Crossing Istanbul

Lia, a retired teacher from Georgia, wants to know where her once-departed niece Tekla has gone. The somewhat adrift teenager Achi, who lives next door with his family, has interesting information: Tekla left for Istanbul at the time; he even has an address. Together the two travel to the Turkish city, a beautiful but also very big city, which makes it by no means easy to find someone, especially if they don't want to be found themselves. Then they meet Evrim, a newly graduated lawyer and trans activist who advocates for the rights of transgender sex workers. She supports Lia and Achi's search wherever possible.

Swedish-Georgian director Levan Akin, best known here for And Then We Danced, empathically tells the story of two reluctant people who manage to overcome inner and ideological barriers. At the same time, it pays tribute to the city of Istanbul, which turns out to be as diverse as the people who live there.