Mathilde

Background:

Georgian actress Nutsa Kukhianidze is probably best known for starring in Nina Mimica's award winning dramatic film “Mathilde” (2004), opposite Jeremy Irons. She also starred in “27 Missing Kisses” (2000), “The Good Thief” (2002, with Nick Nolte), “A Trip to Karabakh” (2005), “Dirty Work” (2006) and “Tbilisuri Love Story” (2009).

Mother of 1

Childhood and Family:

Nutsa Kukhianidze was born on August 8, 1983, in Tblisi, Georgia, Soviet Union (now Republic of Georgia). After graduating from Tbilisi High School in 1999, she attended acting and directing classes at the Tbilisi Theatrical Institute.

On July 17, 2005, Nutsa married producer Guka Rcheulishvili (born August 22, 1979). They have one child together.

The Good Thief

Career:

Nutsa Kukhianidze made her professional acting debut in a Giorgi Mgeladze short film titled “Ara, megobaro” (“No, Friend,” 1998), where she played the lead role. The film won the Best Film award at the Oberhausen Short Film Festival, the Portuguese Short Film Festival and the Riverum International Film Festival.

Two years later, Kukhianidze starred as Sibylla, a teen who falls in love with a middle aged father while dating his son, in “27 Missing Kisses” (2000), a dramatic comedy written and directed by Nana Djordjadze. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 11, 2000, to praise and won a Prix Tournage-Europe and Prix Vision at the 2000 Avignon Film Festival, a Golden Aphrodite at the 2000 Love is Folly International Film Festival, and a Bulgaria and Special Prize of the Jury for Best European Feature at the 2001 Brussels European Film Festival.

In 2002, Kukhianidze was cast with Nick Nolte in “The Good Thief,” a remake of a famous 1955 French film “Bob le flambeur” by Jean-Pierre Melville. Directed by Neil Jordan, the thriller premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2002, and received generally positive reviews from critics. It was nominated for a Golden Seashell at the 2002 San Sebastián International Film Festival and won the Best Cinematography Award at the 2002 Madridimagen. The film grossed $3,517,797 in the United States.

In 2004, Kukhianidze was hired to star in the dramatic film “Mathilde,” opposite Jeremy Irons. Written and directed by Nina Mimica, the film was a co-production between the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Spain, Italy and France. The next year, she played Jana in “Gaseirneba Karabaghshi” (“A Trip to Karabakh,” 2005), directed by Levan Tutberidze. The film won Grand Prize at the 2005 Kinoshok - Open CIS and Baltic Film Festival and a FIPRESCI Prize at the 2005 Tbilisi International Film Festival. She then played the role of Lena in the American film “Dirty Work” (2006), where she costarred with Lance Reddick and Mike McGlone. It was directed and written by Bruce Terris.

Following a break, Kukhianidze returned to features with a small role in “Mediator” (2009), which was directed by Dito Tsintsadze and starred Ewen Bremner, Levan Doborjginidze and Marika Giorgobiani. It was officially selected to represent Georgia in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 2009 Oscars. She then appeared in “The Conflict Zone” (“Konpliktis zona,” 2009), which won the Perspectives Award at the 2009 Moscow International Film Festival, and portrayed Lika in “Tbilisuri Love Story” (2009), where she costarred with Gika Lomidze and Nia Grdzelidze.

Awards:
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