Anna Luca Biani ( ka, ანა ლუკა ბიანი; born 1 April 1991 as Ana Giorgobiani ( ka, ანა გიორგობიანი;), also known by their stage name Anna Gurji ( ka, ანა გურჯი), is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

filmmaker and actor. They first appeared in film as a child, in a short documentary named "Town" (1998). They made their dramatic debut in the short drama-film "If This Day Never Happened" (2006). Biani then gained the lead role as an 18th-century violinist named Cinka Panna, in Slovak- Hungarian feature film "Cinka Panna", directed by Dusan Rapos.

Biography and Career

Anna “Luca” Biani is a

genderfluid Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typicall ...

actor from

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...

, Georgia, based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, CA, and goes by they/them pronouns. Luca began their acting career at the age of 6, appearing in a number of commercials, as well as a documentary. At the age of 14 Luca landed their first big role as a lead actor in the 2006 short film called "If This Day Never Happened", directed by their sister Khatuna Giorgobiani. Two years later, Luca was cast as the leading role in the historical feature film "Cinka Panna", where they played the famous 18th century Hungarian gypsy violinist. The film went on to win a

Golden Palm Award The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

at the 2009

Mexico International Film Festival Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

. Since then, Luca has acted in theater plays, improv comedy performances, and a series of films including Freaky Deaky (alongside

Christian Slater Christian Michael Leonard Slater (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor and producer. He made his film debut with a leading role in ''The Legend of Billie Jean'' (1985) and gained wider recognition for his breakthrough role as Jason "J.D." D ...

), "Windsor Drive" (costarring

Samaire Armstrong Samaire Rhys Armstrong ( ) is an American actress and fashion designer. She is known for her roles in ''Stay Alive'', ''The O.C.'', ''It's a Boy Girl Thing'', and as Juliet Darling in the ABC television series, ''Dirty Sexy Money''. She has appea ...

), and "Sacred Blood" (with

Bai Ling Bai Ling (, born October 10, 1966) is a Chinese-American actress known for her work in the films ''The Crow'', ''Nixon'', ''Red Corner'', '' Crank: High Voltage'', ''Dumplings'', ''Wild Wild West'', ''Anna and the King'', ''Southland Tales'', and ...

and

Michael Madsen Michael Søren Madsen (born September 25, 1957) is an American actor. He has starred in many films and television series, frequently collaborating with director Quentin Tarantino, most famously in the latter's debut film ''Reservoir Dogs'' (19 ...

). In 2017, Luca has extended their talents, adding directing to their ever-growing repertoire. Their directorial debut "G-4" is a short film that presents incredible special effects make up, as well as dance performances choreographed by famed choreographer

Brian Friedman Brian L. Friedman (born May 28, 1977) is an American dancer and choreographer. Friedman has created the choreography for many popular music artists – such as Britney Spears, Cher, Beyoncé Knowles, and Mariah Carey – as well as for m ...

(

So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and has ...

, producer/creative director of

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribut ...

, and

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

). The film got selected at the festival

Dances With Films Dances With Films is an annual independent film festival located in Los Angeles, California and was founded by Leslee Scallon and Michael Trent. Lineup Taking place every year since 1998, the festival is dedicated to representing true independent ...

, and is picked up for a worldwide distribution by shorts.tv. In addition to acting and directing, Luca also enjoys playing drums and bass guitar, as well as writing poetry and prose. In 2008 they received an award for scholastic achievement, bestowed upon them by none other than the president of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

Mikheil Saakashvili Mikheil Saakashvili ( ka, მიხეილ სააკაშვილი ; uk, Міхеіл Саакашвілі ; born 21 December 1967) is a Georgian and Ukrainian politician and jurist.

Filmography

* G4 * Sacred Blood (2015) * Windsor Drive (2015) * Kessler’s Lab * Freaky Deaky (2012) * Loverly (2011) * Christmas Eve. (2010) * Memorias del desarrollo (2010) * Sendpoint (2009) * Cinka Panna (2008) * If This Day Never Happened (2006) * Town (1998)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biani, Anna 1991 births Living people Actors from Tbilisi Georgian emigrants to the United States Genderfluid people