At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the politically charged thriller 'BLACK LIST' was presented as part of the Cannes Next programme, powered by film analytics platform Largo.ai.
Directed by Jivan Avetisyan and written by Dan Gordon (The Hurricane, Wyatt Earp, Rambo: Last Blood), 'BLACK LIST' tells the true story of Russian-Israeli travel blogger Alexander Lapshin. After visiting the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Lapshin was unknowingly added to Azerbaijan’s official blacklist—leading to arrest, extradition, imprisonment, and a near-fatal assassination attempt.
Presented live at Cannes by producer Kęstutis Drazdauskas of Artbox, the film’s pitch was supported by Largo.ai’s data-driven insights, identifying the project as one with strong international potential.
'BLACK LIST' stands out as a powerful geopolitical and human rights thriller exploring themes of authoritarianism, resistance, and the cost of speaking the truth.
