that the Georgians watch in secret. The screenplay by writer Arthur Japin (also has a minor role as a village elder) was inspired by the real billeting of Georgian soldiers on the island of Texel, all played by Georgian actors in the film.
- Director
- Ineke Smits
- Premiere
- World premiere
- Countries of production
- Netherlands, Belgium
- Year
- 2010
- Festival Edition
- IFFR 2010
- Length
- 103'
- Medium
- 35mm
- International title
- The Aviatrix of Kazbek
- Languages
- Dutch, German, Georgian
- Producers
- Els Vandevorst, San Fu Maltha, Ellen de Waele, Denis Vaslin
- Production Companies
- Isabella Films, Fu Works, Serendipity Films, Volya Films
- Sales
- Isabella Films
- Screenplay
- Ineke Smits, Arthur Japin
- Cinematography
- Piotr Kukla
- Production Design
- Diana van de Vossenberg
- Music
- Gio Tsintsadze
- Cast
- Madelief Blanken
- Local Distributor
- Benelux Film Distributors
- Website
- http://isabellafilms.com/history/aviatrix