The Loneliest Planet

The Loneliest Planet is a 2011 German-American film written and directed by Julia Loktev, starring Gael García Bernal, Hani Furstenberg, and Georgian actor Bidzina Gujabidze. The plot centers around a young couple who travel with a local guide through a twisted backpacking trip across the Georgian wilderness.

The film had its international premiere at the 2011 Locarno International Film Festival[2] followed by its North American premiere at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.[3] It then went on to be featured during the New York Film Festival,[4] the BFI London Film Festival,[5] and the 2011 AFI Fest in Los Angeles, where it won the Grand Jury Prize.[6] On March 24, 2012, The Loneliest Planet was awarded the top prize of "Lady Harimaguada de Oro" (The Golden Lady) at the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival, where actress Hani Furstenberg also won for Best Actress.[7] On April 14, 2012, the film also won the Golden Tulip International Competition award at the 31st International Istanbul Film Festival.[8]

On October 11, 2011, it was announced that Sundance Selects, a division of IFC Films, had acquired North American distribution rights.[9] The film's theatrical release in the United States was on October 26, 2012.

The film is adapted from McSweeney's writer Tom Bissell's short story "Expensive Trips Nowhere," published in his collection God Lives in St. Petersburg.[10]