Levan Gelbakhiani (; born 30 December 1997) is a Georgian actor and dancer. He is best known for playing Merab in the 2019 film And Then We Danced.
Personal life Gelbakhiani was born on 30 December 1997 in Chiatura, Georgia. He speaks Georgian, Russian, and English.
Career Before beginning his film career, Gelbakhiani had an extensive background in dance. He began learning Georgian dance at the age of four and later became involved in contemporary dance, particularly contact improvisation. He also worked with Georgian and international artists through the Tbilisi Contemporary Dance and Experimental Art Festival. Gelbakhiani has described contemporary dance as the style closest to him and said that performing traditional Georgian dance for And Then We Danced required him to work in a markedly different, stricter style.
His dance background led indirectly to his acting debut. Director Levan Akin discovered Gelbakhiani through Instagram and cast him as Merab in And Then We Danced (2019), despite his having no previous professional acting experience. The film had its world premiere in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. His performance brought him several acting awards, including the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actor at the Sarajevo Film Festival.
In 2020, Gelbakhiani was selected as one of ten European Shooting Stars by European Film Promotion and was presented at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival.
In 2025, Gelbakhiani returned to a leading film role as Jonah in Jacqueline Zünd's science-fiction drama Don't Let the Sun. The film premiered at the 78th Locarno Film Festival, where Gelbakhiani received the Pardo for Best Performance.
In 2026, he portrayed Soviet-born pianist Youri Egorov in Sander Burger's biographical drama Youri, opposite Joes Brauers as writer Jan Brokken. The film, based on Brokken's autobiographical book In het huis van de dichter, opened the 28th Film by the Sea festival on 11 September 2026.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 2019 And Then We Danced Merab World premiere in the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2019. 2025 Don't Let the Sun Jonah Premiered at the 78th Locarno Film Festival 2026 Youri Youri Premiered as the opening film of the 28th Film by the Sea festival on 11 September 2026.
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result 2019 European Film Awards Best Actor And Then We Danced Listapad Best Actor And Then We Danced New Mexico Film Critics Award Best Actor And Then We Danced Odesa International Film Festival Best Acting And Then We Danced Sarajevo Film Festival Best Actor And Then We Danced Valladolid International Film Festival Best Actor And Then We Danced 2020 Shooting Stars Award And Then We Danced Guldbagge Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role And Then We Danced 2025 Locarno Film Festival Pardo for Best Performance Don't Let the Sun
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