The film is scheduled to premiere in the capital Tbilisi on Friday evening. The drama has won worldwide critical acclaim but was denounced by the Caucasus country's influential Orthodox Church as an "affront to the traditional Georgian values". "Some far-right groups and the Church have basically condemned the film and are planning to stop people from entering the sold-out screenings," the film's director Levan Akin, a Swede with Georgian roots, wrote on his Facebook page. Georgia's interior ministry issued a statement, promising to ensure "the protection of public safety and order, as well as the freedom of self-expression". Critics of the ruling Georgian Dream party have accused the government of giving tacit support to homophobic and nationalist groups which traditionally support the party in elections and have staged protest rallies against pro-Western opposition parties.

Source: The Local November 08, 2019 12:20 UTC