The story of Crossing: A journey across borders and into the self
Crossing opens with a quiet devastation. Lia, a retired schoolteacher from Georgia, learns that her sister has died—and that her long-lost niece, Tekla, has crossed the border into Turkey. What follows isn't a conventional rescue narrative, though it wears that shape at first. Instead, writer-director Levan Akin crafts something far more intricate: a story about two people who barely know each other, thrown together by circumstance and grief, discovering that Istanbul itself becomes a character in their search. The film's official tagline captures this perfectly—"It seems Istanbul is a place where people come to disappear." Lia doesn't just travel to find Tekla. She travels to understand who her niece has become, and in the process, to understand herself. The 106-minute runtime moves with an unhurried pace, letting scenes breathe and relationships develop in the spaces between dialogue.
Behind the making of Crossing: Awards, acclaim, and international collaboration
Crossing arrived as a significant entry in contemporary European cinema. Directed by Levan Akin, the film brought together a multinational production team—French Quarter Film, Adomeit Film, Easy Riders Films, 1991 Productions, Bir Film, SVT, and RMV Film—creating a project that feels genuinely pan-European in scope and sensibility. The cast features Mzia Arabuli in the central role of Lia, alongside Lucas Kankava as the unpredictable Achi and Deniz Dumanlı. The film premiered at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival on February 15, 2024, in the prestigious Panorama section, before rolling out to Swedish audiences on March 22, 2024, via TriArt Film. What's particularly striking is the film's recognition at the 55th International Film Festival of India, where it received the IFFI ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal—a distinction that speaks to the film's engagement with themes of social dignity and human rights. On IMDb, the film carries a solid 7.3 rating, reflecting strong audience appreciation for what Akin has accomplished here. The production design and cinematography don't announce themselves loudly; they're understated, observational, letting Istanbul's actual streets and shadows do much of the emotional work.
What makes Crossing stand out: Performances that anchor a film about invisible lives
What's striking about Crossing is how it refuses easy sentiment. Mzia Arabuli's performance as Lia grounds the entire film—she's a woman with flaws, someone who drinks, who doesn't always say the right thing, who arrives in Istanbul with incomplete information and misguided assumptions. There's a realness to her that avoids the trap of making her a noble savior figure. Instead, she's a grieving aunt who's also just a person trying to navigate a foreign city and a relationship with her niece that exists mostly in absence. Lucas Kankava, as Achi, brings an unpredictability that could easily tip into caricature but never does. The two leads don't have a manufactured chemistry—they have friction, awkwardness, moments of genuine connection that feel earned rather than scripted. Deniz Dumanlı, as Tekla, carries the weight of being the film's emotional center even when absent from the screen, and when she does appear, the performance carries the complexity of someone living between worlds. One reviewer noted that the film isn't slick, and that's entirely intentional. Akin couches what could've been a message-heavy story about trans identity and migration inside something that feels lived-in, messy, true. The subtext—about longing, about the search for belonging, about two lost souls looking for themselves as much as for each other—never overwhelms the human moments. What Movie OTT tracks across its streaming aggregator are films like this one: movies that don't announce their importance but earn it through craft and vulnerability.
Where to stream Crossing online: Finding the film across major platforms
Crossing is currently available on major OTT services, making it accessible to viewers looking to discover contemporary international cinema. Rather than hunting through multiple subscription services, you can check the "Where to Watch" widget at the top of this page on Movie OTT to see exactly which platforms are currently carrying the title in your region. Streaming availability shifts regularly, so that widget will keep you updated on whether it's on your existing subscriptions or if you'll need to rent or purchase it separately. The 106-minute runtime makes it a manageable evening watch, though the film's pacing suggests you'll want to give it your full attention rather than half-watching while scrolling.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Who directed Crossing?
Levan Akin wrote and directed Crossing. The film premiered at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2024 and went on to win the IFFI ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal at the 55th International Film Festival of India.
Q: What is Crossing about?
The film follows Lia, a retired Georgian teacher, who travels to Istanbul with a young neighbor named Achi to search for her transgender niece, Tekla, who has crossed the border into Turkey. It's a drama about identity, loss, and connection set against Istanbul's urban landscape.
Q: Who stars in Crossing?
Mzia Arabuli plays Lia, Lucas Kankava plays Achi, and Deniz Dumanlı plays Tekla. All three deliver nuanced performances that ground the film's emotional core.
Q: How long is Crossing?
The film has a runtime of 106 minutes, making it a lean, focused drama that doesn't overstay its welcome.
Q: Is Crossing based on a true story?
Crossing is an original drama written by Levan Akin. While it engages with real social issues around trans identity and migration, it's a fictional narrative rather than an adaptation or biographical work.
Q: Where was Crossing filmed?
The film is set in Istanbul and uses the city's actual locations to create an immersive sense of place. The production involved international collaborators from France, Germany, Turkey, and Sweden.
Final thoughts on Crossing: A film for anyone interested in contemporary world cinema
Crossing doesn't wrap everything up neatly. It doesn't need to. What Akin has made is a film about the act of looking—for missing people, for lost connections, for versions of ourselves we haven't met yet. Lia and Achi aren't heroes on a mission; they're two people moving through a city, having conversations, making mistakes, occasionally finding grace. If you're drawn to cinema that trusts its audience to sit with ambiguity and emotion without spelling everything out, that's what you'll find here. It's the kind of film Movie OTT's editorial team watches to remember why we care about international drama in the first place.