[4][5] His parents, of Georgian origin, had moved to Sweden in the 1960s, when Georgia was one of the republics of the Soviet Union.

The scenario was based on the inner tensions of a group of young people celebrating a birthday on a summer night.

[12][13] It was premiered in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival[14][15] where it received a fifteen-minute standing ovation.

[16] Set in Georgia, the film follows Merab, a student from a Georgian traditional dance school who falls in love with his male rival.

[17][18][19][20][21] In June 2020, Akin was selected as a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.