Film Education (Levan Koghuashvili, Maia Gugunava, Tato Kotetishvili) 139 1001 Ingredients for Making Films from Nana Jorjadze 146

Home , Eldar Shengelaia, Guram Odisharia, Melua, Merab Ninidze, Otar Iosseliani, Zaza Urushadze

~ editors letter ~

The year of 2015 started with our becoming members of the Creative Europe, while by the end of the year, with the purpose of supporting the cinema industry, Geor- gian government introduced a cash rebate system, we have been working on since 2009. I believe both of these initiatives will make a huge contribution to the development of our industry. 1 In 2016, movies of different genres will be released. It is notable that three feature films among those are directed by women. Projects we are currently working on are very important. We have announced new types of competitions on script development, including comedy and children’s movies, adaptation of Georgian prose of the 21st century, scripts dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Georgia’s independence, and animation. Winners are given long- term workshops by European script doctors, so 2016 will be dedicated to the script development. The young generation has become active in the field: we had premieres of six short films and a short film by Data Pirtskhalava “Father” was the winner of the main prize in this category at Locarno International Film Festival. Other films – “Ogasavara”, “Fa- ther”, “Exit”, “Preparation”, “The First Day” – are also participating at different festivals. Masters of Georgian cinema are also making films side-by-side with the young generation. I have to mention a film by Rezo Esadze “Day as a Month” with its extraordinary narrative structure and visualaspect, which will take its noteworthy place in our film collection. One of the most important goals this year will be to return Georgian cinema heritage from archives in Moscow and design a suitable storage facility for it. All of these in unison create the past, present and future of Georgian cinema.

Photo: Khatuna Khutsishvili Photo: Nana Janelidze, Natia Kanteladze

film print 2 “ANOTHER CITY?” BY INASHVILI ZURAB “LINE OFCREDIT” BY SALOME ALEXI BREATHE”“DON’T BY NINOKIRTADZE “I AM BESO” BY LASHA TSKVITINIDZE OUTLOOKPRODUCTION GEORGIA INFOCUSAT THE TALLINN INTERNATIONAL FILMFESTIVAL “WHEN THE EARTH SEEMS TO BELIGHT” SUCCESS ONIDFA FILMFESTIVAL DISCOVERING ALIFEINLONDON INAFILMFROMGEORGIA DEPICTED ABOUTCINEDOC NINO ORJONIKIDZE DIEM GIFFONI –CARPE THE PROMETHEUS- TBILISI INTERNATIONAL FILMFESTIVAL 68TH FESTIVAL DELFILMLOCARNO ABOUT THE NIKOZI FESTIVAL ONCEMORE INTERNATIONALSARAJEVO FILMFESTIVAL THE 9THINTERNATIONAL STUDENTFESTIVAL AMIRANI BATUMI INTERNATIONAL ART HOUSEFILMFESTIVAL NYON DOCUMENTARY FILMFESTIVAL FILMFESTIVALCANNES THE 87THOSCARS BERLINALE 2015 ~ contents ~ film print film 46 44 42 38 37 36 34 32 30 29 27 26 24 22 20 16 13 10 8 4 “FATHER” –SUCCESS IN LOCARNO IMAGE ANDANEW FORGEORGIANCINEMA INTERVIEW WITH ZAMZA INTERVIEW WITH MARIAM KHACHVANI INTERVIEW WITH MIKHEILGOMIASHVILI GEORGIA HADANAUTEUR DOCUMENTARY CINEMA, KOKOCHASHVILI MERAB YOUNG CINEPHILES INTERVIEW WITH GAGA CHKHEIDZE INTERVIEW KANDELAKI WITH GELA SPECIAL CINEMA THE DANCE OFDEATH IN GEORGIANCINEMA THE NEW “EXODUS “MOIRA” BY LEVAN TUTBERIDZE TINA’S CINEMA SWIM WOMEN WHO “INVISIBLE SPACES” –INTERVIEW WITH RATI ONELI GEORGIANSHORTNEW FILMS VILLAGE”“THE LEVANBY TUTBERIDZE “LUKA” BY GIORGIBARABADZE “WELCOME TO KARASTAN” BY BENHOPKINS “HAPPY MEAL” BY KOTE TAKAISHVILI ” BY VAKHO JAJANIDZE

98 94 90 87 84 80 78 74 73 70 67 64 61 58 55 53 51 49 48 69 Publishing: Georgian National Film Center Executive Manager: Natia Kanteladze Chief Editors: Nana Janelidze, Natia Kanteladze Art Director: Manana Arabuli English language editor: David Tugwell Translator: Nana Mzhavanadze 3 Photographers: Khatuna Khutsishvili, Niko Tarielashvili. INTERVIEW WITH STEFAN TOLZ 100 Prepress manager: Alex Kakhniashvili Authors: Nana Tutberidze, Beka Maisuradze, OLD FOOTAGE FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE 103 Anano Bakuradze, Lela Ochiauri, Inga INTERVIEW WITH LANA GOGOBERIDZE 106 Khalvashi, Maia Levanidze, Noshre Chkhaidze, Ketevan Janelidze, Tea Gabidzashvili, Giorgi INTERVIEW WITH NINO KASRADZE 108 Razmadze, Neno Kavtaradze, Tato Melikishvili, Zaza Rusadze, Nino Shervashidze, Elene Pasuri, INTERVIEW WITH GIORGI VARSIMASHVILI 110 Ana Urushadze, Manana Lekborashvili, Archil SPECIAL FOCUS 113 Shubashvili, Ketevan Trapaidze, Nino Kalandia, Maka Kevlishvili, Davit Chikadze, Nino INTERVIEW WITH MIKHEIL ANTADZE 114 Natroshvili, Giorgi Gvaladze, Maia Tsetsadze, Salome Kikaleishvili, Meriko Kajaia, Ekaterine, INTERVIEW WITH KATRIEL SCHORY 117 Kutubidze, Anuka Lomidze, Tako Kalandadze, A GEORGIAN ANIMATION PROJECT Keti Machavariani, Gvantsa Zakareishvili, Natia Meparishvili AT THE ANNECY INTERNATIONAL ANIMATED FILM FESTIVAL 119 Editorial office: 4, Zviad Gamsakhurdia INTERVIEW WITH NIKI KARIMI 121 Sanapiro Str, Tbilisi 0105 Georgia, Tel.: +995 32 2 999200, INTERVIEW WITH TAMARA TATISHVILI 124 [email protected] / web page: www. filmprint.ge INTERVIEW WITH JONATHAN NOSSITER 127 Printing: 24 Saati publishing house, Tel.: +995 32 2 409445 INTERVIEW WITH ADAM MICHNIK 129

Printed with the support of INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD PENA 132 MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND MONUMENT PROTECTION OF GEORGIA INDUSTRY TODAY 135 INTERVIEW WITH NANA JANELIDZE 136 FILM EDUCATION (LEVAN KOGHUASHVILI, MAIA GUGUNAVA, TATO KOTETISHVILI) 139 1001 INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING FILMS FROM NANA JORJADZE 146

film print 4 of theFranco-philes… In Berlin,duringthetime iiz, iss i i Goga s tp lvl profes level sional actor. top- a as Georgia in him misses Ninidze, Georgian cinema,aswelleveryone whoknowsMerab today that here note should I Franco. James than actors all, are in myopinion,morepopularanddifferentlyinteresting who this), doing be not should foreigners only - actors Georgian appreciate to start should (we Ninidze Natalie Portman, Ian McKellen, Gabriel Byrne and Merab Carter, Bonham Helena Skarsgård, Stellan Mirren, Helen Bale, Christian Blanchett, Cate Kidman, Nicole bourg, as Charlotte Rampling, Juliette Binoche, Charlotte Gains- Georgia, butheseemstobeverypopularinGermany. about know don’t I audience. the from exclamations ful press conferencesoverandagain,whichledtocheer- the at presented was He films. three in participated he as two) or day a for come usually stars (film festival whole the over Berlin to visitor a was who Franco, James actor American to referring am I but Berlinale, the at politics to dowithpoliticsagain.Itistruethattherenolackof about inordernottomakeyouworriedthatitissomething ea Nnde lyd n o te edn rls n the in roles leading the of one played Ninidze Merab This year again, the Berlinale was visited by actors such talking am I Franco which reader the tell will I First ~ festivals ~ film print film - Alba Rohrwacher demonstrates the spiritual strength of Years”, an “45 film the in Rampling Charlotte for home is battle of field the Desert”; the of “Queen film the in man Night”); the the wildernessofadesertis location forNicoleKid Wants (“Nobody Binoche Juliette for ery and solveproblems.Greenlandbecomesaplaceforbrav family andendingwiththeendofworld,takecharge from starting who, women”, “strong to dedicated were program competition main the in films the of share large a year This festival. the at presented films the all for idea is revealedanissueoratopicwhichbecomescommon Electric Clouds”as“anostalgicvisualpoemofhope.” “Under film the described colleagues my of Some tsia. same timeittellsthestoryoforiginsintelligen the at and politics about is film the that believes himself for its contribution to cinematography.” Alexei German Jr Its artisticimagesareunforgettable.Ithasbeenawarded film. and unique anoriginal is “This asig comment: made nificant own right, his in filmmaker brilliant a and chairman jury the Aronofsky, Darren Mikhalchuk). gei Ser and Privin (Yevgeny camera for Bear Silver the won film by Alexei German Jr “Under Electric Clouds”, which It just so happens that every year at the Berlinale there Berlinale the at year every that happens so just It / Atthe65thInternationalFilmFestival / - - - - - 5

Albania woman in the film “Sworn Virgin”, etc. managed to get the film out of the country. The journalis- Other film stars mentioned above played the main roles tic tool of “change of profession” has been used in “Taxi”. in films by such world-renowned filmmakers as Wer- The film director Jafar Panahi is now a taxi driver and the ner Herzog, Terrence Malick, Wim Wenders, Peter Green- story develops inside his car. One year Jafar Panahi was away, Kenneth Branagh, and Isabel Coixet, among others. even a member of the jury in absentia; a symbolic empty The works of these filmmakers were judged by the jury chair stood on the stage and we saw the film “Closed Cur- comprising chairman Darren Aronofsky, actors Audrey tain”, which was made when the director was not allowed Tautou and Daniel Brühl, filmmaker Claudia Llosa, pro- to leave his house. Therefore, the Berlinale organizers are ducer Martha De Laurentiis, filmmakers and screenwrit- honouring Jafar Panahi for his artistic work and social and ers: Bong Joon-ho and Matthew Weiner. political situation, and I think it would be more appropri- Despite the jury’s professionalism and competence, ate if the film “Taxi” was receiving an award on the ba- I would not agree with one of its decisions (and I know sis of its cinematographic qualities, and instead received many of my colleagues share this view). By this, I mean some other type of nomination rather than the main one. awarding the film “Taxi” by Iranian filmmaker Jafar -Pa It should also be noted that a few years ago Jafar Panahi’s nahi the film festival’s main Golden Bear award. I think excellent film “Offside” was awarded the Silver Bear on festivals should not award a film on the basis of the direc- its own merits. tor’s deeds and political position. I would like to remind If the jury took into account the deeds of one filmmaker, you that Jafar Panahi is persona non grata in Iran. Because then Terrence Malick, Peter Greenaway, and Werner Her- of his filming of anti-government demonstrations, he has zog also deserved prizes, while officially and objectively been deprived of the right to either leave the country or the Golden Bear was awarded to German maestro Wim carry out any professional work for the last two years. Wenders for his great contribution to world cinema. Out of However, Jafar Panahi is a brave man who has made his competition he presented his new film “Every Thing Will third film “Taxi” with a non-professional camera and be Fine” (starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and James Franco).

film print 6 viet film director Sergei Eisenstein with the title “Eisen title the with Eisenstein Sergei director film viet So the about film a made Greenaway Peter Englishman remake ofLuisBuñuel’smasterpiece. the main role. However, the film turned out to be a dreary play to Seydoux Léa star film French current the inviting novel anddirectedanewadaptationwiththesamename, tothe hasreturned Jacquot Benoit director film French Moreau). Jeanne (starring Mirbeau Octave by novel the of adaptation film 1963 the Chambermaid”, a of “Diary Lewis, RobertPattinsonandJamesFrancoinotherroles. Damien with Kidman, Nicole by played is Bell camels. Gertrude on Churchill Winston with together Bell trude wrote abook, and took photos. There is a photo of Ger desert, the in Bedouins taught She cultures. Persian and and researcherwhobecameabridgebetweenEuropean writer anEnglish Bell, Gertrude of figure historical the to dedicated is and desert Moroccan the in shot was ert” tempo andrhythm. continuous shotandisveryimpressivewithitsgraphics, one with made was film 40’’ 2’ The achievements. tistic ar its for camera for Bear Silver “Victoria”, the awarded was which Schipper’s Sebastian and Dresen, Andreas by adaptation an Dreaming”, were we “As as such films, years, Germancinemawasrepresentedbyinteresting recent in as year, this directors, film world-renowned are I should mention two more renowned film makers. The makers. film renowned more two mention should I film legendary Buñuel’s Luis remember lovers Cinema Werner Herzog’s retro-melodrama “Queen of the Des the of “Queen retro-melodrama Herzog’s Werner who Herzog, Werner and Wenders Win to addition In ~ festivals ~ film print film - - - - - crisis with extraordinary expressiveness and extraordinary man who a feels emptiness.” The filmplayed revolves around aI spiritual that say I can now Only nothing. knew I thefilming Before advance. in film the about nothing told was “I Bale: Christian with interview an from quote a is Here everyone. and everything from alienated is and earthquake the like shaky very is Ricky character main The film. the in roles the of one plays also Blanchett Cate Portman. Natalie and Bale Christian characters, main the film “Knight of Cups” was presented by the actors playing vals. He did not come to the Berlin festival either. His new lywood norms, is also famous for not attending film festi rence Malick, who is known for his refusal to bow to Hol from thejuryforitsvisualexpressiveness. Bäck Elmer (playing Eisenstein). I think the actor film deserved high marks German the to award an give would Green away wouldnotremainwithoutattentionandthatthejury Peter by film this that speculated festival the at participants Many life. Eisenstein’s Sergei of facts den hid the reveals film-kitsch Greenaway’s Peter lead. the took self” “true his and there freedom his limited nobody because Mexico in topic this in interested became stein Eisen 17. was he since editing, film of master great the Eisenstein, Sergei of work artistic the studying been had Viva Mexico”,whichhewasnotabletofinish. “Que film the shooting was he where 1931, in Mexico to trip Eisenstein’s to it dedicated and Guanajuato” in stein The grandmasterofAmericanindependentcinemaTer At thepressconferencePeterGreenawaysaidthathe ------sound track. Film critics who were annoyed that “Knight James) was overshadowed by Cate Blanchett, whose per- of Cups” was left without a prize claimed that “Terrence formance as the stepmother was exceptional. She wore 7 Malick is a follower of existentialism,” which means dazzling costumes with magnificent beauty. The film’s that it is impossible to understand him. I have already second asset is the creator of the costumes, three-time mentioned some of the awards. As for the others: Silver Oscar winner Cindy Powell, who after working on the Bear - the Grand Jury Prize was awarded to Chilean Pablo Cinderella costumes for two years has created a miracle. Larrain for his film “The Club”, which has as its subject “Cinderella” was shown out of competition; at the first some controversial aspects of the Catholic Church. Berlinale in 1951, Walt Disney’s animated film “Cinder- Guatemalan filmmaker Jayro Bustamante was awarded ella” was awarded the Golden Bear in the best musical the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize for his film “Ixcanul film category. Volcano”, which reflects on the women of Maya- In In the 21st century, not only children need fairy tales but dian tribes and their problems. The Silver Bear for Best adults do too. The proof of this was a full cinema hall at Screenplay was awarded to the documentary “The Pearl the screening of “Cinderella”. People dream in any coun- Button” directed by Patricio Guzman. The film is a hymn try at any time and cinema has always been giving this to the ocean, water and its secrets. opportunity and capability. The jury awarded the Silver Bear for Best Director to For its grand scale, the Berlinale must be among the top two film directors: the Romanian Radu Jude for his film three of the world’s film festivals. It is impossible to see “Aferim!” – based on historical facts in the western Bal- all the movies, attend all the meetings, press conferences kans, and Polish Małgorzata Szumowska for her film and seminars. “Body”, a tragicomedy about family conflicts, separation In one of the interviews during the festival, Peter Green- and reconciliation. The Silver Bears for best actor and away said: “this has always been the case, art should en- best actress were awarded to Tom Courtney and Charlotte tertain and teach!” This is how we can assess many of the Rampling for their performance in the British film “45 films shown at the Berlinale. A total of 400 works were years” (directed by Andrew Hay). presented in 14 sections. Altogether they created an in- The organizers of the Berlinale have started a tradition teresting and impressive picture of cinema life across the – finishing the film festival with a film fairy tale. Last globe. And this means that this year’s 65th Berlin Interna- year it was “Beauty and the Beast”. This year the Brit- tional Film Festival has fulfilled its mission. ish actor and film director Kenneth Branagh presented a new film version of “Cinderella”. Cinderella (actress Lily Nana Tutberidze

film print 8 The 87thOscars about formuchlonger. following day,thosewhowinon the redcarpetaretalked simple reasonforthis-ifthewinners aretalkedaboutthe on the carpet leading to the Dolby Theatre and there is one awards, starsmakeaspecialefforttoprepareforwalking other Unlike banquet. graduation school a of illusion the nable withouttheredcarpetandsometimesitcreates in allthemaincategories. given withoutanygreatsurprisesandallthefavoriteswon a dress rehearsal for the 2015 Oscars and the awards were disappointment. in end often expectations these but anticipation, and ment excite great with associated is to” goes Oscar the “and screens. million people who watched the film stars on our own TV 37 those among were we year this So TV. on ceremony the follow only can mortals” “ordinary and changed, has 50 dollarswasallowedtoenterthehall.Todayeverything ganized the first Oscars ceremony and any who could pay For a long time, the Oscars ceremony has been unimagi We cansaythatthisyeartheGoldenGlobeswasreally phrase the cinema in working people for years, 87 For 87 years ago, the American Motion Picture Academy or ~ festivals ~ film print film - - - Globe, also won the Oscar for Best Actor. In her fourth her In Actor. Best for Oscar the won also Globe, ofBest Picture oftheYear. theaward up taking ended film the and weeks, 2 took editing months, 2 for lasted Filming time. one at dialogue of pages 15 record them made he as filming, of tors had to get used to Alejandro González Iñárritu’s style ac other the and Keaton Michael Broadway. on Theatre finally, aboutthetimewhichwespendandwaste. while womentaketheresponsibilityofmotherhood,and spoiled people-menwhoremainchildrenintoadulthood, about also and motherhood, and fatherhood about is film pleted the film when the character reached adulthood. The actor ElmanColtrane’scharacterwas6yearsoldandcom the when film the shooting began He years. 12 for hood” Camera, andBestPicture. total of four awards - Best Director, Best a Screenplay, Best won film his and director Mexican The irreplaceable. was “Boyhood” film the me for However, 2015. in ner di Rdan, h hd en wre te Golden the awarded been had who Redmayne, Eddie James St. the in filmed mostly was it “Birdman”, for As Linklater had been shooting the film of his dream “Boy González Iñárritu’s film “Birdman” was the main win main the was “Birdman” film Iñárritu’s González - - - - 9

nomination, the jury finally made the right decision and Zaza Urushadze’s Georgian-Estonian project “Tan- Julianne Moore won the Oscar for Best Actress for the gerines” ended up without an Oscar. There were two fa- film “Still Alice”. Her competitors were Rosamund Pike vourites among the nominees for best foreign language from the film “Gone Girl”, Marion Cotillard from the film film – Andrei Zvyangintsev’s “Leviathan” and Pawel “Two Days, One Night” by the Dardenne brothers, Felic- Pawlikowski’s “Ida”. The golden statue went to Poland ity Jones from “The Theory of Everything”, and Reese as “Ida” was the winner. The sad fact was that Dolan’s Witherspoon from the movie “Wild”. “Mummy” and “Two days, One Night” by the Dardenne Patricia Arquette, who also had no competitors after brothers did not even receive a nomination. winning the Golden Globe, also won the Oscar for Best Alexandre Desplat won an Oscar for his soundtrack to Supporting Actress for her role in Richard Linklater’s the film “The Grand Budapest Hotel”. “Boyhood”. Her acceptance speech, which touched on Wes Anderson’s tragicomic story won three more equal rights and pay, won admiration from Meryl Steep. awards: costume design, makeup and production design. This footage has already become history. Here I will note So ended the 87th Oscars ceremony. With Neil Patrick that in the same category, and as the host Neil Patrick Har- Harris nicely fulfilling his as duties as hot, the show itself ris point out – in accordance with Californian law, Meryl was wonderful, as was the rest. Compared with last year, Streep received her record nineteenth Oscar nomination. this year’s Oscars had fewer viewers, but never mind how The undisputed favorite for the Oscar for Best Support- much time will pass and how much the world will change, ing Actor was J.K. Simmons from the movie “Whiplash”. this day will remain special for everyone everywhere, and Simmons performed the role of a psychopathic jazz teach- the emotions expressed in the magic hall, with all kinds of er. You might wonder how this crazy man could play such facial expressions, will end up belonging to history. role, but do not be misled. Despite the fact that his victory was expected, one of the main rivals for the nomination Beka Maisuradze was Mark Ruffalo in “Foxcatcher”.

film print 10 10 Cannes LeftwithnoSleep s hea, aii and Yalini, Dheepan, as strangers formafamilyinfewminutes, namethemselves three The man. unknown an with together Lanka Sri from girls is her daughter in order to obtain a passport and escape the of one claims She parentless. and homeless left dren Jesuthasan. immigrant, was played by Sri Lankan actor Antonythasan an of perspective the from France of story the tells which film, Audiard’s in role main The actors. Oscar-winning on Cotillardthisyearhedecidedtoappearwithoutany back. ThePalmisunderhisbelt.” is “Jacques Audiard: about wrote coast Azure the on tion edi biggest The “Dheepan”. film his for Audiard Jacques to Palm, Golden the Prix, Grand the awarded and people French the of hearts the won finally jury, festival year’s away thattheCoenbrothers,whowerechairmenofthis emphasized this fact.Let’sgetdowntobrasstacksandsaystraight- papers French main the all Almost proud. French the made which French, were four which of tion, at theThéâtreLumière,whichseats2800people. have funweregoingtosleep. to just Cannes to came who people Lumière, Théâtre the to entrance the at queue the in stand and go to 8am at up waking were we at When films. non-competition and tion cinemas increased significantly. We saw up to 30 competi the at queues years, previous to compared However, on. ternet isnothreattotheprofessionofjournalism,andso have readers,acrisisdoesnotaffectthefestival,In- magazines cinema, love people that example For things. 1500 morejournalistsarrived.Thisfactshowsusmany ists visitedthefestival,butthisyear,at68th to work.Well,untilthisyear,onlyabout4,000journal but weareonly5500journalistshereandhavechosen wine French from dizzy getting and walk a for going by fun some have also could we others, Like Festival. Film Cannes the on reporting journalists of motto the is This – A youngwomanislookingforalittlegirlamongthechil In 2012,Audiard This year, 19 films were selected in the main competi main the in selected were films 19 year, This Traditionally, the first film sessions begin at just 8.30 am “Four films a day, two hours of sleep, and five to a room” walked uptheredcarpetwithMari Illayaal, n fe t Fac, far France, to flee and ~ festivals ~ film print film ------ai, rm aatn’ “up ito” Mk Leigh’s “Meantime” and many other films. Mike His performance in the Fiction”, “Pulp Tarantino’s from David, needs hispatients. himself he as much as just David need patients the that he doesnotchangehisjobduetodepression.Ithink sonal lifeisafailure,heawkwardandunhappy,so per David’s stories. intimate most their David in confide that theywouldneverdowiththeirfamilymembers.They the patients. The dying patients open up to David in a way duties withprecisionandbuildsdeeprelationships his out carries job, his enjoys He illness. their of phase «Chronic». film Franco›s Michel 8.30am.; is it tradition Following sessions willbegininoneminute.»Thehallfallssilent. tlemen, pleasetakeyourseats,turnoffcellphones.The allow us to forget all the bad films we had wasted our wasted had time on. we films bad the all forget to us allow to ‘Chronic” Franco’s to left was it so and weaker, much that ishowtheysatisfiedMichelFranco. favorite film was awarded only one prize for the script and truth, they did not disappoint me too greatly. However, my says JacquesAudiard. evant topics. same time these clichés are current reality and always rel the at but people, French ex-prisoner marginalized gangs, lifts don’t work in almost any of the refugee camps), Arab topics such as: drug trafficking, broken lifts (in France the integration problems, but in addition, it deals with clichéd and refugees, of number the poor, the among violence as: themes such highlighting film political a is It blood. and usual with this director, is a bit of a mess – lots of agitation so fast, you can hardly notice anything; the second part, as job asacaretakerinthesamebuildingtheylivein. a finds Dheepan inquiries, many After war. civil the from e nw h atr i Rt, h pas h rl of role the plays who Roth, Tim actor the know We terminal the in patients after looking is nurse the David A French woman›s voice announces: «Ladies and gen and «Ladies announces: voice woman›s French A Compared topreviousyears,thisyear’sprogramwas the tell to but jury, the from results worse expected I “When I see my films, I think someone else made them,” goes movie the of part first The here. begins story The - - - 11

film print 12 a job and has a wife and a 17-year-old son with a cerebral for looking is who Frenchman middle-aged a of story the tells Man») a of Measure «The as English in (translated Market” the of Law “The Brizé’s Stéphane alone. films Cannes Film Festival was worth it for Franco’s and Brizé’s the same lethargyasthesoldiersinhisfilm. suffering little, a dozed even and times of couple a ing story and music. However, I was glancing at my watch amaz an with festival, year›s this in films beautiful most life, thedreamcontinuesfor90minutes.Itwasoneof dor», whichwasinspiredbyhisdreams.Justasinreal of Splen «Cemetery film the presented Weerasethakul from andwhattheyendupwith–thisisstunning. write about the inspiration for their films, where they start have usjournalistsreadarethetestimonyofdirectorswho duced metothewomanwhohadraisedme.” intro she us; with about talked never grandmother my were grievinglikeher. we or were, we like exactly grieving was She did. we as same the exactly felt She woman. nursing the was body only personwhocouldcleanupanddealwiththedead We werejealousandenviousoftheirrelationship. guage, whichwefamilymemberscouldnotunderstand. my grandmother.Theywouldspeaktogetherinsignlan sponsibilities, sheoftencarriedoutinsultingservicesfor and emotionalintimacywithher.Inadditiontoherre physical a reached quickly very who stranger a woman, only personwhowasreallyclosetohernursing all thetimeandbecameestrangedfromeveryone.The us with argued she depression; into her plunged This ers. in halfofherbodyandshebecamedependentonoth who they hired a carer for during the last phase of her life: with thesamerhythmfor94minutes. tion. The2800audienceintheLumierewerebreathing emo maximum and dialogue minimal with story the tells and getsclosertothepatientsthananyoneoneelsebefore. boundaries demolishes framework, the breaks He quires. does muchmoreforthepatientsthanhisprofessionre bers of dying patients. As we have seen in the film, David caregivers, andformedrelationshipswithfamilymem care ofthem,mentallyunderstoodthesituation take to how studied patients, real with worked He year. a almost for role this for preparing was Roth Tim Franco, role oftheassistantisbreathtaking.AccordingtoMichelle Again, this year›s program was weak. However, the 68th In thesectionAnotherPerspective,Thaidirector Generally, oneofthemostinterestingthingsthatthey This iswhereFranco›sinspirationcomesfrom. She visited us some time later. She told me stories which the And morning. the in o’clock three around died She paralyzed became grandmother my ago, years «Three I read Michel Franco’s testimony about his grandmother, and music use to refuses Franco “Chronic” film the In ~ festivals ~ film print film ------Anano Bakuradze events inthecinemaworld,isfinally over. the ItaliansandwonheartsofFrench. to offence grave caused brothers Coen the However, val. also tookpartinthemaincompetitionofthisyear’sfesti portant problemsofourreality. will definitely make the viewer think about some very im that film more one is This time. of length good very a is which minutes, 100 exactly for attention our draws Brizé which to problems human very the of list short a is this – and VincentLyndonsharingBestActor. Roth Tim been have should it award, an sharing Bercot Emmanuelle and Mara Rooney of instead – Actor Best would be more sensible if they had divided the award for role ofDavid;butLindonalsodeservedit. the in performance his for Roth Tim to belonged award the that think I Actor. Best for d’Or Palme the awarded you ashappythemostpositivecharacterinfilm. response, and hearing the words “everything is OK” makes banker’s the for wait breathlessly You missing. document no be will there time this that praying are You heart. own character. Theaudience’sheartsarebeatingalongwithhis main the on fixes shot The papers. necessary the all gether ally, withagreatdealofeffort,hemanagestocollect The bankerasksforalotofpapersanddocuments.Eventu a loan of 2000 euros so that he can buy a small Renault car. character triestoconvincethefemalebankerallowhim main The bureaucracy. French or self-promotion, achieve to order in others of oppression unjustified the interviews; at candidates by competitors on comments as such France in living people for situations inevitable – selves own their In amannerofspeaking,myfavoritescenesderivefrom and involved. Cotillard. Thisformatallowstheviewertobecomplicit Marion with did brothers Dardenne the like just back the are complete,thecamerashootsmaincharacterfrom was oftheproblemsinthislayersociety.Allscenes he waswitheachpieceoffootage,howdeeplyaware the authorhadthoughtitthrough,howsubtleandcareful film. It was the only film that made you realize how much Brizé›s of hero main the noneof as real and familiar as was them me, for sympathy so much evoked films other other problemsinadditiontolackofmoney. palsy – a socially deprived French family who have many Now westartthecountdownuntil nextMay. And sotheCannesfestival,oneofmostimportant Sorrentino Paolo and Moretti Nanni Garrone, Matteo Capitalism, poverty, employment relations, bureaucracy it think I two. in divided was Actress Best for prize The It was Vincent Lindon in Stéphane Brizé’s film who was There wereanumberofscenesthatIparticularlyliked. the in characters main the of none and films 19 saw We - - - - No-one has Pulled off 13 such a Trick in Nyon Before

This year, for the first time in history of Georgian cin- Everything Disappear”, Nino Chutkerashvili and Shalva ema, fifteen Georgian films were presented, at the annual Shengeli’s “Sovereign” , Tamuna Jalaghania and Valerie documentary film festival in the Swiss city of Nyon in Leon’s “Life in Transit”, Nana Janelidze’s “Will there be the annual Focus program. One might say that on the one a Theatre up there?!”, Sophia Tabatadze’s “Pirimze”, and hand the show the images, direction and stylistic peculiar- Nino Kirtadze’s “The Pipeline Next Door”. while Nino ities of Georgian documentary cinema and, on the other Gogua’s film “Madona” participated in the festival con- hand, create an image of Georgian society and social- test. political reality. The organizers also selected six projects from the proj- The Georgian delegation consisted of Nana Janelidze, ects presented by Georgian filmmakers: “Dudube, the Director of the National Film Center, producer Anna Dzi- Last Stop” by Shorena Tevzadze, producer-Nika Gogo- apshipa and director Archi Khetaguri following a personal churi; “Love Song. Pastorale” director Tinatin Gurchiani, invitation, as well as the directors and producers of the producer Tamuna Gurchiani; “Tariela, Tariela” director films and projects presented at the festival. Giorgi Mrevlishvili, producer Rusudan Pirveli; “The Daz- For the retrospective show, the organizers of the festi- zling Light of Sunset” directed by Salome Jashi, produc- val selected films made in the years 2005-2014 – Archil ers Gregor Streiber and Urte Fink; “Pioneers’ Palace” di- Khetaguri’s “Akhmeteli 4”, Davit Kandelaki’s “America rected by Anna Tsimintia, producers Esma Berikashvili, in One Room”, George Mrevlishvili’s “Reflection”, Sa- Bernardas Andriusis, and “The City of the Sun” director lome Jashi’s “Bakhmaro” and “Speechless”, Anna Tsi- and producer Rati Oneli (Jebashvili), which the creators mintia’s “Library”, Zurab Inashvili’s “Let You Always processed and refined during two days of work with men- Sing, Mother!”, Dato Janelidze’s “Maidan Navel of the tors and then submitted to the jury for the competition. World”, Nino Orjonikidze and Vano Arsenishvili’s “The As a result, Rati Oneli’s “City of the Sun” won a “Special Bridge”, Tinatin Gurchiani’s “The Machine which Makes Mention”, and Tina Gurchiani and Tamuna Gurchiani’s

film print 14 we gottoNyon. how is that and us, about them told who Barizone, ciano to be very good training. As I have told you, we met Lu proved has this and ago years two held was Cinedoc first up projectswhichwereconceivedatthattime. young peopleandthesearetodaybringing in theprojectbelongedtomygeneration.Therestwere ever, Ihavetosaythatonlyoneofthetenparticipants How pain. their express to want whom of members tion, genera lost the principally is this – active be would tion genera my of filmmakers the that hope some had I way, the By Georgia”. Soviet “Goodbye, slogan the with tival fes the at workshop a organized we place, took Cinedoc first the when ago, years Two negotiations. the started we zone, Director of the Nyon Film Festival, and that’s when Bari Luciano met we Berlin in year Last half. and year but thefirsteverretrospective. documentary cinemaitwasnotjustageneralpresentation Georgian for that note to important is it And films. ative vals ofdocumentarycinema,withtheemphasisoncre- festival? documentary cinemagettobethe“focus”of What istheNyonfestivalandhowdidGeorgian on projects,thecontest,andresultsofallthis. retrospective ofGeorgiandocumentarycinema,working the Festival, Nyon the about Print Film to talked contest, and TinatinGurchiani,directorwinneroftheproject and theintroductiontoGeorgiandocumentarycinema. in Nyon, as well as by the presentation of the Film Center films Georgian the by captivated been had they that and als were impressed by the quality of the Georgian projects operation. He informed them that many of the profession in which hethankedthemforaninterestingandpleasantco staff, Center Film the and Janelidze Nana to letter a about cinemaattheFocusTalk. discussions led Dziapshipa Anna founded. he which oc, mentary cinema and the documentary film festival Cined Center. ArchilKhetagurigaveatalkaboutGeorgiandocu Film National the and cinema Georgian on presentation a arranged Janelidze Nana cinema. Georgian to introduced tributors from all of the world’s major TV stations – were dis and producers, editors, – guests their and committee national TVchannels,includingtheGerman-FrenchArte. inter several from filming for funding received and francs project “Love Song. Pastorale” won a prize of 10,000 Swiss In short,wearemovingforwardaccordingtoplan.The To gettothefestival,wepreparedforprojecta Nana Janelidze: This is one of the most important festi important most the of one is This Janelidze: Nana Center, Film National the of Director Janelidze, Nana wrote Pfingsttag Florian coordinator festival Nyon The In parallelwiththecontestsandscreenings,Nyon ~ festivals ~ film print film ------even though it was not planned, Rati Oneli was awarded was Oneli Rati planned, not was it though even and film Gurchiani’s Tina to francs Swiss 10,000 of prize films asaresult. Georgian cinemaandIhopethatwewillhaveinteresting Center. Ithinkthatthiswasonemorestepforwardby Film our of contest the through funding received taken, young andpromisingdirectorsworkingtogether. very productive,anditwaspleasingtoseesomany had offersofco-productionandpost-production.Itwasall me. Theparticipantshad49meetingsandmanyofthem this receivedagreatresponseandrecognition. All group. each of presentations clear and refined the by tributors from world famous TV stations) I was fascinated committee (whichcomprisededitors,producers,anddis knew theprojectsverywell,duringmeetingswith and form,workingrightthroughnight,eventhoughI structure modified and processed they Together projects. six the of each with days two for worked mentors foreign ema andtheFilmCenter. cin Georgian about presentation a made I and Sakdoc”, festival, while Anna Dziapshipa presented the platform of CineDOC his and cinema documentary Georgian of tory Archil Khetaguri.Khetaguripresentedabriefhis- and Dziapshipa Anna participants: additional two have to and producers of the six selected films. They also asked us directors the – participants 12 for grants travel organized program like? Who participatedinthefestivalandwhatwas where theorganizersdecidedwhotoinvite. ing projects,whichtheapplicantssenttoNyonthemselves, our work.Thenwemadetheannouncementaboutaccept and wereiteratedonemoretimethatarecontinuingwith festival the about them told filmmakers, documentary met She presentation. the made Bachik** Jasmine assistant his filmmakers knewthatthiswasinpreparation. cus in Nyon would be on Georgia. All the documentary fo the time year’s one in that announced and filmmakers tival ledbyGiorgiKhabashvili.Weinviteddocumentary but theyrefused.Eventually,fifteenfilmswereselected. etc. “Buba”, Shvante”, “Jum as such program, rospective ret the within eras different of films include to offered I screenshots, and they searched for other films themselves. The list was drawn up by three film critics. We sent out the The mostimportantthingwasthat thejuryawarded Soon after we returned, all six projects, if I am not mis not am I if projects, six all returned, we after Soon After thepitching,theycameuptomeandcongratulated Then thepitchingstarted.Itwasveryinteresting.Two We attended. delegation large a Quite – Janelidze Nana and Cinedoc second the attended Barizone Luciano Then Last year we also made a presentation at the Nyon Fes Nyon the at presentation a made also we year Last They requested a retrospective of films made since 2000. ------15

a “special mention”. It was also declared that all the proj- You know that apart from recognition as the best project, ects were very powerful; and equally importantly, they a representative from Arte headquarters offered to finance said that they had never had such a strong focus before. the film and search for partners. At the end of the festival, the Film Centre had a recep- tion by the banks of Lake Geneva with Georgian wine and When do you start filming? Georgian delicacies. We had some money (the Film Center financed the de- What will the victory in Nyon add to your next film? velopment of the project) and have traveled across Geor- gia. We have shot some material (which we showed in Tinatin Gurchiani: We have quite a big budget. We want Nyon), but they won’t be the characters in the film. to make a really high-quality film which will be released Now we are announcing casting all over the country in in cinemas and won’t just be for festival screening and order to select the main characters. We have to come to one-time TV broadcast. We are taking the money back to agreement with our partners and calculate the costs. We the project. Generally, all the money that we earn goes to have to go through the budget to see the estimated ex- the film. After the success of “The Machine Which will penses, and when we have to start and finish filming. We Make Everything Disappear”, many well-known produc- aim to start it in the summer. ers became interested in working with us, but we were For me, the film’s subject is not the only important thing. hesitant in accepting offers for one reason: in order to I’m also interested in the form and the working process. maintain the rights to the film and to produce it with maxi- There are interesting challenges and hopefully they will mum independence. Therefore, we prefer to have funding be fruitful. More important is how I can ensure that this from foundations and TV channels, which don’t aim to will be a real adventure. take over copyright and the money really goes to the production rather than to co-producers, in order to avoid what Lela Ochiauri happened with “Tangerines”.

film print 16 people thinkandsay.Thegirlstry toresist,oneofthem homes inthenameoffamilyhonour, andwhattheyoung loving younggirlswhoareturned intoprisonersintheir extremely violentepisodesinthefilm. as thoseofabusers.Ishouldwarnyouthatthereareseveral and violatorsthemselves.Theiractionsbecomethesame have beenhumiliatedandinsultedwillbecomecriminals the world,ifthisisfedbythirstforrevenge.Peoplewho violence. Nothing good will come from fighting to ennoble about howeffectiveitistotryeliminateviolencethrough audience thatthoughttheyhadseenagoodfilm. disturbing forthem.Itwasonlyaverysmallpartofthe half oferoticscenesinatwo-hourmovieturnedouttobe a and hour An either. satisfied not were audience the in to sharetheArgentiniandirector’sfantasies.Manypeople film. I had the impression that I was too much of a puritan changed my mind about attending the screening of the I “Love”, film Noe’s Gaspar for trailer the watching ter shown inthehallofHotelDivani. were documentaries and films Short cinema. in Apollo the mainly held were Screenings directors. well-known Khachatryan, NastassjaKinski,andBaadurTsuladze. Arutyun Ghoghoberidze, Lana Ioseliani, Otar morowska, Ko Maja to awarded was art film of development the in even thistimeonthestreetstoo. terested in,eitherinthecinema,masterclasses,and in were they filmmakers the to talk and meet could body every years, previous in As Kinski. Nastassja star film from previous festivals except a visit by the world-famous was notparticularlylarge-scale,withnothingtoodifferent celebrated itstenthanniversarythisyear.Thecelebration The Turkish film “Mustang” tells the story of freedom- of story the tells “Mustang” film Turkish The thoughts provokes on One” “One film Duk’s Ki Kim Despite the fact that I had long been waiting for it, af it, for waiting been long had I that fact the Despite filmsby with along shown were films Contestants’ According to tradition, the BIAFF prize for contributions Festival Film Art-House International Batumi The ~ festivals ~ film print film - - - - peace. TheGrandPrixwasawardedto“BrotherDejan”. desire tosurrenderhispersecutor,andatleastregain being chased,deepinhisheartheprobablyhasahidden general hadenoughtimetoevaluatehispastlife.Tiredof pitiful this today menacing, Once years. for justice evade running awayfromthelawandchanginghisabodeto on a real story about a war criminal who was constantly Georgian filmmaker offered real cinema. The film is based has thesamenarrativerhythm.Thedifferencewasthat of thescreeningcinemahallwasalmostempty. end the By director. film Lithuanian the about said be not ago, andheactuallymadetheaudiencethink,whichcan century a half Bergman Ingmar Swede the of films the in story. These issues were expertly examined and discussed film with overly drawn-out scenes, and arid dialogues and 90-minute a was It decision. jury’s I didnot the with our Dreams.” agree in us to “Peace film his for tas real storyfromthedirector’sownlife. attitude to illness and to each other. The film is based on a the Over two hours,weobservethechangeoftheseyoungpeople’s woman). the of death (the defeat a by lowed The great victory of this war (the birth of the baby) is fol life. her for fight to starts and illness the on war declares to goaheadwiththebirth.Togetherherhusbandshe cancer patient discovers that she is pregnantand decides Afemale “Chemotherapy”. film Polish the from slogan servedly. de quite actors, of team the to collectively awarded was Artist Female Best for award the and Prize Special Jury the won film The nature. indomitable her to thanks away youngest ofthemmanagestobreakthechainsandrun only gainsherfreedombycommittingsuicide,whilethe At first glance, Bakur Bakuradze’s film “Brother Dejan” The Award for Best Director was given to Sarunas Bar Sarunas to given was Director Best for Award The “Mothers should not be dying” this is probably the main and “Preparations”, Giorgi Tsilosani, Georgia, 2015 and “Preparations”,GiorgiTsilosani, Georgia,2015 Special Jury Prize “Adam”, Yulia Hanchar, Belarus 2014 Croatia, 2014. Germany/ Gunjak, Una “Chicken”, Film Short Best Heine man, USA/Mexico2015. Matthew Land”, “Cartel Prize Jury Special via/Georgia 2015. Lat Olte, Ugis Aliens”, “Double Documentary Best gentina 2014. Ole Christian Madsen, Denmark/ Croatia/Sweden/Ar Bitsi”, “Itsi film the in Fjelstrup Joachim Actor Best Other awards:

------17 Photo: Lasha Palavandishvili Photo:

film print 18 of themostinterestingthingson BIAFFprogram. we witnessed in her masterclass, which was definitely one that something was which expertise, same the with roles theatre. Thiswomancanplayboth dramaticandcomedic the in actors of company Grotowski’s Jerzy of member a tof Kieslowski, Andrzej Wajda, Istvan Szabo, and she was with famous directors such as Krzysztof Zanussi, Krzysz worked has She attention. media without left was actress, in obtainingfunding. filmmakers assists which project EU an program, Europe Creative the from Chkhaidze Noshre by audience the to see whyitis,andishowis. you dramaturgy, film the visualize can you because form matic representationofthescript.Thisisaveryimportant to choose, why and what for), the task was to create a dra With toysofvariousshapesandcolours(thedirectorhad this. for toys Lego used Tyler Paul expert Our maturgy. mapping, whichmeanscreatingamapforthescriptdra teresting non-standardmethodsforscriptdevelopment will justdoit,evenwithoutabudget. strates thatifapersoniskeenonmakingmovie,they demon This films. his of quality artistic high the cates indi which festivals, Locarno and Venice Cannes, the at appear frequently always films His rules. the of violation without or with and camera, his with alone, films, budget director, screenwriter and composer Siegfried shoots non- receiving fundingandautomaticallygainingviewers. filmmakerthe for interest dual a is there Thus on. money audience, theyareinterestedinwhathavespenttheir the become they when but financially, only not makers sistant and co-creator of the film. These people assist film- their opinions.Inthiswaytheaudiencebecomesanas give and film, the of financing the in assist to chance the people give to page web a make I film. this in interested is that audience an have I Batumi. in tourists about film a in financing the film. For instance, suppose I want to shoot financing is crowd funding, where the audience takes part alternative forms of cinema. One of the ways of obtaining abilities, and deepen thisknowledgeandinformationinordertomake projects our known make and explore to of specialistsfortheyoungcinematographers.Weneed environment andlooksforawayout.Weinvitedvariety their experiences. and share offinance sources alternative new find phers aim oftheworkshopswastohelpyoungcinematogra- Tina Kajrishvili,GulinUstunandTobiasPausinger.The dustrial PlatformheldmeetingsledbyLashaKhalvashi, Maja Komorovska, the famous Polish theater and film and theater Polish famous the Komorovska, Maja Another possibilityforobtainingfundingwaspresented In theworkshopwewerepresentedwithoneofin There are alternative ways to do things. The French film certain a to adjusts mind human The Khalvashi: Lasha The Alternative Wave 2015 program in the BIAFF In BIAFF the in program 2015 Wave Alternative The ~ festivals ~ film print film ------Inga Khalvashi of ourcountry. this festivalhasalreadyfoundits placeintheculturallife and screened been have films art-house of examples best There others. many and Ghoghoberidze Lana bakhidze, Ko Mikhail Ioseliani, Otar Kinski, Nastassja Tarr, Béla Ceylan, Bilge Nuri Rybczyński, Zbigniew Kiarostami, Abbas Zanussi, Krzysztof Stelling, Jos years 10 the over time. Many interesting guests havevisited the festival possible.” continue doingit.Ifpeopledonotgiveup,everythingis this canbeverytime-consumingandtiring.” pect isthatyouhavetopayacertainfee,andsometimes heard andsupportedbyahugeaudience.Thenegativeas can alsomakeimportantstatements,andtheywillbe new people, countries, cultures, religions. Popular people of itisthetravelling,whichagreatopportunitytomeet larity hasmoregoodsidesthanbadone.Themaincharm led toherillustriouscareer. of hercareer,metagoodteamandtherightpeople,which beginning very the at lucky got she that said She future.” printed inyourmemoryforeveranditdetermines is it something, do you time first The Texas”. “Paris, and “Tess” out pick still I’d But time. every matters part ery lievable emotions.” like adream.Imetdolphins,swamwiththem,feltunbe beautiful. You have a lot of colors, especially at night, it is preciation ofmywork.” misunderstandings, Iamstillgrateful.Thismeansanap some been have there While organizers. the offended I This isthetenthyearoffestival.Unfortunately,Ithink here. Iwanttothankthosewhogavemethisopportunity. invitation andfortheaward: actor’s anxiety and tension spread to the audience as well. The nervous. little a were questions the to answers Her the hall onehour late witha sad smile and gloomy voice. entered She conference. press Kinski’s Nastassja endary logical pressureandremainahealthyperson.” is veryimportanttobeablewithstandallofthispsycho has animpactonmymind,outlooktheworld,it “Everything filmmakers. documentary of responsibilities this year.Inhismasterclassthedirectorunderlined me to known became only name Khachatarian’s Harutun h Btm AtFl Fsia ws ed o te tenth the for held was Festival Art-Film Batumi The will I act. to want I theatre, the love “I stage theatre The The advantages and disadvantages of popularity “popu popularity of disadvantages and advantages The Films and roles that had a great impact “Each and ev and “Each impact great a had that roles and Films very is it art, street the like “I Batumi of Impressions come who people the meet could I that pleased am “I - the for organizers festival the thanked Kinski Nastassja Film lovers waited for a long time before the start of leg writer and director filmmaker, documentary Armenian ------19

film print 20 Rustaveli TheatreandFilmGeorgiaStateUniversity Representatives of Public and Manager Relations at Davit Janelidze, andJabaSikharulidze, SpeakeroftheCouncil of “Svoysy”(Russia) and Owls” (Georgia) Kolerov andDenis for theexperimental lm (Georgia), Cherkezishvili lm for Bakar thedocumentary “Larks to Salome Vephkhvadze for thefeature lm “Me, Them andDad” “Fragmenty” (Poland), whilefour ofthemainnominations went audiences withalotofinteresting compositions. this year in Tbilisi from 2nd to 6thJuneandpresented Georgian Student Filmfestival The 9thAmiraniInternational Georgian films in the program, so that the guests had the had guests the that so program, the in films Georgian from otherfestivals.Wetriedto present awiderangeof what makes this festival exciting, interesting and different tion, whetherornottheyseetheworld differently.Thisis investiga experimental their form, the of vision different very importantfortheyoungergenerationtoshowtheir is festival Our shown. were countries 52 from films dent ticularities ofdifferentstylesworking. with avarietyofdifferentcreativevisions,andthepar- acquainted become to students allowed which Festival, masterclasses andpresentationsweregivenattheAmirani Georgian cinematakesitsfirststeps.“ new the where is this so here, created being is tography” sary for the state to support it financially. “Great Cinema the morerecentperiodofGeorgiancinema,soitisneces of work.Ithinkthereweresomepositivedevelopmentsin quality the on mostly focus we festival the of prestige the during thecontest,andinordertoincreasemaintain be objective,tounbiasedinourselectionaswell about andevaluatedifferentschools.Therefore,wetryto learn to opportunity an is festival The experiments. and teaching, wherewecanappraisetheircreativefreedom acter. Here we are dealing with the process of learning and me thatstudentfestivalshaveanabsolutelydifferentchar taught has experience years the Over 2008. in committee We talkedto thedirectors ofthisyear’s festival: lmdirector This year’s grand prize was award to Aga Woszczyńska’s lm The 9thAmirani InternationalStudent Film Festival was held Dato Janelidze: “A selection of more than 300 stu 300 than more of selection “A Janelidze: Dato This year,followingtradition,anumberofinteresting Jaba Sikharulidze: “I joined this festival’s organization ~ The Shota festivals ~ film print film . - - - - - Maia Levanidze in general. university, butalsoforthegovernmentandourcountry our for only not important is which art, film in problems tion, buttherewillalsobegenerallydiscussionofcurrent ference will not only be significant in terms of film educa con large-scale of type this that believe We schools. film Armenian and Azerbaijani Iranian, Kazakh, little-known ternational organizations were interested in the previously this importantevent.Ithasbeenalongtimesincethein technical base. for improvements in the Cinema and Television Faculty’s ropean film schools. At the moment, planning is underway to the specifics of planning the learning process in the Eu film schools. During the conference we will be introduced be attendedbyalargerepresentationfromtheEuropean Amirani willincludealarge-scaleconference,which year next anniversaries, the of 20 celebration In wasfounded ago. years which GEECT, organization affiliate CILECT’s for and founding) its since years (40 Film and TV of Faculty the for and old), years 10 be will Festival which is the anniversary year for the Amirani Festival (the event, year’s next of planning was there and conceived, were possibilities relationship new Here cinema. with ed ed guestsdiscussedimportantandtopicalissuesconnect ence washeldintandemwiththefestival,whereinvit confer A Schools). Television and Film of Association vist oftheprincipalstafffromCILECT(TheInternational technology. audience and served as a guide into the latest film and TV The meetingrevealedalotofthingsthatwerenewtothe Film. of School Highest Munich the of Department cal Techni the of Head Slansky, Peter with meeting the in festival thisyear,butstudentswerestillmostlyinterested School andwithdifferentgenrestypeofwork.” opportunity to become acquainted with the Georgian Film It wouldbegoodifthestatewaswillingtocontribute The most significant event of this year’s festival was the the of aegis the under held were classes master Various ------21

film print 22 21st SarajevoInternationalFilmFestival Welcome toSarajevo Chagelishvili’s film “New Berlin Wall” was awarded the awarded Toma was Wall” Berlin “New film Chagelishvili’s death.” “Otar’s Bliadze’s Ioseb and “Hostages” projects: Tina Kajrishvili’s “Manji”, Rezo Gigineishvili’s Georgian several hosted Section Industry Cinelink The invited. were Tevzadze Shorena and Kalandadze stantine Kon directors the Platform, Talent Young section the in and Mari Khatchvani “Dinola” (not in competition). Also, (competition) “Father” Pirtskhalava’s David were gram festival intheselection. mieres, there were plenty of films from this year’s Cannes gram weredirectorialdebuts.Alongwiththeworldpre “I amBeso”(worldpremiere). and competition) in (not Dates” “Blind role), leading and prize jury hearts: Sarajevo (two “Brides” roles), leading including “In Bloom” (three Sarajevo hearts: Grand Prize, and projectshavebeensubmittedoverthelastfouryears, films Georgian Many cinema. Georgian for wide door its gardless oftheregionalformat,thisfestivalhasopened are oftenseenhere. among the numerous guests, and famous Hollywood stars industry film international and European the from tives the Heart of Sarajevo as a prize. You can meet representa awarded are categories different the in winners The ity”. “human and hospitality special its with world whole the to out stands and Europe south-eastern in event film tant the diversityofcity’shistory. jevo Film Festival was set up in 1995 in order to maintain h Goga fls umte i te hr filmspro the short in submitted films Georgian The Six films out of the ten in this year’s competition pro competition year’s this in ten the of out films Six The festival is of particular importance for Georgia: re Georgia: for importance particular of is festival The Today, two decades later, this festival is the most impor When the four-year siege of Sarajevo was over, the Sara ~ festivals ~ film print film ------Noshre Chkhaidze Unions anddirectorNikitaMikhalkov. Cinematographers’ Russian and Ukrainian the by echoed land, andPedroAlmodovar.Thecallsforhisreleasewere Hol Agnieszka Loach, Ken Leigh, Mike including ers, It was signed by very many film organization and support protest which resulted in a petition demanding his release. him to20yearsinprison.Thetrialcausedaninternational sentenced court military Russian a and Crimea in rested ar was he 2014, May In Academy. Film European the of support oftheaudiencedemandedhisfreedominname the with and Sentsov Oleg director Ukrainian of words Babluani andMariamBokeria. Lika to jointly given was nominations same the in prize the when ago years two success Bloom’s” “In of minded five these to actresses forthebestleadingroles,guestswerere collectively awarded the gave Downey, ern Turkey.Whenamemberofthepanel,producerMike her foursisterslivinginasmallseasidevillagenorth which tellsastoryseenfromtheviewpointofLaleand “Mustang”, film Ergüven’s Gamze Deniz to given was Tatishvili, GeorgianRepresentativeatEurimage. Tamar was experts invited the Among co-productions. al and digital markets, and the importance of promoting discussed such things as the challenges from the film rent “European Film Forum”, where invited experts and guests IDFA prizeintheDocuRoughCutBoutiquesection. t h coig eeoy ie ony ed u the out read Downey Mike ceremony closing the At film feature best the for award the and approval Special Parallel tothefestivalthereCreativeEuropeevent ------23

film print 24 once more About theNikoziFestival Festival are the Annecy, Dresden, Varna and Suzdal festi and animationwereheldatthefestival. Workshops inscriptdeveloping, modernchoreography animation studio executive producer Julie Roy and others. French (Canada), Ebert Pierre (France), Siri Emilio rent Flo (Russia), Seryogin Sergei (Russia), Demin Alexey acher, Dresden Festival director Katrin Küchler, directors: Radem Nadia selector Festival Leipzig Doc Sperer, tien (France), Annecy Animation Film Festival selector Sébas Catherin Olivier producer were These themselves. ators were shown,someofwhichpresentedbytheircre Winning projectsfromvariousworldanimationfestivals tors andrepresentativesoffamousanimationschools. ing guestsvisitedthisyear’sfestivalwell-knownanima interest of lot A Nikozi. to Tbilisi from bus the on free lage ofNikozi,wherechildrenstudyvariousfieldsart. vil the in founded was school film animation an festival, the Alongside profession. by director film animated an is who Tskhinvali, and Nikozi of Isaia Bishop Metropolitan of InnerKartliregion.Theideaforthefestivalbelongsto region the in Nikozi of village the in year this time fifth International Animated Film Festival is being held for the val’s artistic director Marcel Jean. As you know, the Nikozi proud to be the partner of Nikozi,” says the Annecy Festi The friends of the Nikozi International Animated Film Animated International Nikozi the of friends The for travel to able are attendees festival tradition,the By is Festival Film Animated International Annecy “The ~ festivals ~ film print film ------if thissortofthinghappensmore often, itwillbethefoun think I experience. good very a was It project. her sented Georgian artist Ana Chubinidze to France, where she pre opment workshopwasheld,which resultedinavisitby about it.IknowthatinAprilananimatedprojectdevel seen anythingbefore.ThatiswhyIcannotsaymuch new tome,Ihaveneverbeenasimilarfestivalbefore. lot asaproducer,andstillthisenvironmentissomething a travel I that you tell to want I again. all it experience to important is it me For films. interesting newand see and come to also but producer, a as films my present to only like to come here again next year. I would like to come not to learnmoreaboutGeorgia,yourartandculture.Iwould I havefoundaculturethatisnewtomeandnowwant this before. This is more than a festival of animated films. like experience an had never I’ve me. for surprise big a the European FilmAcademy. and festivals, film animation Dresden and Leipzig, Suzdal, Annecy, the Foreign Culture, of German Department the Ministry’s as well as Center, Film National and MonumentProtectionofGeorgiatheGeorgian vals. ThefestivalissupportedbytheMinistryofCulture Unfortunately, I don’t know Georgian animation, never “I would like to point out that attending this festival was French animationstudioproducer: Julie Roy,Canada’sNationalFilmCenter, - - - 25 dation for the creation of a professional group and studio Alexey Demin, director: in Georgia. If it is a successful project, it will motivate “This is my first time in Georgia, and the first time at this other animators and other representatives of the industry festival. This is a different festival. First of all, the place is to create new movies. It is important that representatives beautiful and the stars of animations are gathered here this of animation know each other. Animation art is not just a is an incredible idea and should be developed. Anyone subject for teaching, it is the art of relationships. A lot of who came here once will definitely be back. traveling is necessary and also meeting with experimental Unfortunately, I do not know modern Georgian anima- film makers. Producers, scriptwriters, directors, and ani- tion. Georgian animations are never presented at our fes- mators will all come next year again and you should come tivals. I want to point out that we went through almost too. Relationships, that’s what the priority is for me. the same thing ourselves having a period when the state Animation is an expensive field. I would like you to was funding things and then finding ourselves faced up have your own program in ten years’ time. There are a lot against a real problem. We moved to people’s houses. of really talented people here.” Anyone who loved animation continued with their bare hands. It is an art that cannot be stopped. Unfortunately, Marc Mayer, screenwriter: today we are losing artists due to the lack of funding, they “I am so glad that I came here. At first I had no idea go somewhere else, they go into commercial cinema. It is where I was coming, and then I found myself in this won- important that government supports the development of derful village, in this festival. This was a kind of echo of animation art, this is one of the best means of self-expres- my childhood, and it is very specific festival. It is good sion. I would like animation to be a reflection of the soul, that the children are involved in the process and this is a there should be children’s films, it’s the most sincere and great experience for them. the most difficult, and it should be in the hands of profes- As for the workshop on animated film script develop- sionals. I believe that everything is going to come right ment, it is quite difficult, it is always hard and challenging gradually. I would like to wish you all the best, and hope to work with scripts. As for the Georgian projects present- that there will be more people representing this field. Ani- ed at the festival, all were interesting in their own ways, mation is a sort of cohesive force that unites us all. but three days are not enough for this workshop script de-

Photo: Davit Chachanidze Davit Photo: velopment takes time.” Ketevan Janelidze

film print 26 68th Festival delFilmLocarno Russia, in works now who Bakuradze, by Bakur director Georgian co-production Russian-Serbian a Dejan”, “Brother of 2000andtheapplausefilmaficionados. audience an with filled FEVI Auditorium the of hall open discusses modernitywithhisusualirony,premieredinthe thedirector where d’hiver), (Chant Song” “Winter film Il Georgian-French new His of Swiss. the by Ioseliani Grande nickname the given been has who Ioseliani, Otar gian cinema.Theaudiencewasespeciallywaitingfor on the“walloffame”. screenings, and with manyfamiliar autographs recorded bled on the Piazza Grande, preparing for the open-air film assem guests dressed glamorously with evenings; esting inter and stars dazzling of lots carpet, red traditional the carno Film Festival. Locarno is a celebration of film, with Also, and perhaps most importantly, the 68th Locarno In the competition for international full-length films was This year’s festival was packed with films from Geor from films with packed was festival year’s This Quality and diversity these are the principles of the Lo the of principles the are these diversity and Quality ~ festivals ~ film print film - - - - Tea Gabidzashvili creative career. and successful of start the be will this Pirtskhalava Data tival ofdiscoveries,andhopefullyfortheyoungdirector ment ofprivatebusiness.Locarnoisalsoknownasafes not only with a state subsidy, but also with the involve financed was production film when occasion first the and port from TBC bank. This was the Film Center’s initiative sup financial with shot was which Center, Film National a winning project in the competition announced by the sation, this decision was taken unanimously. “Father” was conver private in said members jury the As section. film short the in Leopards”) (“Tomorrow’s domani di Pardi contest international the in prize main Leopard Golden the won “Father” film Pirtskhalava’s Data winner. a as time this surname, Georgian another heard Festival Film - - - - 27

Not an Indifferent Camera

At a time when the Prometheus International Film Fes- panorama of the festival showed this and other problems tival was being held, an advertisement for the Georgian of a social-cultural nature as much as possible. company Saga (I deliberately name the company) spread Nino Gogua’s documentary film “Madona” revolves on social media, which led to a lot of mixed reactions. The around the only woman driver on municipal transport. hastily made video turned out to be a classic example of The director shows us a close-up of the person who breaks violence against children and women, the most vulnerable the barriers. Madona is not a weak personality by nature, groups in our society. The President has declared 2015 as and she loves her job. At first glance, there is nothing par- the Year for Women, and the Tbilisi International Film ticularly problematic in her life. She is helped by her col- Festival which opened on 30th November and closed on leagues when the bus breaks down; they talking to her 5th December, also focused on this problem. openly and jokingly, and it seems as though everything is For one week, viewers had the opportunity to see the fine. Nevertheless, during the whole film we feel that not most important films from all over the world made dur- everything is fine. In the final scenes, everything becomes ing the last two years. Senem Tüzen’s “Motherland” was clear. “You are not a woman!” one of her colleagues tells the winner of the Golden Prometheus. This is a film by her, and in this way this man restores the androcentric bal- a Turkish director about a Turkish female writer… We ance of the world, where everything is assigned to its own apologies for the repetition, but we will have to mention place and this assignment is determined by gender or any the word “woman” many times, and we will deliberately other pre-defined rules. not replace it with any pronoun. Zurab Inashvili’s documentary “Speak Out!” is exactly In parallel to the women who have been killed and about such men. Within one hour we hear some very hard

Photo: Tamar Mirianashvili, Tamar Photo: Lasha Tsertsvadze abused in recent years, the films presented in the Georgian stories about abused women. But this is not important.

film print 28 Armenians. Georgia. AndGeorgiansarealso alienatedfromthelocal The localpeopleandplacearealienated fromtherestof the dominantcultureusestotry maintainthehierarchy. cally Armenianpopulationhaveagainstthediscoursethat actually theonlydefensiveweaponthatregion’sethni landscape, and also by the harsh climate. However, this is that thisisdeterminedbytheveryspecialandbeautiful impression the have may You history. and century 19th the ancestors, about conversations hear repeatedly past. You the in frozen be to seems are time where They somewhere region. Samtskhe-Javakheti the in travelling are filmmakers The production. film Georgian-Latvian a Aliens”, “Double Olte’s the Uģis was of mention worth One works cultural. and ethnic both types different of pointed to a second line, focusing on marginalized groups tantly todosowithawideraudience. continue totalkabouttheseproblems,andmostimpor base forbroaderdiscussions.Theimportantthingisto good very a become can film the in raised questions The patriarchal becausetheybelongtoasociety. the commonly-heldopinionthattheirthinkingissimply than rather self-survival of instinct an from more sexism film we also saw women misogynists who perhaps justify will butduetoopenthreatsofviolencefrommen.Inthe own their of out not sex”, “weaker the represent women people theopportunitytospeakoutthatmakesitclear The director’smainachievementistogiveacoupleof The films presented in the Georgian panorama also panorama the Georgian in presented films The film print film - - Giorgi Razmadze reject thesegroupfromnowon. the onlythingtosayiswishthatnobodywillbeable portantly, thecameralensescapturedmarginalpeopleand im Most dialogue. provoke and questions raise lenges, chal and problems environment, an reflect to able were box ofnorms. a within framed is who Georgian Orthodox heterosexual, clothes andearringseverythingthatirritatesanordinary, strange wear hair, long have who “skaters”, young about cultures are less reflected in Georgian cinema. The film is a skateboard.Apartfromtheabovementionedtopics,sub- is aboutmovinginspace,morepreciselyon lome Machaidze, Yamuna Karumidze, and David Meskhi ful landscapenexttothehospitableArmenians. to livecloserthethreatofwarratherthaninawonder alienation butalsospatialalienation,becausetheyprefer out thatGeorgianshaveatendencynotonlyforethnic parents oldhousetogetherwithhispregnantwife.Itturns called cross-borderarea,whereheisgoingtosettleinhis the villageschoolsandgoestoGorimunicipality,so- of one leaves Niko character main the film, the of end the At Way”. “Niko’s film Tskhvediani’s Giorgi in discussed ried outbyGeorgianlanguage teachers inschools,as Some of the films presented in the Georgian Panorama Georgian the in presented films the of Some The film “When the Earth Seems to be Light” by Sa by Light” be to Seems Earth the “When film The It isbelievedthatintegrationoftheregionwillbecar - - - - - Carpe Diem

In the southern Italian city of Giffoni Vale Piana in 1971, The festival was closed by Nana Janelidze’s film “Is there

Claudio Gubitosi’s initiative turned into the world’s big- a theatre?” At the end of the screening, the 500 jury mem- 29 gest children’s festival. In the 1980s, Francois Truffaut bers of the Giffoni Georgia met actor Kakhi Kavsadze. said that the Giffoni Festival as the most important fes- for the Festival’s organizers it was heartfelt emotions of tival of all. The Giffoni Experience unites 35,000 partici- the children that were the most important evaluation. They pants from 54 countries. Our country became involved expressed their impressions through social networks. One in the Giffoni marathon in 2013. The Georgian National of them was: “Four special, unforgettable, energetic, Film Center initiated One-Day Giffoni, which was held in funny, happy, unmatched days, where the possibilities are 2014, and 250 young people took part in it. On 16th-19th limitless. Here you have the perfect opportunity to make May 2015 the Youth Palace hosted 500 children. Along another big and important step towards the world, which with Georgians, who mostly came from the regions, the only takes place behind the frames, in the world that we festival was attended by Italian, Croatian, Armenian and future cinematographers love. What is Giffoni for me? A Azeri children. second which gave me an incomparable emotion during The jury members analyzed and evaluated the contest- those 4 days, a second which I’ll remember 60 times per ing films in the 13+ and 16+ categories for four days. In minute from now on!” Tako Loladze (Tbilisi) addition to foreign films, Nana Ekvtimishvili’s and Simon The Giffoni Film Festival is a unique place where chil- Gross’s film “In Bloom” was shown, along with the new dren have the chance to step out into a new world. All Georgian short films: “Father”, “Dinosaur”, “Dinola”, and the guests went out to meet them, answered their ques- “Happy Meal”. After the screening a Q/A session with the tions and shared their professional experience. The mas- films’ authors and actors was held. terclasses and workshops help children to discover their The festival program was diverse and interesting: the own cinema. We hope that the boundless emotion and the workshops in scriptwriting, animation, computer games, teenagers’ non-stop tempo, which accompanied the festi- photography, TV reporting, framing, film posters and even val like a pulse, will continue in the future. one by Sukhishvilis, were the beginning of new discoveries for the children. There was memorable and emotional Neno Kavtaradze meeting of the Giffoni jury members with the festival’s special guests and speakers: Zaza Urushadze, George Ovashvilil, Misha Mdinaradze, Levan Berdzenishvili,

Photo: Ana Bezhashvili, Goga Chanadiri, Ilia Papaskiri, Tekle Kvelidze, Toma Sukhashvili Toma Kvelidze, Tekle Goga Chanadiri, Ilia Bezhashvili, Ana Papaskiri, Photo: Zaza Abashidze, Zurab Kiknadze and Rati Amaglobeli.

film print 30 So this kind of festival is a good way to give these ideas these give to way good a is festival of kind this So sive televisioncoverage,orpromotional corporatevideos. exten sketches, historical-ethnographical are mentaries to mindforpeopleinGeorgiawhen youmentiondocu comes what scenario, best-case the In films. documentary that therepeoplehavesomeverystereotypicalideasabout in amoreglobalcontext. portunity toseeyourworkandthestoriesyouwanttell op an possibly is it Third, films. documentary of interest national industry representatives who share your common inter the know to get to opportunity an is it Second, tors. big screenandmeethavediscussionswiththeirdirec- it is an opportunity to see good documentary films on the this festivalforGeorgiandocumentarists? for thethirdtime.Howimportantisexistenceof The CinéDOCDocumentaryFilmFestivalwasheld „English Teacher”wasthefirstwinneratCinéDOC. film whose Orjonikidze, Nino documentarist was Georgian section this in members panel the of One Aliens”. “Double Olte’s Ugis was Caucasus Return”. Focus of winner The “The Remo’s Miro was 2015 néDOC-Tbilisi Ci at film winning The Caucasus. South the in festival And onemorethingandprobablythemostimportantis course, of First, reasons: several for important very is It film documentary international first the is CinéDOC CinéDOC is the good platform is good the CinéDOC Interview with Nino Orjonikidze ~ interview ~ film print film - - - - - themes oftheworksthatwerepresented? How wouldyouevaluatetheoverall quality,styleand dozens ofimportantprojects. most interestingproductioncompaniesandaproducerof in America and the latter is a representative of one ofthe industry cinema non-fiction the in figure significant a is Debra Zimmerman and Martichka Bozhilova. The former cus onfemaledirectors,withmasterclassesbeingheldby under developmentandthecurrenttrends. films the as well as makers, movie documentary new the representatives frominternationalindustry,togetknow meet to opportunity important an is this winning, Besides prize. Center’s Film the won and “Platform” project our with it in participated myself I CinéDOC. of framework the within SakDoc company the by conducted was it now festival, film Tbilisi the within held was Doc Pitch the past In event. industrial festival’s the to added was (pitch ing) Contest and Presentation Project Film mentary festival? What newthingswereproposedthisyearbythe creative adocumentaryfilmcanbe. a shakeupandgetpeopletounderstandhowdiverse This year’sfestivalwasinterestingonaccountofitsfo For me personally, it was very important that the Docu the that important very was it personally, me For - - - 31 The films were very different in terms of their themes a local, but also an international audience. and forms: the world seen through the eyes of a young Also, the festival is an opportunity not only to see im- hero obsessed with his passion for quantum physics, a portant modern documentary films, but also to meet and story told from the perspective of a building, a trip con- get to know representatives from the industry. This year structed out of visual impressions, a child’s view on the the festival had a lot of interesting guests for example, problem of borders, etc. One thing is clear the most excit- Debra Zimmerman, Audrius Stonis, Martichka Bozhilova ing thing is the prospect, the lens through which you tell and other representatives of the Munich Documentary the story and not just a topic or issue which you cover. Festival, IDFA, and Cinéma du Réel Of course, the main characters and the story are very important, but how you tell the story, what methods, what In recent years, art-house documentary films have approach, what cinematic vision you use, how you trans- become especially developed in Georgia. In your opin- late all these into the language of film, all this is crucial ion, what has led to this? and the winning films were evaluated on the basis of these criteria. An exciting blend of form and content is what cre- The reasons behind the development of documentary ates a good film. There were films with interesting charac- film have been new platforms, the availability of equip- ters and stories but with television aesthetics. These seem ment, and access to the international industry world. Also, less interesting to me. the Film Center has been funding and focusing on documentary films in recent years. Of course it is a fact that You were the winner of the first CinéDOC. How do Georgia reality is the biggest inspiration… every corner, you think this festival can be beneficial for emerging every person here can be turned into a film if the person directors? behind the camera has an interesting vision, observational skills, empathy, courage and patience. After winning the CinéDOC prize the film traveled outside Georgia on behalf of the festival, which resulted in Giorgi Razmadze an increase in its audience. It is still being shown in the frameworks of different film forums and events to this

Photo: Khatuna Khutsishvili Photo: very day. So CinéDOC is a good platform to gain not only

film print 32 uso wt te atcpto o Aa ociaz, Gia Morchiladze, Aka of participation the dis with cussion interesting very a by followed was which Away”, ish criticandfilmhistorianDerek Malcolm. Brit by led was works their about and people these with Mikheil Gomiashviliintheleadingrole.Adiscussion Mohsen Makhmalbaf,whichwasshotinGeorgiawith in 1996, and the film “President” by the Iranian filmmaker filmed was which VII” Chapter “Brigands. film the from Song” (in fact, this was the premiere) and several sections “Winter film new Iosseliani’s Otar Swallow”, “First film were heldtoo. premieres British and world of number A time. fourth the for masterpieces old restored to and classics film tional latest modern Georgiancinema,andalsotogemsfromthena the from films short and documentaries features, Osborn, KetiJaparidzeandNinoJaparidze. gian cultureandforthecountryingeneralwereJason tural event and a significantly important festival for Geor cians. accompanied byaliveperformanceGeorgianmusi in the Boot” (1931) by Mikheil Kalatozishvili, which was “Nail masterpiece film silent Georgian the of screening a included that arranged was evening an Cinema, Mix Rich the of café the in End, East London’s in Over gerines”. “Tan film Urushadze’s Zaza by opened was festival The century. 19th the of end the at place took screening first Lumière’s Brothers the where hall, cinema 180-seat a is There London. in film for centers influential most the of one is Cinema Street Regent The End. West London’s in Cinema Street Regent the in 2015, October, 7th 1st- on held was Cinema”) Georgian “Discover of name general weeks, etc.,invariousdifferentcountries is furtherreinforcedbyGeorgiancinemadays,thematic which products, film Georgian in interest increasing an is show prospectsofabetterprognosis.Accordingly,there scripts indicatethatthecrisisisbeingovercomeandalso film Festivals, forums, screeningsincinemas,andthefundsgrantedto discussion. of issue common a become from theverybeginninglevelofprojectshas depicted inafilmfromGeorgia Discovering alifeinLondon There was a screening of Levan Tutberidze’s film “Far film Tutberidze’s Levan of screening a was There Mchedlidze’s Nana included program festival The best the to introduced were audiences British year This The founders and organizers of what I would call a cul a call would I what of organizers and founders The The 4th Georgian Film Festival “Life in Film” (with the The international success of Georgian cinema, even ~ festivals ~ film print film ------“The President” (2014), which was made in Georgia with Georgia in made was which (2014), President” “The film feature Makhmalbaf’s Mohsen director film Iranian co-productions. The perfect example of this is the famous new plan and Georgia in films shoot to keen be will ers ture andlandscape,whileforeigndirectorsproduc help cul Georgian unique the about out find audiences British will that medium the is cinema Georgian Britain. is themostimportantGeorgianculturalphenomenonin ganizers): or and co-founders festival’s the of one Filmmakers, of British CouncilandTbilvino. Chamber of Commerce, the British-Georgian Society, the British-Georgian the Britain, Great in Embassy Georgian Tbilisi International Film Festival, the Frontline Club, the with the support of the Georgian National Film Center, the of Culture andMonumentProtectionofGeorgia,aswell theMinistry of promotion and support financial the actress DianaQuickrecitedpassagesfromit.. lated “A knight in the Panther’s Skin”, and famous British American poet Lyn Coffin. Lyn Coffin has recently trans and Chichua Nanuka curator Rayfield, Donald and ladze in CinemawithparticipationfromwritersAkaMorchi national panelwereheldonthetopicGeorgianLiterature Morning” and“HygieneofaCollectiveFarmer”(1934). the in Minutes “Ten Reap”, you shall so Sow, you ”As shown: were 1930s the in created films”) (“Culture tures Stefan Tolz’sfilm“FullSpeedWestward”. “Do not Breathe!”, Zura Inashvili’s “The Other City” and ria’s “FerrisWheel”andTornikeBziava’s“Nest”. Be Uta Spaces”, “Invisible Kulumbegashvili’s Dea vara”, sha Tskvitinidze’s “I am Beso”, Tato Kotetishvili's “Ogasa of La – film to newcomers some of works “Line the to and Credit” Aleksi-Meskhishvili) (Nutsa Aleksi’s Salome “Brides”, Kajrishvili’s Tina Dates”, “Blind Koghuashvili’s Levan Bloom”, “In film Gross’s Simon and Ekvtimishvili Nana Island”, “Corn Ovashvili’s George - directors of tion lish actresswhoplaysaleadingroleinthefilm). Bazghadze (film producer), and Crystal Bennett (the Eng “The festival already has a history of ten years and it and years ten of history a has already festival “The Union Creative the of Chair (Deputy Anjaparidze Nino through Britain in held was Festival Film Georgian The In additiontothescreenings,discussionswithaninter From the Documentary Film Archive, three short pic short three Archive, Film Documentary the From Kirtadze’s Nino included presented films Documentary The British were introduced to the works of a new genera ------33

a Georgian cast and crew and the idea for which was born now a movie-making hot spot” and writes: “In the past at the London festival. In future similar festivals and film two years the country can boast having produced several forums will also be an important platform for the creation award-winning films and has replaced Romania as the for- of new co-productions, which is very important for the mer Soviet Bloc country where the most exciting films in development of Georgian film industry. the world are currently being made. Over the years festival guests have included Otar Iose- The best of these films have been on show at the fourth liani, Eldar Shengelaia, Lana Gogoberidze, Mikheil Ko- edition of the London Georgian Film Festival. The fes- bakhidze, Kakhi Kavsadze, Dito Tsintsadze, Nino Kir- tival has returned after two years, at a new location, the tadze, Nana Janelidze, Merab Ninidze, as well as the new delightful Regent Street Cinema, and with renewed zest… generation of Georgian film directors Zaza Urushadze, the festival this year offers an exceptional program. That’s Giorgi Ovashvili, Levan Koghuashvili, Tina Gurchiani, partly because the programmers have made the smart de- Rusudan Chkonia and others. cision not to worry if a film has been put out for general It is a unique opportunity for us to present our country’s release in the United Kingdom before, but have just con- culture gracefully and promote its proper popularization. centrated on showing the best films that have been made This is especially important today when the recent success since the third edition took place in 2013.” and recognition at the major international festivals has The author describes and analyzes the full-length and stirred up interest in the phenomenon of Georgian cinema. short fiction and documentary films included in the pro- Clear evidence of this is the Academy Award nomination gram and notes that: “It took two decades after the forma- for the film “Tangerines” by Zaza Urushadze.” tion of the independent state for Georgian cinema to find Kaleem Aftab published an article about the Georgian its voice again.” Film Festival in the Independent newspaper with the title “Georgian cinema: The former Soviet Bloc nation is Tato Melikishvili

film print 34 competition program First Appearance at the Amsterdam the at Appearance First program competition at anytime. can besuppressedbythechurch and politicalauthorities ists and musicians in post-Soviet Georgia, where a person mentary aboutyoungpeopleastoryofboys,skaters,art support offilmproductionintheAchararegion. the for program the and Center Film National Georgian The project was implemented with the financial support of the Langkau. Jörg co-producer German and Rusadze) sociation’s production company Zazarfilm (producer Zaza As Arts GOSLAB the of project joint a and production aGeorgian-German is film documentary This program. official this in presented was Meskhi David and midze, Seems to be Light” by Salome Machaidze, Tamuna Karu can take part in the competition. The film “When the Earth films full-length second or first Filmmaker’s Appearance. world’s premieres. One such competition program is First portunity forannualmeetings,negotiationsandsales. op an filmmakers gives festival the of part industry The filmmakers. documentary modern for platforms main the of one is and November in annually places takes Festival cessfully beganitsfestivallife. to be Light” was awarded the main prize at IDFA and suc Success onIDFA FilmFestival “When theEarthSeemstobeLight” The selection and world premiere of this film in the in film this of premiere world and selection The “When the Earth Seems to be Light” is a poetic docu poetic a is Light” be to Seems Earth the “When IDFA’s main competition program, as a rule, focuses on Film Documentary International IDFA Amsterdam The Seems Earth the “When of appearance” “first the When ~ festivals ~ film print film ------Zaza Rusadze German NationalBroadcaster3. Sat in2016. ances, a German TV premiere of appear the film is planned festival by the other numerous to addition In Festival. Georgian PanoramaprogramattheTbilisiInternational the in shown was Light” be to Seems Earth the “When already madebytheBritishcompany“TaskovskiFilms”. the film to a broader audience. World sales of the film are tribution networks, which is a prerequisite for introducing Seems to be Light” drew the attention of festivals and dis Earth the “When prize, this to Thanks Appearance. First jury awarded it the main prize in the competition program striving fortheirnon-existingfreedom. heroes film the about tell to chose filmmakers the ation, situ existing the of analysis political detailed a of instead However, Georgia. contemporary of image social-critical the storyofyoungpeople,therewasalsoarticulateda communicate themthroughcinematicmethods.Aswellas directors’ maintaskwastodescribetheirinternalstateand muna KarumidzeandDavidMeskhiverywell. Ya Machaidze, Salome of ideas the understood audience festival. Everytimethehallswerefullanditfeltthat the during held were screenings Five life. festival its of International Documentary Festival was a successful start After the world premiere in Amsterdam in December, in Amsterdam in premiere world the After the resolution, visual and cinematographic its to Due The teenagers. of dreams the follows closely film The - - - - 35

film print 36 Festival International Film at theTallinn Georgia infocus Minister ofCultureandMonument ProtectionofGeor for manyyears. music creating been have who Tormis, Velio and March achievement wasgiventotheEstoniancomposersAvro lifetime for award special A Hall. Concert Norden the at who receivedenthusiasticapplausefromtheaudience Rachveli, Nikoloz by led Orchestra Symphony National the so year, opening ceremonywasaccompaniedbymusicfromthe this Music of Year (1929). the celebrates Grandmother” Estonia “My film silent Mikaberidze’s Kote by opened was festival The November. of 13th the On thisoccasionthespecialguestwasGeorgia.(N.S.) and is listed among the world’s leading 50 Film Festivals. Dark Tallinn’s Night is one of the largest film events in Northern Europe status. (superior) class A awarded was year this which Festival, Film International 19th tigious The opening night was attended by Mikheil Giorgadze, Mikheil by attended was night opening The A “black”carpetwasrolledoutontheopeningnight On 13th-29th November, Estonia hosted the most pres most the hosted Estonia November, 13th-29th On ~ festivals ~ film print film - - Nino Shervashidze years. ating with the Tallinn International Film Festival for many cooper actively been already have Republic Estonian the tival. Georgian films were shown within the frameworks of fes Thirteen Iosseliani. Otar director the by Song” “Winter have alotofcommonvaluesandthingstosay.” tures. Directors are competitors, but at the same time they ferent narrativemethods,whichcomefromdifferentcul dif of mix a have we result, a As career. their of stages as well as the participating filmmakers, who are in various versity of the films and countries presented at the festival, competition programofthefestival. main the in included was film The Festival. Film national the Frozen Fountains” was premiered at the Tallinn Inter of “Year film Burduli’s Vano European. five and national 21 countrieswerepresented,ofwhichthreeinter Culture andMonumentProtectionofGeorgia. lowed byaspecialreception,hostedtheMinistryof Estonia TeaAkhvledianialsogaveaspeech.Thiswasfol and thisisjustthebeginning.“ co-operation intercultural of example brilliant a is ines” oped communities. The Georgian-Estonian film “Tanger devel and civilized between dialogue a have to possible ten say,thatcultureisthelanguageinwhichitbecomes with eachotherandtheyareconnectedbyhistory…Iof very moved,asourcountrieshaveaspecialrelationship mewith leaves festival film Estonian prestigious the in erful weapon: “The fact that Georgian films are presented pow a as Georgia and Estonia of culture the and ficulties national FilmFestival“. Inter 19th the at Night Black Tallinn year’s this opening of honor the has Grandmother” “My cinema silent the of masterpieces the of One years. for regime Soviet the by gia, who said: “Today you will see films that were banned The National Film Center and the Georgian Embassy in Embassy Georgian the and Center Film National The The Georgian film retrospective was opened by the work Festival director Tina Locke: “I’m excited about the di the about excited “I’m Locke: Tina director Festival In the various frameworks of the Festival, 18 films from At theopeningceremony,GeorgianAmbassadorin Mikheil Giorgadze also spoke about the production dif production the about spoke also Giorgadze Mikheil ------PRODUC- TION OUTLOOK 38 rich. Ikeptlisteningtotherecording. Previously,Iused ment inwhichIsawthisboymy imaginationwasvery eral days.Ithoughttheguywasamazing. Theenviron much emotioninmethatIlistened toitnon-stopforsev- singing raponYouTube.Thisrecordingbroughtupso cided toshootthisfilm? Can youtelluswhatwasthemomentwhende- making thefilmandhisworkingprocess. to deeplyexaminehiswayofthinking,objectivesin make awide-ranginginterviewwiththefilm’sdirector young cinemageneration.Therefore,wedecidedto bombshell whichhadbeenanticipatedsomuchbythe unanimously. Itisasifthisfilmexplodedalong-buried film andspreadingthewordaboutitamongeachotherso any Georgianfilmsomuch,referringtothestoryof that Ihaveneverpreviouslyseenyoungviewersdiscuss while otherscriticizeitforbeingblurred.Butthefactis from thefilmandrefertoitasbestmirrorofreality, unfinished. Somepeoplecannotforgetthebestmotives the filmanewmasterpiece,whileothersthinkthatitis are radicallydifferentfromeachother:somepeoplecall received severalawards.People’simpressionsofthefilm written aboutit,andcriticalfeedbackmade.Thefilm Tskvitinidze’s debutfilm“IamBeso”.Reviewswere I amBeso The filmcametomewhenIheardanunknownBeso Recently GeorgianaudienceswereintroducedtoLasha ~ film print film review ~ - steal ampoules from the exact same hospital and detonate steal ampoulesfromtheexactsame hospitalanddetonate abled asaresultofChernobyland swearsalot;weusedto children’s confrontationsandfights; thefather,whoisdis biographical momentsinit… So thisfilmispersonalforyouandtherearesome in mymemoryandwhichhadimpressedmealot. stories. Iputtogethereverythingwhichhadimprinted videos foundontheinternet,someofitfromreal-life is anintegralpartofmyownreality.Someitfrom circle offriends.Ingeneral,almosteverythinginthefilm George’s TVprogramsandfilmsareverypopularinmy upon therequestofFatherGeorgeKipshidze. from “Patriot”andasfarIknow,itwascomposed you havealsousedthiskindof“realmaterial”? tioned “Beso’ssong”…arethereothersceneswhere a trackatthekarateclassandalsoabove-men- There areanumberoffamiliarquotesinthefilm– atmosphere andmoodwhichtouchesmesodeeply. was whenhewritingthemusic...perhapsit’s imagine whatishappening.IwantedtoseewhereBeso then listentoit.SomehowIlovehearrecordingsand to recordthenoiseonstreetasIwaswalkingand Yes, there are many elements from my biography: Yes, therearemanyelementsfrom mybiography: The song“YouareaGeorgian”atthekarateclassis - them. I used to swim in those concrete channels with the manipulation by bringing out a certain theme which is 39 children in Dmanisi. And we really put frogs for Luba in believed to be good. I always think people with no talent a pond and she killed them with shovels. We would shoot do this. I hate it when a film shows only one side – such cows with ball-bearing bullets from slingshots. I made up as how bad poverty is, and concentrates on the negative many things as well, mixing things up and combining a aspects of this poverty. I also wanted to show how children lot of ingredients. Shmagi and Lasha, Borena and Tatia, find their own selves in these difficult situations, how they Rizha Kakha, Shavlego, and Liova are all real people who can enjoy “nothing” and still remain childish. For me, the I knew in my childhood. I also lived that way when I went source of inspiration is not the social problems as such, to Dmanisi. My father is an archeologist and I often had but the people. People in trouble are spiritual food for me. to go there in the summer. Children there had no money; These people bring the biggest truth and when I don’t have even one lari was a big thing. People didn’t have any communication with them, I watch videos these people’s money and they didn’t need it; everything worked differ- houses on the internet and get topped up with it. I need ently and they were dependent on nature. In fact, these constant contact with them. The most interesting thing are children lived on nothing. That is exactly what the film is these people and their stories. I care less about focusing on about – how the children live on nothing. themes and reflecting different problems.

I remember in one interview you said that this is a If we discuss the film by standard approach, would film about friendship. However, discussing the film, we see negative and positive characters in it? the audience talks more about the realistic reflection of a socio-cultural environment and its natural That is exactly what I did not want – negative or posi- presentation. It would be interesting to know how tive characters. My goal was to show people as they much emphasis you yourself put on this aspect? Did really are. There are many types of people and I find you focus on this from the very beginning? it primitive just to show a two-dimensional image. I wanted to create characters who were rich and alive, with For me the main thing was to get reality into the film and all their pros and cons. to show the real relationship between friends. Most of all I was concerned about how I could make every scene real What criteria did you have when selecting actors for and never thought about what I was focusing on. I hate the characters in the film? Where did you find them?

film print 40 crew ingeneral,andtheactors? How muchfreedomdidyougive thecameraman, Did youtakecontrolofeverysinglepointshooting? “strained” thesituationsowellthatourjawsdropped. invited childrenfromRustavidramaclubs.Datocameand these daysamongtheInternetgeneration).Eventually,we involved incriminalactivities(therearelesschildren I couldhardlyfindthekindofchildrenwhoget The mostdifficulttaskwastofindbadly-behavedchildren. quickly thatIimmediatelyapprovedthemfortheparts. bring himalong.Theboystooktothetextsonaturallyand on Facebook.MostofallIlikedSosoandaskedTsotneto later, readthetext.IlookedatphotosofTsotne’sfriends but weweresurprisedbyhowfreelyTsotne,whojoined plays Elene.Everyonefounditdifficulttoactnaturally Barbakadze, whoplaysBeso,andLanaRatiani, that IgotothecityofRustavi.TherewefoundTsotne visually. ThenmyproducerNodarNozadzesuggested travelled aroundtheouterdistrictsbutnobodywasright have anybarrierandtheirfriendshipwouldbenatural.I have photographofhisrealfriendssothattheywouldnot and Bakar.IthoughtthatafterhadfoundBesoshould of children.Atthesametime,IwaslookingforTsuri districts. Iwentintoclassroomsandtookphotographs The cameramanhadscenestoshoot wherehehad First IwaslookingforBesoinschoolstheouter ~ film print film review ~ my opinion, philosophy and the arts are very far removed my opinion,philosophyandthearts areveryfarremoved who haveinspiredyoumost? you more?Andcanrememberthefilmdirectors of narrationandform?Whattypecinemainterests Usually, whatsortofcinemadoyoupreferinterms So theactorsbecamefullyinvolvedinroles. interrupting eachother,asactuallyhappensinreallife. to talkaboutonesubject,thenyoumoveonanother, without cuttingthemout.Whenyouspeak,start and wantedtoachievetheeffectofrealconversation the contentintheirownwords.Iwasshootinglongshots At therehearsaltheyreadtextsandtheninterpreted I neveraskedanyofthemtolearnthetextsoffbyheart. scenes? Andifso,whichones? ning totheend?Oraretherealsosomeimpromptu Was thescriptwrittenaccuratelyfrombegin- what webothliked. the camera.Wewouldagreeonperspectiveandshoot thing fromthebeginningincludingfreemovementof instinctively movewiththecamera.Weplannedevery- planned thathehadtostagethesceneand to actaccordinghisowninitiative.Itwasalready I cannot take too much philosophical contemplation. In I cannottaketoomuchphilosophical contemplation.In Everything waswrittenoutprecisely.Actorsimprovise. from each other. The most valuable to me are realistic Where else should we expect the film to be shown? 41 films with real characters and real dialogues, as started What are the means you can use to get the film out to by the French New Wave directors and John Cassavetes the audience? in the US. My favorite film directors of modern times are Ruben Östlund, Maren Ade, Julia Loktev, Ulrich Seidl, From 4th February, the film will be shown in Georgian and Sebastian Silva. At the time, the biggest influence on cinemas. We wanted it to go out to the international me was Harmony Korine. When I saw his “Gummo” I community, but so far this has not been possible. Several saw a new type of cinema. It changed my way of thinking. festivals were interested in the film, and we also sent it Sadly, I think he has prematurely exhausted his potential. out to a number of places and are waiting for a response. The film continues its journey around the festivals. I How did you get interested in cinema and what cre- hope to see it in many countries. ative path did you travel before this film? Are you working on a new script? The TV program “Psikho” turned out to be revolution- ary for me. I realized that there was cinema that was not Yes. I have been working on a new script – I want to shown on TV and which brought absolutely different shoot a very evil film. A horror film, an author’s film - pleasures. I don’t remember when I first wanted to direct not commercial; a horror film in its Hollywood sense. I a film. Cinema has always been close to me. When I will try to make the characters as alive as before: making wanted to study directing, I was told that it was not a the story, the narration, and environment very realistic, profession and that I should master some profession and but with more “action”, more “suspense” and heaviness. then move into directing. So I passed the entrance exams I want to enjoy the development of the narrative, which to study Hebrew, but I found that learning a foreign is something I have never wanted to do before. Let us see language was not my thing and moved to the department what comes out of it. of directing in the second year. It was a relief and I felt freed. The group turned out to be very good. We were Elene Pasuri. together all the time, investigating and shooting. We were bringing each other up. I was lucky that I came into a group like that.

film print 42 Award attheSundanceFilmFestival forthefilm“Dura tigious awardsincludingtheWorld CinemaDirection they gainedinternationalrecognition andmanypres- previous filmsbythedirectorwere documentariesand mentaries andfeaturefilmswithstoriescharacters. paths youwalk,themorethiswillenrichbothyourdocu- es andunifiesalltheprofessions.Themorediverse Don’t Breathe more knowledgeallhelptoachievethis. A changeofprofession,gainingnewskillsandobtaining ally, itisnecessarytolookatlifefromdifferentangles. believes thatinordertogrowanddevelopprofession- director washappytoagreeto.Sheagreedbecauseshe the 69thOscarsin1997. nominated asoneofthetopfiveBestForeignFilmsin Jorjadze (1001RecipesofaChefinLove).Thefilmwas series, andendedupinafull-lengthfeaturefilmbyNana who startedwithadiplomaworkbyherfriendandTV Which genredoes“Don’tBreathe”belongto?Allthe Cinematography, likeanyotherfieldofart,encompass There thenfollowedmanyotheroffers,whichthe The cinemaworldfirstmetNinoKirtadzeasanactress ~ film print film review ~ - - one doctortothenext,andmore opinionssheheard which madehergotothedoctor… Shewassentfrom own experience–onedayshefelt apaininhershoulder empathy forthem. each other.Seeingthisallowstheviewertofeeladouble full ofquarrelsandfights,buttheystilllovecarefor towards thegatefortheirguests.Theirrelationshipis they eatoutsideintheshadeoftreesandlook a middle-agedcouple,liveinthishouse,goodweather and specialcharm.ThemaincharactersLevanIrma, completely differentway–suddenlyitgainsastrange method” andnotaclassicalstyle(interviews). is whenafilmdirectorappliesonlythe“observational a feature.Therearecaseswhenyoucannotguess.This know whichgenreitrepresents–isadocumentaryor take the“correct”attitudetoafilm,itisimportant tary Prizefor“PipelineNextDoor”. kovo” andtheEuropeanFilmAcademyBestDocumen The ideaforthefilmcameto directorthroughher Taken asadocumentary,“Don’tBreathe”isseenin The latestfilmhasnogenreassignedtoit.Inorder - 43

the vaguer the reason for the pain became. “Suddenly, “I tried this way and that way, dodged from here and I started to imagine what my future would be like – my from there, went this way and that way, so what? Noth- family, my job… and I became interested in finding ing… on the contrary, everything gets worse… finish, someone who was fighting with such ambiguity…” I’ve given up thinking about this shoulder!” – Levan tells Levan is such a man. He has a strange pain in his shoul- his friend, and the latter agrees, saying he is absolutely der. In the very first episode of the film he is preparing to right. visit a doctor. Not being satisfied with the unconvincing Levan’s friend is one of the many characters in the film diagnoses he receives, he keeps looking for new doctors. who, despite their episodic roles, become imprinted in He hears lots of different opinions – one suggests an op- our memory. “I love secondary characters; they complete eration, another prescribes a simple massage. The more the whole picture and help us draw an image of the exist- he searches, the more uncertain he gets. ing world,” the director says and adds that in order to get This ambiguity stimulates his imagination, which in closer to the main characters, before she started filming, itself triggers fear. A scared man is the most helpless she lived in their house with them for months together and this manifests itself in aggression. As a result of with the film crew. They were together all the time. In the this he breaks his relationships with family, friends and end they all became good friends and a small circle of colleagues. close friends formed. As a result, all the inconveniences Despite the tragic plot, “Don’t Breath” is a satire with and complexes disappeared, which adds many intimate lots of comic elements. It makes the audience smile as episodes to the film and makes the audience believe that almost all the absurd situations shown in the film are fa- the film is actually a feature. miliar and remind us not only of our personal problems, but also those of our family, relatives, and friends. Ana Urushadze

film print 44 Line ofCredit / Thecameraas“Rose-TintedGlasses” “finale”, whichevenifyoualways gotherightway,will days ofsacrificeandwillaccelerate theapproachof time totime?Suchhappiness,in turn, requiresjustafew yourself oryourlovedoneshappy foramomentfrom celebrate herbirthday? your mother’sringtoapawnshopinorderbuyfood sinking intodebt?Isittherightthingtosecretlytake it therightthingtobuyanewbagwhenyouarealready need forthem.Oftenthereisnosenseinmaking for thetruth,orexplanations.Orrather,thereisno limit iscausedbytheselimitlesslies.Buttherenotime to handandcreatingendlesschainsofdebtor-creditors. be paidarespinningaroundincircles,passingfromhand everyone. Asaresult,thenoteswithdebtswhichareto system affectseveryone,andtakesthingsawayfrom contrary, helpothersifyouareaskedforhelp. not bedishonored,toavoidoffendingothers,butonthe You willdoeverythinginordertopayyourdebtsand able tohide”butratherthatyousimply“willnothide”. character of“LineCredit”,itisnotabout“notbeing hide fromacreditor,butwiththepersonalityofmain you cannotkeepbeinglateforeverbecause almost notimeforawalkasitisalreadytoolate.And does themostrunning.Sheisinconstantmotion,with walls, keepingalivethestoriesofgenerations. forget alotofthingswhichhadbeenpreservedbythe away frommanymemories,beingforcedtoprematurely ity. Theblindalleymeansstayinghomeless,beingswept ended upstuckinthehopelessblindalleyofbitterreal- heroes –theyranaround,begged,lied,deceivedand people whohavegonedownasimilarpathtothefilm’s reading thefinalsubtitles,wecanvisualizealotmore length featurefilmbyNutsaAleksi-Meskhishvili.After left homeless,”saysthefinalsubtitlesofanewfull- mortgage loan,14%offamilieslivinginGeorgiawere Why isnotrighttoseeksomeentertainmentandmake What isthe“rightthing”andwhat“wrong”?Is These endlesschainsarebuiltonlies.Theloan And manypeopledoaskforhelpbecausethecurrent In “LineofCredit”,itisthemaincharacterNinowho “In theyears2009-2013,asresultoftakingouta ~ film print film review ~ Ana Urushadze ing withoutanyproblembothinGeorgia andinFrance. not berepeatedandtheauthor’snext filmwillgetfund After thisfilm,thereisagreathopethatstorywill Georgia orinFrance,andtogetthefundingshootit. years togetthescriptapprovedbyacommittee,eitherin Aleksi-Meskhishvili isherselfawriter.Shewaitedfor10 budget andwiththehelpoffriends.ThedirectorNutsa right untiltheend. in standingonthesideofheroandfollowingher peace ofmindandatthesametimeundiminishedinterest does notbotherorstrainyoubutinsteadgivesa is totallystatic.Thisgivesthefilmakindofrhythmthat who isperfectlyplayedbyNinoKasradze,thecamera colours, fullofspace.UnlikethemaincharacterNino, ic views.Theactorsmove,talk,andsinginbrightblue is verylightandbeautiful,withlongshotspanoram- dramatic stress. is shownbythewriterwithoutanyembellishmentor is theconcretestoryofNinoandherfamily,which are justa“technicalaspect”ofthefilm.Themainthing are ofsecondaryimportance,andaccordingtotheauthor, frequent, thesystemwillbedestroyed. everyone knowsthatiftheselittle“accidents”become But everyoneavoidstheroleofbeingavictim,although to changereality.Withoutavictim,changesrarelyoccur. able todestroythesystem. will swallowyouandthosearoundbutnotbe your righteousness,willcausealittle‘accident’,which cult. Wheneveryonearoundyoulies,yourself,with we findcomfortandlifewithoutthemseemstoodiffi which theenvironmentandsystemleadusto.Inlies Georgian daily reality. A lie is part of our daily existence, “what isthepointof...”areacombinationofwell-known eventually stillleadustobeingstuckintheblindalley. The filmwasmadeinashortperiodoftimewithlow Despite thesombrestoryanddesperatefinale,film And yet,theseproblemsandthesituationincountry It isdifficulttoadmitthatavictimrequiredinorder All thesedailyremarkssuchas“but”,“however”, - - 45

film print 46 killed herviolenthusbandanddoes notregretit.Athird Another doesnotunderstandthis meaningatall–she tails. Onecharacterfindsthemeaning oflifeindancing. Another City? Film attheGeorgianStateUniversityundersupervi Journalism. HethenstudiedattheFacultyofTheatreand State UniversityandgraduatedfromtheDepartmentof received ahighereducationinTbilisiIvaneJavakhishvili gaining therespondent’strust. maker, andespeciallyforadocumentaryfilmdirector– author hasanabilitywhichismostimportantforafilm story openlyandyourealizethatthecreatoroffilm make thefilmmoreinteresting.Eachofthemtellstheir “another city”. are completelydifferentfromeachotherandwholivein thing thatissharedbythecharactersinfilm,who guishable daysspentintheSoviettowerblocks. for some–itisabsolutelyidenticaltomonotonous,indistin the centralresidents. districts. Thisisanotherworld,cutofffromtherealityof of Tbilisihavenoideawhatishappeningintheout the director,manyofpeoplewholiveincentre of Tbilisiandthepeoplelivingthere.Accordingto mentaries –“AnotherCity”isabouttheouterdistricts sion ofTengizAbuladze. Zurab InashviliwasbornandraisedinTbilisi.He You rememberalmostallthefaces andrecallthede These characters,withtheirstories,dreams,andhabits But thismonotonyisonlyabackgroundandthe However, forthevastmajorityofpeople,itiswellknown; The lastworkbythisdirectorofabouttwentydocu- ~ film print film review ~ - - - - Ana Urushadze makes youwanttofindout. you wonderaboutwholivesbehindeachofthemand and thousandsofwindowsallthesameshape,makes seeing therowsofhugetowerblocksfacingeachother overall, despitethemoodofsadnessandhopelessness, immigrants areadaptedandhappy. of theseresidentsaredissatisfied,andmanytherecent ite”. Ofcourse,thereareexceptionseverywhere–many whom thesepartsarenot“other”but“familiarandfavor and seekshelterintheoutskirts,livingnexttopeoplefor become homelessandwereforcedtoselltheirhomes the peoplewholivethere.Thesearehad “other city”tothebasketattachedhisbicycle. and withhisshoutof“press!”attractstheresidentsthis ing newspapersrideshisbicycleamongthetowerblocks this wayconnectsthevariousdifferentscenes.Amansell an editingtool–heoftenincludestheminthefilmand become a“concretejungle”. content withlifeinthe“othercity”,forsomecityhas he watchesthevideoarchivethatfilmed...Someare in the1960s,andwhenhemissesstreetsofTbilisi, of anotherthecharactersisavideocamerabought happy becausehehaslotsoffriends.Theonlyfriend thinks aboutthelifewhichhehaslost.Thefourthis I amnotsurewhatthedirector’sintentionwas,but The outskirtsofTbilisiare“anothercity”formost The directorusespanoramasofthe“concretejungles”as - - 47

film print 48 as Happiness Happy Meal-Breakfast restaurant -thefatherisunemployed andonlythemother go toMacdonald’s. concerns. Inthefilm,hiswishes are limitedtowanting municates withhisson.Thesonhimselfhasdifferent a fewtimes,butthiswecanonlyseewhenhecom- between themotherandson.Thefathermaysmile is alreadyinbedandsowedon’tseeanyrelationship life. Whenshearrivesbackhomelatefromworkherson thing. Themotherhascompletelylostthejoyfromher They seemalwaystobedeeplyconcernedaboutsome- their schoolboysonarethin,quiet,reserved,andsad. of onefamilyontheedgepoverty. the project“Tbilisi,ILoveYou”.Thefilmtellsstory Takaishvili, anovicefilmdirectorintheframeworkof However, itisnotthateasytogo tothefast-food All threemembersofthefamily,mother,fatherand The shortfilmHappyMealwasdirectedbyKote ~ film print film review ~ Ana Urushadze you canchewandswallowit. family; happiness,itseems,depends onlyonhowfast minutes ofhappinesstoonlyonemembertheunhappy due forgettingtopmarksatschool. ald’s tobuythepromised“HappyMeal”,whichhewas end ofthefilmwhenfathertakessontoMcDon this, themotherworkshardformanyhourseveryday. thus maintaintheminimumwageoffamily.Todo at theendofmonthtocovercommunalbillsand in thejar.Thejarisslowlyfillingonlytoemptyagain evening afterreturningfromwork,shedropssomecoins cover thebottomofajarinkitchencupboard.Every takes careofthefamilybudget,whichisjustenoughto The HappyMealor“happybreakfast”bringsafew Where doesthemotherwork?Wefindthisoutat - 49 Welcome to Karastan

It is always pleasing when your small country, where the British Film Institute and Arte, as well as a number not so long ago, film production was at a standstill, the of funds and film companies from Russia, Great Britain, technical base was almost destroyed and the “golden and Germany. age” almost forgotten, can be host to the making of a film However, from the very first shots and from the first which collects together such names as: musical phrases of the film, you have a feeling of anxi- Pawel Pawlikovski – co-author of the screenplay ety. From the very first scene – if the story of the film is (director of this year’s Oscar winning film “Ida”), screen unknown to you and you are being introduced to the plot. writer and director – British Ben Hopkins, who has Foreboding can be a subjective feeling, but at this time attracted worldwide attention with his films “The Nine it is difficult to rid oneself of the very fresh film associa- Lives of Tomas Katz” (1999) and “The Market: A Tale tion of Georgian cooperation with Mohsen Makhmalbaf of Trade” (2008); Matthew Macfadyen playing the main and his film “The President”, and especially a previous hero of the film (John Wright’s Mr. Darcy and Oblonsky association, this time in real life, although also related to in Anna Karenina), as well as actors MyAnna Buring cinema. Yes, I am talking about Renny Harlin’s film. It is (Tanya in “Twilight”), Richard van Weyden (less known no secret that the result in both cases turned out to be fatal. in our country, but a fabulous German film and stage ac- The story of the new film “Lost in Karastan” is as fol- tor), Noah Taylor (acted in “Lawless”, nominated at the lows: English director Emil Miller, once nominated for 2012 Cannes Film Festival)… a “minor” Oscar and now relegated to making ordinary It is particularly pleasing when it is a genuine co- adverts, is invited to an unknown Caucasian republic to production and not just renting the location, and when present his film at a festival. However, this turns out just the distinguished foreigners are working side-by-side to be the bait, and in fact the country’s eccentric dictator with the Georgian crew and Georgian actors; and when, wants to commission him to shoot a national film epic. in addition to the Georgian Ministry of Culture and the The filming process is full of unexpected, absurd, and National Film Center, it has received investments from very unpleasant surprises. The director does not find it

film print 50 grotesque comedy,forusitissimply ablackcomedy. is interestingthatwhereasGerman criticscallthefilma facts, detailsofdailylifearecopied fromreallife…it little grotesque,butsometimesit looks liketheallusions, it isnotabsurdbutreality,maybealittleexaggerated, filmmaker, butforsomereasonitdoesnotwork.Forus reality feedingtheimaginationisoftenverytous. imagination isalsofedbyreality,andunfortunatelythis reality ofthisfictionalcountryisnotatallasthe the mostabsurdandfictionalfilmworld.Heretoo, cannot existwithoutaphysicalreality,evenwhencreating ers, theaudience…theseissuesareuniversalbutfilm ema –itsideologicalinfluence,filmingprocess,filmmak a realprototype. ing herearenotpurelyGeorgian,andeverythinghas jan, Turkeyandmanyothercultures.Theeventshappen- the audiencemightrecognizetracesofGeorgia,Azerbai lost intheCaucasusMountains,which,ifitwishesto, that thisisnotGeorgia,itKarastan,afictionalrepublic looking at.However,youcansootheyourheartthinking so beloved,whichmoreoftenthannotyoutrytoavoid with thefamiliarurbanlandscapes–butnot the exoticcountrywouldhaveended. revolution, whoknowshowhisvisitandbusinesstripto so easytoescapefromthedictator.Andiftherewasno You wanttolaughabouttheadventuresofunlucky The filmmakesfunofegotism,dictatorships,andcin From theveryfirstshotsoffilmyouareconfronted ~ film print film review ~ - - - Manana Lekborashvili ematic countrywherepeoplegojusttoshootagoodfilm. an exoticandfictionalcountry,willturnintoacin to escapeitsimageofonlybeingagoodlocationfor time, butIstillhopethatinfutureGeorgiawillmanage may haveitsfansandtheirnumberincreaseover and thefilmmightbesuccessfulinothercountries.It cannot changethemoodoffilm. very funnyandexact,butthesearejustdetailsthey Abashiliev, whileDavitVelijanashvili’s“Shadow”is lighter andorganicisRichardVanWeydenasPresident the smallestgapbetweenhimselfandhero.Much about hisstrugglesinthefilmanddoesnotleaveeven Macfadyen’s characteralsoseemstobeoverlydramatic a role(aseven-yearhiatusisnotshortfordirector). ous, andthedramaistoocomicaltoevokeanyempathy. the comedyseemstobeover-dramaticinsteadofhumor- is hidingbehindtheone,sometimesother.Asaresult not achieveaharmoniousfusionofthese–sometimesit it couldnotdecidebetweendramaorcomedy,and selves ifthefilmgaveusthischance.Itseemstomethat tive feeling–wemightfinditdifficulttolaughatour Time andplacearewhatlargelydetermineperception Perhaps heretheautobiographicaldetailsalsoplayed However, Ithinkthatinthiscaseitisnotjustasubjec - - - Luka, Anticipating 51 the Return of the Lost Son

Luka is the hero whose return is anticipated in the is seen from the viewpoint of an outside observer: empty story of the film. They don’t expect him to return of emotion and linear. from Abkhazia, but rather his body. There is a long The relationship between the three women with different and painful process of waiting. The Abkhaz war – the characters reminds us in places of personages of García extreme environment and past experiences – is the Lorca’s play “The House of Bernarda Alba”. The irritated background for the difficult relationship between three women, left without men, a cascade of mutual allegations women. For the development of the story, a static shot and the silence caused by hopeless anticipation. is chosen, which through the subtle movement of the The characters are from two different generations: the camera creates a sense of suspended time. The chairs mother and the “children”, the daughter and the former in front of the house, the open gate and the same ugly daughter-in-law. The negative energy accumulates panorama, with the semi-darkened shots making the under a superficial layer of composure and serenity, and environment more formal and theatrical. In addi- becomes more acute because of the feeling of uncertainty tion the alternation of the Mingrelian and Georgian and anticipation, and finally comes to the surface. The languages creates the feeling that here, in this atmo- structure of the film is divided into two layers: on the sphere, words have lost their value. one hand, the relationship between the daughter-in-law Since the visual range is passive and limited, it does and the mother-in-law; and on the other, the theme of not provide an additional layer for reflective narration, the daughters, which is an extra layer on top of the main and so the main focus is on the acting, the types of problem raised in the film, that of violence. characters, as well as the problems which were not only The action takes place in a family in Gali. The director important and relevant in 1990, but also are today. emphasizes the location not only because there was a war In “Luka” there are two main issues shown: the prob- going on in this area, but also in order to focus on the lems of women, and public relations and violence. The unhealthy traditions and interrelationships that existed in Abkhaz war, which serves as the background to the story, families in the west of Georgia, especially in Samegrelo.

film print 52 within internalborders,eventually starttoresembleeach characters, unitedwithonegoaland onehope,locked experiencing foryears.Itseemsas thoughthesetwo makes herunderstandthepainthat Lilemusthavebeen with herdaughter-in-law.However,thelossofLuka laws becauseshedoesnotallowherselftosympathize important thing.Sheisalsothevictimofunwritten the protectionoffamily’scoreandtraditionsis feeling ofsolidaritywiththesonisstrong. a womanhavetojudge?Todemand?evaluate?The law) has no right to think any differently. What right does that areimportantinthefamilyandshe(thedaughter-in- not sympathizebecauseitisonlytheinterestsofmen any answers,shedoesnotadmithermistakes, The mother-in-law(LiaKapanadze)doesnotgiveher they takehersonawayfromher?–butalltonoavail. treat herlikethat?Whydidn’ttheyprotecther?did questions whichhadhauntedherforyears:whydidthey moments fromthepast,tryingtofindanswersforall As theatmospherebecomesfamiliar,sherecallscertain she wantsatleasttoreclaimherrightsson’sbody. to makeupfortheyearsspentinemptinessandpain, her mostbelovedandcloseperson–child.Inorder lence, asherhusbandandmother-in-lawtookaway dead son’sbodyback.Sheisthevictimoffamilyvio Leila Kapanadze’scharacterisauthoritarian,andfor Lile (KetiTskhakaia)arrivesfromSvanetitogether ~ film print film review ~ - Maya Levanidze something ismissingandleavesus unsatisfied. because theanalysisissuperficial, itfeelsasthough inform theaudienceaboutacutesocialproblems,but one beevenslightlyinterestedinherexistence. Her wholelifeshehastriedtobenoticedandhavesome she hasalwayslackedhermother’scareandattention. clear thatsheisalsoavictimofhiddenviolencebecause never seeheragain.Frommonologueitbecomes in theirmomentofpartingassheknowsthatmight one scenedoesshedaretoconfronthermotherandonly complies withanyrequestfromhermother.Onlyin as thoughheractionsareinthebackgroundandshefully at thesametime,partandyetnotofthisworld.Itis the daughterinfamily.NinoKasradze’scharacteris, the directorintroducesanadditionalthemeofrole space, becomesevenmorestatic. and theaction,whichhasbeendevelopedinoneclosed ness andanticipationisreplacedwithstaticstagnation lost thethingthatismostimportanttothem.Hopeless stage”. Theynolongerwanttofight,becausetheyhave their willandremainmotionlessonchairsa“fictional ers. Bothwomen,withoutanysenseofprotest,submitto other. Inthefinalscenes,houseisransackedbyloot The problemsraisedinthefilmareanattemptto Into theconflictofdaughter-in-lawandmother-in-law, - - - Far away in the world of legends and reality 53 What happens in “Beyond Nine Mountains” (the ing and nobody is a stranger in this world for as a result English title is “The Village”)? There is a modern village of many years of research as professionals they know the which seemes to be cut off from civilization and the road locals and their customs, traditions and stories very well,. to which is often impassable. However, is this “impass- Here everybody knows each other - locals and visitors; able road” a way of staying within yourself and surviv- they all know the value and quality of relationships; ing? When is the peaceful coexistence of two worlds they all know each other’s identity, character, objectives possible and when is it not? What do people expect from and interests, and they care about all of this as much as the discovery of a new society? What does this society possible. This cannot be otherwise as it is the “law of the offer? And are our beliefs always identical to reality? mountain” and nobody can give themselves the right to And if they are not, what is the reason for this? break it. These and many other issues are raised in Levan The village in the film does not have a name and does Tutberidze’s new film with the fairy-tale title of “Beyond not have any special dialectic or exotic features. The Nine Mountains”, based on a script by Aka Morchiladze characters do not speak any particular Georgian dialect, (winner of the National Film Center’s script contest). nor are they distinguished by the attire or other features Giorgi Shvelidze was the camera operator, Zaza of any particular region. Miminoshivili wrote the soundtrack, artistic design was We can see such a place anywhere, in the mountains by Temur Khmaladze and Davit Sajaia, costume designer of Georgia as well as any place in the world where there was Anka Kalatozishvili, editing by Levan Kukhashvili are people who on the one hand are locked in their own and Levan Tutberidze, and sound by Paata Godziashvili. society, attached to the moral-psychological rules of the The producers were Gia Bazghadze and Konstantine past, chained by existing tales, and on the other hand live Luzinian, with co-producer Mikheil Lomtadze. The freely in a boundless space. cast included Crystal Bennett, Tornike Bziava, Mikheil Here legends are equal to reality as a reflection of the Gomiashvili, Givi Chuguashvili, Nugzar Kurashvili, truth and nobody doubts their existence. But what is an Marlen Egutia, Eka Molodinashvili, Tornike Gogrichi- ordinary part of the everyday life of the local people is ani, Vakhtang Chachanidze, and Anastasia Menabde. alien to those who are trying to forge their own fantasies A group of ethnologists are making another expedition in this world and create their own myths. to a remote village in the high mountains. For them noth- Levan Tutberidze chooses a “tested” method – he

film print 54 details. which isformedfromaninterwoven tissueofaccidental imperturbable, andprolongedtempo forthenarrative, film andorganicallycreatesakind ofslow,stretched, interrelated themes,whichaddsdramatictensiontothe the ending.Itincorporatesmanylinesandunitesseveral many mysterieswhichtheviewercannotexplainuntil these tworealities,worlds.Thefilmcontains as forothers. tragic developmentofeventsforherpersonallyaswell perceptions andfantasies,stimulatesthedramatic, – becomesforaforeignerthefoundationofexaggerated ten arestillstrongerthananyoftheexistingrules) generation togeneration,andwhichalthoughneverwrit- – effectiveandinternal(whicharepassedonorallyfrom gists areusedtoandwhichisgovernedbyitsownlaws peculiar perceptions,andnewrelationships. and unexpectedstimulatesinterests,passion,desires, and present,legendscustoms,thepeople–isstrange thing –thenature,stories,lifestyle,characterspast spectrum ofviews.Unlikefortheothers,Amyevery- sharpened withthelensofcamera–createsadiverse with theself-perceptionofattitudes,andanalieneye– her malefriend,judgesthem,whichcreatesasituation tographer whoishavingacrisisinherrelationshipwith observes thevillagersandAmy,ayoungforeignpho- Levan Tutberidzecreatesanatmosphereontheedgeof The universewhichthelocalpeopleandethnolo- PRODUCERS GIA BAZGADZE CONSTANTINE LUSIGNAN GAMS PICTURESPRODUCTION CO PRODUCER IHE OTDE AKAMORCHILADZE MICHAEL LOMTADZE THE VILLAGE ~ A FILMBYLEVAN TUTBERIDZE SCREENPLAY film print film review ~ Lela Ochiauri well asquestionsafterthesessions. box office,fullhalls,andtheapplauseofaudience,as sessions, ithaswonpublicinterest,ledtoqueuesatthe Festival andbasedoncurrentreportsfromtheinitials one’s personaldesiresandfantasiesisimpossible. rules oflifeandchangethemtakingintoaccountonly because tryingtooffhandedlyinterveneintheestablished because theworlddoesnotacceptstrangers,butrather be erroneousandnotconnectedwithreality.Thisis conflict andwhoseperceptionofeventswillturnoutto woman whoisthereasonaswell“victim”for cultures makesbothshake.ItisfirstofalltheEnglish and blended.Theconnectionorcollisionofthetwo ern-day, truthandfiction,pastpresentbecomemixed shift fromonestatetoanother. as lifeanddeath,evenviolent,anaturalinevitable short time.However,thischangeisasnormalandeternal if cutsthroughthenormalandroutineflowoflifefora hand isclosed,andontheotherfreeopen–as P. S.“TheVillage”waspresentedattheSeattleFilm Hence, realityandimagination,mythologymod Language isaninvasionofthisspace,whichontheone COMPOSER ZAZA MIMINOSHVILI GEORGIAN NATIONAL FILMCENTER CINEMATOGRAPHER (DOP) GEORGE SHVELIDZE WITH THESUPPORT OF

- - New Georgian Short Films

The short film format is mostly used by young novice routine. One day the boy gives her a fish to prove that filmmakers. For them short films are a kind of prelimi- she is not fully devoid of spirituality. The girl puts the nary trial before starting work on full-length films. These fish back in the water. Then the boy gives her a bouquet films allow people to make experiments, try new themes of flowers. And then we see them sitting by the bank and styles, which if successful, allow them to more freely of the Mtkvari River. Unfortunately, the girl does not apply the methods in “big cinema”. Let us recall the have much time. Another car stops by. The boy falls French filmmakers of the “New Wave”, who created a into despair and being angry and completely broken, he remarkable series of short films that still appeal to lovers takes the scarf the girl left and the binoculars which first of cinema today. allowed him to view the object of his passion and throws Showing short films in the cinema is not commercially them into the water. His binoculars, along with several profitable. However, a large platform is given over to beautiful days of his life, flow away. The flow of life, the short films at festivals. There are very few festivals flow of the river - the general flow and transience, bring which do not include short films on their programs. Even you to a state of philosophical contemplation… such big and prestigious film forums as the Cannes and This whole narrative develops through melodramatic Berlin film festivals organize special contests and paral- highlighting and is built on the principle of the conflict lel sessions for short films. of light and dark, good and evil, black and white, and The popularization of short films is also promoted so to some extent the story evolves schematically. The by the practice of recent decades where short films by despair of the 16-year-old boy facing brutal reality is not famous filmmakers, sharing a theme, are presented to surprising. Here the desire to create an elevated mood, audiences, mainly at festivals, in the form of a film connected with his first love and passion, is obvious. But compendium. From the artistic point of view, these com- the film is so traditional that ideologically and stylisti- pendia are not so interesting or successful, and audiences cally it still gives the impression of a film story. 55 may only remember one or two of the film novellas by Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the author has a vi- famous filmmakers. As you know, the work of a great sion that is full of frank and pure emotions, characteristic master, even if unsuccessful, generally draws the atten- of a young, novice filmmaker. In this completely changed tion of cinema lovers and professionals. and contradictory reality, he still remains committed to Everyone remembers the rich traditions of Georgian the poetics of Georgian short cinema. short cinema – the brilliant short film series of the 1960s- The film “Father” by the young director Data Pirtskha- 70s, which largely led to the recognition of Georgian lava channels the feeling of Georgian cinema, and to cinema as a unique phenomenon; even if we recall the some extent the humanistic traditions of neo-realism. “little” masterpieces of Mikheil Kobakhidze… Since then Along with many of the other films discussed, the film new generations of filmmakers have arrived in Georgian most clearly expresses the symptoms of the 1990s – an cinema and the reality has changed. The difficult politi- exhausted society left with no energy, unemployed and cal and social background and a totalitarian crisis in all functionless men, women facing insoluble problems, the spheres of life has significantly affected Georgian cinema, pain of a generation raised without fathers, and every- and in particular the aesthetics of short films. thing else – leading to a never-ending flow of violence In the works of the new generation, the striving for ro- and injustice. mantic replication and poetic forms gradually gave way The film tells the story of two brothers. Unexpectedly, to the dramatic generalization of types of the characters the long-absent father reappears in the brothers› lives. in the film and modern problems, and in many case a The father is clearly a loser. He cannot explain to his naturalistic style. However, the audience’s awareness of children why and where he was had been away for so Georgian short cinema is still connected with the poetic long and he cannot even tell them what he is going to do world full of love, dreams, sadness and smiles. in the future. The only thing he asks the brothers is not Among the recent short films, Beso Solomonashvili’s to tell their mother that he has come back. The mother “Flow” is close to the traditions of Georgian cinema. soon returns home. The brothers endeavour to make The hero of the film is a 16-year-old boy. He watches their mother’s life, so full of struggles, more joyful and through binoculars a young prostitute who stands on the allow her to forget the harsh reality. Nothing seems to far bank and for whom moving from one car to another predict the further development of the story. That same and enduring the insults of her clients has become a daily night the boys go out and choose a car to break into. The

film print 56 makers› involuntaryromanticization ofcriminals. crime thatthebrotherscommit,and alsoforgivethefilm warmth, thatyoustopthinkingabout thereasonsfor so openandtheirgenerousbehaviorfillsyouwithsuch is sofamiliar,accurateandconvincing,thebrothersare empathy withthefilm›sheroes.Hereenvironment makes itpossibletoestablishemotionalcontactand Sokurashvili createawarm,humanatmosphere,which without anysentimentalaccentuationordidactics. calm narration,amoderateemotionalbackground,and else’s father,whichthefilmmakerscommunicatewith exciting storyaboutmaintainingthedignityofsomebody and dignified.Theboysgobackhome.Thisisavery his stereobackandhecannowgotosonproud back. Themanslowlyturnsawayfromtheshock.Hehas the ground.Theboygoesuptohimandgivesstereo fires hisgun.Thefrightenedchasingmanliesdownon down, notbeingabletostandtheemotionalstrain,and from runningbuthasalmostescaped…suddenlyslows Hearing thevoice,olderbrother,whoisexhausted as herunsafterthem:Catchthem,father!them!… the carchasesbrothers,andhissmallchildscreams steals astereoplayer.Alertedbythenoise,ownerof older brother,whohasagun,breaksthecarwindowand I amsurethatthefilmwillbeasuccess. Thefestivals The directorDataPirtskhalavaandcameramanShalva film print film - the coupleareleftwithoutawedding photo.However, after herhatwhichisblowaway by thewindandso is tryingtocapturethecouple’shappiness forever,runs lovers evenmoredoubtful.Afemale photographer,who The finalironicepisodemakesthehappyfutureof themselves andthediveralsocontinueshisfavoritejob. in thiscolorful,dreamyworld,whichtheyarehappy collapses astheyaresittingonit.Theyfindthemselves are notluckyeitherwhentheroofofabuildingsuddenly investigating thebottomofriver.Theyoungpeople into thewatertokillfishalsokillsadiverwhois When theygofishing,thedynamitewhichthrow Kusturica arealsonostrangertothisfilm… – anAzeriboyandaRussiangirl.Theaestheticsof which tellsthestoryoffailedloveyoungpeople me ofRezoEsadze’sclassicfilm“LoveatFirstSight” would alsoliketopointoutthat“Gorelovka”reminded stylistic diversityandeclecticismhasitsoriginsinthis.I different languages,religionsandtraditions.Perhapsthe girl fromthevillageofGorelovka.Herepeoplehave tells abouttheloveofanArmenianboyandaRussian know whatthewordmeans.Maybenothing.Thefilm ences, filmprofessionalsmayalsopayitsomeattention. will definitelynoticethisfilm,andalongwiththeaudi Fortune doesnotfavortheloversfromGorelovka. Let usdiscussTatoKotetishvili’s“Ogasavar”.Idonot - 57 the author shows his empathy and ends the film with someone after they have experienced a terrible tragedy meaningful scenes showing the young heroes gazing at and which makes them lose proper perception of reality, the camera. resulting in them acting mechanically and instinctively. The action in “Ogasavar” develops so fast that However, this emotional state in which the film char- sometimes you think that you are watching a 15-min- acters find themselves is familiar to the filmmaker. He ute thriller. I assume that in the script everything as focuses on the confused consciousness of the characters, thoroughly planned. The author decided to make a visual who as a result of the emotional trauma, fall into despair. experiment. He used montage techniques and collage The cameraman Giorgi Shvelidze greatly helps the direc- and as a result we got a delightful, imaginative film that tor to create this kind of general atmosphere. Through brings up both sadness and humor. The fictional world lighting effects and alternation of light and shade, he presented is so artistically convincing that you no longer heightens the atmosphere that is sinking into darkness. pay attention to the superficiality of the characters, Tamar Shavgulidze’s characters are basically overcome feelings and relationships. This film can be described in with a feeling of confusion, fear and total chaos. The short as: “Ogasavar” is the village of Gorelovka. Tato director’s view is also gloomy and hopeless. Thus the Kotetishvili offers an original variation on the theme – genre of drama as a means of self-expression turns out “once more about love”… to be organic to her. My interpretation might be too pes- Compared to the other films, Tamar Shavgulidze’s simistic. Maybe one of the film characters even tries to «The First Day», is a true film romance, despite the short escape from this darkness and re-establish contact with format. It tells the story of one day in the life of a family. the outside world, the light. But by this stage, the vision Many things in the plot – where, when and why such and of the author is clearly crisis-ridden. However, our real- such an event takes place – remained unclear to me. I ity, unfortunately, gives us many reasons to perceive the will try to convey what I have understood. A family are world as crisis-ridden. facing big problems as the result of a car accident. The parents have been killed and the film shows the first day Archil Shubashvili after the tragedy. Everything is dark and unclear. The film shows the atmosphere of inner gloom which enters

film print 58 Visible EmotionofInvisibleSpaces beloved littlehumanbeing–hisowndaughter. even weakerandmorevulnerableperhapsthemost open violence;andasarule,thevictimturnsouttobe disarmed andhelplessagainstitthanaggressive love. Itisthestrongestasahumanbeingmuchmore and saddesttypeofviolence–inthename to showveryclearlyandunequivocallythestrongest the courseoftenminutesyoungdirectormanages piety andmutualrespectdominatesinthefamily,but wife. Theyareraisingalittlegirl.Atfirstglance,calm, dinary family.Thefatherisapriest,themotherhouse- (sound), andMaxRifkind Leung (cinematographer), Wade Vantrease and Alex Peace vili wasalsoassistedbyheruniversitymatesMingKai film’s producer).Atthesametime,DeaKulumbegash Mariam Dzidzikashvili,andRatiOneli(whoisalsothe Georgian actorswhoplayedinitwereNinoShengelaia, of coursework.ThefilmwasmadeinGeorgiaandthe sity’s SchoolofCinemaArt.Thisfilmisherfirstpiece production. by theNationalFilmCentertosupport individualfilm ($20,000 USD)fordevelopmentinthecontestorganized his project“CityoftheSun”wasgranted49,000GEL and producer of the film was the director as well. In April Oneli (RatiJevashvili),whoaswellbeinganactor Program attheFacultyofCinemaColumbiaUniver is DeaKulumbegashvili,whocurrentlyonaMaster’s the CannesCinemaCommitteeoutof3450films. nominated asoneofthetenbestshortfilmsselectedby a Georgianfilm“InvisibleSpaces”tookpart.Itwas Festival, forthefirsttimeinhistoryoffestival, The filmtellsthestoryofanordinarymorninginor “Invisible Spaces”–thesearewhat existnexttous… Here wepresentaninterviewwiththeproducerRati The screenwriteranddirectorofthis10-minutefilm In theshortfilmcompetitionat2014CannesFilm Barron (assistantdirector). Manana Lekborashvili film print film - - - viewer, aboutthemethodinwhich anauthor’sattitude talk aboutakindof“violence” anauthoragainstthe environment mustnotbeviolated. Incinemaweoften rity andakindofausteritysocharacteristic ofsuchan truthfulness hadtobeverynaturalandalsotheinteg- contributing totheformingofageneralatmosphere.The ing aform–bringingthisintothedirectionandagain achieve. Allthatwasbeingdone,orimproved,creat maintain frombeginningtoend.Thisisquitedifficult environment isthestartingpointwhichwehadto of thedirector.Ifullyagreewithit.Ideally,organic alive andthefeelingoftruthresonatingwithattitude that ledtothecreationofeverything–spacewhichis detail raisedanattitude,amood.Thatwasthekeything camera operatorcreatedanenvironment,inwhichevery deed in“InvisibleSpaces”,theauthor,artist,and screen, evokesantipathyamongtheaudience.Andin- environment, whichinvariablymovesfromrealitytothe a determiningfactor.Sometimesithappensthatthe And inthisfilm,realismisneitherfundamentalnor mean workingwithalreadyexistingfactualmaterial. a newformofrealism.Realismisthatdoesn’t Spaces”. Thepointisthatthetaskwasnottolookfor her opinionandpositionwithregardtothe“Invisible as Deaisthefilm'sdirector.ButIcompletelyagreewith relation tothisfilm? opinion, whatkindofstructuralchangesdoweseein ships inasomewhatdifferentstyleandform.Inyour flects anewreality.“InvisibleSpaces”showsrelation- problems inthecountry.TodayGeorgiancinemare- was preventedbyacrisisinmentalitymorethanthe litical reasonsinGeorgia.Thedevelopmentofcinema not onlytothedisruptionofproduction,orsocio-po- We havegonethroughperiodsofcrisis.Thiswasdue in Georgiancinemawiththoseofpreviousdecades. Spaces”, thereisadesiretoconnectcurrentprocesses contextual andnarrativepeculiaritiesof“Invisible Rati, whentalkingaboutthesuccessandunique It mayberatherdifficultformetoanswerthisquestion - 59

film print 60 Spaces” everythingthatexistsandcreatestheenviron manages toaccentuatethismorequickly.In“Invisible said ofotherdomainsart. looked. Thereisnothingstrangeinthis–thesamecanbe in thefootage,butwholenarrationitremainsover- focus onacertaindetailorintroductionofsomeelements gives greaterimportancetothecurrent,emphasized author. Andontheotherhand,ithappensthatauthor perceives andreadswhathasnotbeenconsideredbythe and thissortofthingoftenhappens,wheretheaudience integral partofthefictionality.Therehavebeencases, connection with“InvisibleSpaces”? we talkaboutthesignsofmetaphoricalcinemain istic ofourcinema.Inyouropinion,howmuchcan long timethishasoftenconsideredtobeacharacter- metaphorical natureofGeorgiancinemaandfora For alongtime,wehavefocusedourattentiononthe space wascreated. mental pointofintegrityandasaresultthiswork,the contributes totheartisticform–allservedfunda in connectionwiththeartist,camera,everythingthat full spaceanditstruthfulness.ThedetailsImentioned the mainpoint,whichshouldbealwaysmaintained.The transferred directlytothescreen.Ithinkthatherethereis style. Outofthisisbornthemarkerausteritywhich in myopinion,thisisexactlywhatcreatestheformand It isinseparablefromtheunitywearetalkingaboutand every detailinvolvedinthefilmispartofconcept. nothing elsethanthemoodcharacteristicofthisspace. there isnoviolenceandtheattitudetospacedenotes and desiretoreflectrealityisdominant.Butinthiscase audience sees.Afterall,theInvisible Spacesrepresent about thesamethingandaredirectly relatedtoallthe organic integrityofthefilm– workanditsnametalk If youfindatitlethatexplainsmany things,itdefinesthe content. Thisviewhasbeenexpressedbyothersaswell. Thisthenraisesaquestionregardingthetitle… independent processbornoutoftheartisticwork. as ametaphor,butthisisanothermatterandperhapsan what theaudienceperceivesandunderstandscanbeseen should servethegeneralartisticideaoffilm.Irepeat, a scene,anepisode,narrationwithoneparticulardetail of theauthor’sconcept.Generally,strengthening ment isdeterminedwithitsimportanceandtruth. It isjustthatcinemaart,thankstoitsexpressivemeans, No, ofcoursewecan’t.Generally,metaphorisan The workoftheproductiondesignerisveryimportant; Yes, thetitle“InvisibleSpaces”alreadytalksaboutits A metaphor,andespeciallyitsemphasis,wasnotpart film print film - - Interviewed byKetevanTrapaidze ment inthecinema. search forthemainpillarandcontributetoitsreinforce- and thetheoretical–worktogether,thiswillhelpin ing thetruth.Irepeat,ifthesetwoareas–practical be takenintoaccount,whichisfundamentaltofind more energeticandintense.Iwantahistoricalrealityto only positiveprocessesandtheartwillbecomemuch and practicalactivitiesinthecinema,thiswillleadto mental discussionandstudy.Ifyoucombinetheoretical gian cinema”… Atthattimeitwascalledthe“phenomenonofGeor- be studiedandunderstood. today. Onthecontrary…andthis“framework”needsto form andcontent,whichcannotbeboringtowatcheven cinema. Wearetalkingaboutfilmsoforganic,natural 70s wasparticularlyinteresting–thisnotSoviet I thinkthattheperiodofGeorgiancinemain1960s- pened –goodorbadistheresultofanobjectivereality. rect. Ofcourse,everythingthatishappeningorhashap clarity aboutexistingreasonswillprobablynotbecor really difficultperiod... today’s reality?Irepeat,wehavepassedthrougha development ofGeorgiancinema,howdoyousee Rati, whatcanyousayabouttheprospectsfor well. full-length film.Thereisalreadyrealinterestinthisas are workingon. Perhaps therearesomeplansorprojectswhichyou human’s existence. ficulties thatarisenaturally,andformdeterminea still aboutthetruthofrelationships,love,anddif- interpreted inmanywaysbuttheendofcourseitis doesn’t it? This perhapsdeterminesthemainideaoffilm, beyond ourattention. space aroundus,butstill,thoughnotonpurpose,remain go unnoticed.Heretheyexist,createrealityandthe that realitywhich,intentionallyorunintentionally,often Yes, andtodaythishastobecomethesubjectoffunda Cinema issuchadifficultareathattospeakwithany Yes, Deahasalreadywrittentwoscripts–onefora For sure.Thethemeofthefilmanditscontentcanbe - - - - 61

Women Who Swim

We all admit the power of water. It is on the shores of The documentary film “Women who swim”, the debut water where life originates. People try to settle near the by journalist and director Anuna Bukia, depicts current water, but the water can take a life away too. A bridge events on both sides of the Enguri River, along with the can connect two banks across the water, or can become a human stories whose everyday life lies on the Enguri watershed in a conflict zone. Bridge. For the minimum of survival, in order to visit The Enguri River flows through western Georgia, their relatives and simply carry on living. originating out of the Enguri Glacier and flowing along Anuna got he idea for the film from the actions of her the so-called Abkhazian border. It has now been more friend when they were walking together in Svaneti, on than twenty years since the water helped the remaining the bank of the Enguri river. Georgians on the territory of Abkhazia to overcome this “We were walking along the Enguri River bank. At blocked road. It is something like swimming, which has some point I saw that my friendwas sitting on the edge already been going on and on for years. Essentially this of the water and was speaking to it: “O my water, You water retains women’s stories the stories of those who are my Enguri, You won’t betray me, you will help me.” are less restricted in changing their locations compared This was a very emotional water spell. I started to think to men, who are more used to the water and who place deeply about this idea, planning that I would go to the their faith and hope in the water. The Enguri Bridge is a border and to the women who follow the Enguri to get to link between their past and present, what they once had their houses.” and what they have now, but life goes on and new path of The winners of the National Film Center’s contest life lies on the Enguri River. for financing the production of full-length and short

film print 62 is difficultfortherespondentsto beopenandsincerefor different dynamics,otherdefences andresponsibilities.It now, andnotsomepreconceived façade ofreality. that youcanfilmthereality,whatishappeninghereand documentary filmthatithastogainthepeople’strust,so for thelocalpopulation.Itisverycharacteristica so thattheywouldnotcreateanydifficultiesandbarriers labor, thisisafightforsurvival.” realized howmuchthesepeoplehavetowork,dohard but theywillalwaysfindawayout.ItwastherethatI to thefactthatsomethingisalwayscomplicatesthings they aredifferent. continues, because each day is as similar to each other, as in theconflictzonewillcontinueaslong a processthatdescribesthehistoryofpeopleliving stage, thedirectorhasalreadyshotbasicmaterial,but conflict zone,inavillageclosetotheborder.Atthis vili. Shootingofthefilmisalreadytakingplacein the project,whichwillbeproducedbyTinatinKajrish- Anuna Bukia’sfilmwasoneofthetenfilmschosenfor documentary filmsin2015weredeclaredon29thApril. “Working intheconflictzoneis hard work,thereare The crewlivedinthevillageofKhurchasummer, “Deep downinside,thesepeoplehavealreadygotused film print film documents whicharedistributed, onthegroundsthat war forthem. everyday lifeforthe;everynewday isareminderofthe involved inthewartillthisday,becauseconflictisan checkpoint everydayfromtheiryards.Thesepeopleare living ontheborder.TheywatchRussiansoldiers’ everyday lifedictatestothem.” have forcedthemtobeflexible,adjustandactas right tochoose,theenvironmentandsocialproblems But onealsorealizesthatthesepeopledonothavethe film crew,andtheyareagainstanyfilmingorcoverage. ing. Becauseofthis,theycanbeaggressivetowardsthe with alotofstores,andinmostcasesthisisillegaltrad- afterwards. Nothingisworththat. not todoanythingwhichwouldcauseproblemsforthem life willgoonthere.Therefore,Iwasalwayscautious I willfilmandleave,buttheyremaintheretheir always havetothinkabouttheirsafetysituation,because one opiniontheygiveorforappearinginthevideo.You as difficultifthereisahumanlifeatriskjustbecauseof the makersofadocumentaryfilm,anditbecomestwice “Many ofthemdonotacceptthe Abkhazian-Russian Anuna Bukia’scameradepictsthestoryofpeople This placehasturnedintoaneconomictradingzone 63

more people that become the owners of this document, hard to imagine what path they have to walk to get to the the fewer Georgian citizens will be in the area. That’s conflict zone and come back. This film will be about how why they prefer to travel across the border quietly and these people’s history has shaped them as humans.” remain unnoticed.” The main thing that Anuna is not going to offer the au- The film’s central plot revolves around one particular dience is another sentimental story from Abkhazia stories family, whose members are from Abkhazia and now live we have heard and seen many times. in Tbilisi, but every summer they return to the conflict “I am from Abkhazia myself and I believe that if we zone and cross the border. want to understand and share these stories, we need “This family, like many others, has a lot of dilemmas. to look at them from different perspectives. This is an They are used to a small location. This huge city, with its amazing story of people who have been at the heart of pace and demands, is new for them. They have a lot to these endless wars for years already and learned how to learn and have to start communicating again. Two of the survive in these conditions. These 20 years have turned three children are students, while the other is in the last into a whirlpool and the film’s protagonists are swim- year at school. The family has always been accompanied ming against the current. he Enguri is protective and by a kind of romanticism, which they inherited from threatening, a link and a border too. Their life is built their father his passion for nature and literature has also around the pace of the river sometimes it dries out and revealed itself in the children. The father tries to suppress only dribbles, sometimes it overflows and floods the the pragmatism around him and inspire his children with roads. They have a lot to say but for now they are keep- something idealistic. The mother is a bridge and a shield, ing their silence, I think that this is a reflection too they who has somehow managed to provide for her children, become tired and hushed, and that’s what I had to film.” give them an education and planned for their future. When we watch one of the family members, who by Nino Kalandia the way is a remarkable performer of the songs of Janis Joplin and is now lead singer in a well-known band, it is

film print 64 by its13charactersand“real” stories. many festivaljudgesandaudiences worldwidefascinated card” fortheinternationalcinema world,leftagreat period oftime.Thisfilm,conceived asagreat“visiting ber offestivalscreeningsandvictoriesinaveryshort Everything Disappear”attainedanunprecedentednum at homeinbothofthem.” started travelingbetweenthesetwocountriesandIfeel Academy. “It’salreadybeenabouttwentyyearssinceI Documentary FilmDirectingattheBabelsberg of 19andgraduatedfromtheFacultyFeature Born inTbilisi,shelefttostudyGermanyattheage and reality,intofilmhasitsoriginsinherchildhood. it. Thedesiretoturneverythingaroundher,herlife would definitelybecomeafilmmaker,andhasnowwon classmate of100piecesPedrochewinggumthatshe when shewasjust7-8yearsold.Shemadeabetwith success inthefilmindustrybeganherchildhood, played GeorgianfilmdirectorTinatinGurchiani.Her projects andatfestivals.Aspecialpartinthishistoryis tors whoachievedgreatsuccessinmanyinternational is beingmadeofthenamesthoseGeorgiandirec especially Georgiandocumentaryfilms,acompilation mentation ofthehistorymodernGeorgiancinema, Beginning. PedroChewingGum Tina’s Cinema Tinatin Gurchiani’sfilm“TheMachineWhichMakes Taking intoaccountrecentdevelopmentsinthedocu film print film - - - end ofautumnthedirectorwilltakeafinaldecision. impact ontheirrightsforitsuseanddistribution.Atthe and partnersinvolvedintheproject,sothatnothingwill they aretryingtominimizethenumberofothercountries her grouphavenotgiventheirfinalconsent.Inthisway of differentlargeproductioncompanies,thedirectorand that shehasreceivedoffersfortheprojectfromanumber already haveanagreementwithARTE.”Despitethefact val andweareplanningtoapplyforotherfunding.We waiting foraresponsefromtheSundanceFilmFesti Film Festival’sIDFA-BerthaFund,thismonthweare we receivedfundingfromtheAmsterdamInternational erly. Ourprojectwasrecognizedasthebest.Afterthis to makeourcontributionandrepresentcountryprop- was lookingfornewprojectsfromGeorgia,wedecided art-house filmfestivaltherewas.Whenwelearnedthatit has fordecadesbeenconsideredasthemostimportant expectations.”The NyonDocumentaryFilmFestival tor hasledtohugeinterestandthestrengtheningof Heroes Nyon, Amsterdam,Sundance... subject ofhernewmovie“Amorous. Pastorale”andsays of ourlives.”ThisishowTinaGurchiani describesthe “Love anderoticism,memoriesthat remainthetwilight The successfulstartofanotherprojectbythedirec- - 65 Photo: Khatuna Khutsishvili Photo:

film print 66 the summer. director’s estimates,theshootingshouldbecompletedby ing ofthefirstpartfilmwillstart.Accordingto ber, thefilmcrewwillarrivefromGermanyand regional andnationalmedia.InthelastweekofSeptem is goingtomakeanannouncementaboutcastingthrough terial thatwearealreadyintheprocessofshooting.” was amethodoftestingouton“foreign”audiencema authentic charactersevenintheabsenceofwords.This Georgian, buttheycouldaccuratelyfeelthe“good”and of ourcrewwerefromGermanyandcouldn’tunderstand up whichwouldleavenooneunmoved.Somemembers that therewasalotofveryemotionalmaterialbuilding in 150countries.”Duringthefilmingprocess,wesaw brought itsresults...Theywereintroducedtoaudiences who werekeentosharetheirlifeexperience,andthis responsibility towardsthemaincharactersinfilm, make a“goodfilm”.Thefilmcrewfeltgreatsenseof invited everyonewhoconsideredthattheirliveswould moves ontofilm.Soweannouncedcastingsessions,and a filmaboutrealpeoplewithstories,put“their” films Ihadbeingthinkingabout.Sodecidedtomake different information,toldstoriesthanthe feature film,Idiscoveredthatthefacesaroundmeheld to Georgiaafteralongtimeabroadmakemyfirst Which MakesEverythingDisappear”).”WhenIreturned new, itcanbeseeninherpreviousfilm(“TheMachine elderly people. Interestingly, thefilm’smaincharactersaregoingtobe theme ofloveandsomespecificlocaltraditions. that thefilmwillbebasedonGeorgianfolklore Idea tor’s specificlifestoriesinfilms bywomendirectors.” might be.Idon’tlikewhenonecan identifythedirec- stories onthescreen,nomatterhow interestingthey wanted totellaboutmyprivatelife,orshowpersonal though films are born from one’s own experience, I never characters forboththeaudienceanddirector.“Al as theexpressionoffeelingsandemotionsreal-life films thatshecreatesaboutrealheroesandstoriesserve Theprocesshasalreadystarted;Asbefore,thedirector “Amorous. Pastorale”iswaitingforitsheroes... The director’sspecialattitudetohercharactersisnot Despite thefactthatwhensheis filming theredoesnot Tinatin Gurchiani’sinspirationstemsfromlife.The film print film - - - - Tinatin hasmadeavow... Maka Kevlishvili haven’t seenthefilmyet.Avow isavow…” “then thiswritinglostitsspecialimportance forme,butI she seethefamousfilmbyVisconti.Timehaspassed, her ownfilmversionofthisbookandonlythenwould ing caseher.Asachildshethoughtthatwouldcreate keeps. ThomasMann’s“DeathinVenice”isaninterest by thewayside,butthereareseveralwhichshestill turn themintofilms.Anumberofthevowshavefallen would makeavowthatsomedayshedefinitely books which made a big impact on her into films, and she cessful filmsduetotheirmotivationandenthusiasm. filmmakers suchasTinatinGurchianicanstillmakesuc deprived oftheadditionalcomponentopportunityyoung and capabilities.Evenwhenallthreecomponentsare ate thisiswiththedirector’sinterestingideas,initiatives even morethanfeaturefilms.”Theonlyrealwaytocre stylistic techniques,arecapableofmuchmore,probably and authenticemotionalstories,dramadiversityof well developed.Documentaryfilms,withtheircharacters results forGeorgiandocumentarycinema,whichisnot less thanthat.Inmyopinion,thiswillnotleadtogood production ofadocumentaryfilmandinmostcaseseven and givejustonetenthofthefictionfilmbudgetfor the difficultyandcomplexityofshootingprocess between fictionanddocumentaryfilmsonthebasisof Film Center‘sstrategy,whichistomakeadistinction achieve this.“IcategoricallydisaagreewiththeNational viewers. Andappropriatefundingisneededinorderto be shownonthebigscreenandreachheartsofmany documentary filmsneedappropriatequalityinorderto process. Thefinalresultisveryinterestingformetoo.” the characters’livesandeventsthroughoutfilming color, themood,anddegreeofseverity,arebroughtinby in advance,butitsindividualelementsandemotional have thevision,shapeandstructureoffilminmind Just asinlife,therearemanyfinalpossibilities.Ialways of ajourney,whoseendingyoudon’tknowinadvance. from thisparticularcharacteristic.“Everysceneisasort adventures andatthesametimechallengesderive exist anactualscript,forherasadirectorallthejoys, Asachildshewantedtoturnalltheeventsand According tothedirector,inadditiondrama, - - - 67

The Fate of Brothers

In Georgian (and not only Georgian) cinema (as well her family by singing. She already has her own life, dif- as literature and theatre), the theme of brothers is quite ferent from the old one and from that of the family. common. Their relationship is of the main or secondary Even in the infinite space of the sea, the brothers’ importance; the variations of this topic, the stories built life is still closed, hopeless and helpless, but saturated upon it, express a variety of ideas and problems. with tiny joys: just like the lives of many people today. We can say that Levan Tutberidze’s new film “Moira” Wherever they are, in a coastal town or far away, in the (a small fishing boat, which turns into the object of hope most remote village of Georgia (“The Village” is Levan and an arena of tragedy, which is named after three Tutberidze’s previous film), maybe in other places too. Greek mythological goddesses of fortune) is about two The screenwriters are Data Pirtskhalava, Giorgi brothers and tells a brief, but comprehensive story of Kobalia, and Levan Tutberidze. The composer Nukri their family in several stages. The story evolves in a Abashidze, camera operator Gorka Gómez Andreu, world in which there is no place for them. And if there producers Nikoloz Abramashvili and Levan Tutberidze is one, it is so fragile and unstable that it collapses at the and the company Cinetech. The cast includes Jano Izoria, first touch, like footprints on the seashore erased by the Davit Khurtsilava, Lili Khuriti, Irakli Sanaia, Bachi waves. Lezhava, Lasha Gurgenidze, Ramin Kilasonia, and The prison door opens and a young man (Paata Inauri) Giorgi Surmava. steps out into the free world. HIs brother (Giorgi Khurt- For the scene of action, Levan Tutberidze chooses a silava) is waiting for him, his disabled father, who is in small seaside town; the streets, the shoreline, the sea it- a wheelchair but still a young man (Zaza Mgaloblish- self and its surroundings, a house (neglected and uncared vili), waits at home. The brothers have a mother (Keti for) situated just two-three metres from the water as a Tskhakaia). She is in Greece and earns a living and feeds whole as well as individually becomes a metaphor which

film print 68 it becomeschargedwithlightand hopetoo.Thetown, harder. Theatmosphereofthefilm becomesmoretense; with criminals.Thecriminalacts increaseandbecome a chainofcriminalacts.Thebrothers’ pathsintersect fered withbydramaticcolors. state ofaffairs,Completelynormallifeeventsareinter- daily routine,althoughthenegativeprevailsdueto light touchesandnuances.Lifeisfullofmonotonous story. Noeffects.exaggeration.emphasis.Only tor usesminimalistdevicestoshowtheprogressof tiveness ofthefightforsurvival. resistance totheirfate;smalllightspotsandtheineffec time. Stagnationandfruitlessattemptstocombatit.The elements ofmoderncivilizationandfrozen,stopped ordinary everydaylife;likefragmentsfromreality.The able tempo.Asifthesceneswerewithoutaction.Just playing attheedgeofreality.Thereisacalm,imperturb- film’s atmosphere.Floatingwithconventionalityand determines theoriginaldimensionandspatialityof situation init,isinvolvedthecreationofcrisis. harmony andwheneveryone,firstofallthestate environment, wheneverythingispredictingabreakin of thecrisisinsidethemandintheirrelationwith state ofpeopleandsociety.Theplacebecomesasymbol film asasocialdrama),butalsowayoflifethespiritual expresses notonlysocialpoverty(theauthorsdefinethe Then themonotonousandcalmflowgetsbrokenby It isasifnothingspecialhappensinthefilm.Thedirec The cameraoperatorGorkaGómezAndreucreatesand film print film - - Lela Ochiauri Centre willprovidefundsforitspromotion. Protection ofGeorgiaandtheGeorgian NationalFilm ment ProgramoftheMinistryCultureandMonument other festivalsaswell. and accordingtoreportsithasbeeninvitedseveral The TbilisiInternationalFestivalopenedwith“Moira” participated intheWarsawandSanSebastianfestivals. les FilmFestival,itwasawardedthebestfilmprizeand the BestForeignFilmcategory.EarlieratLosAnge turns outtobefutile.Atragicendiswaitingforthem. brothers anddrawsthemtomeettheirfate.Everything doesn’t bringfreedom.Itpreparesadifferentfateforthe the veryfirstepisodesuntilfinalones. all). However,theinternaltensionfollowsfilmfrom sadness andconflicts(forareasonorfornoat tranquility isoccasionallyinterspersedwithrepressed as thoughtimehasnobeginningandend.Thistense wife fortheyoungerbrother,timepassespeacefully.Itis anticipating theirmother’sreturn,attemptingtofinda society. strong, diverse,characteristicpictureoflifeinthecurrent acquaintances andstrangersclearlyexplicitlyforma the markettraders,portworkers,randompassers-by, The filmwasfinancedwithintheRegionalDevelop Georgia isentering“Moira”inthe88thOscars2016 “Moira”, whichisametaphorforfreedominthefilm, While lookingforjobsorothersourcesofincome, - - Vakho, Tatiana and Lily 69

“Social Cinema brings together social analysis and sentimental. In “Exodus” we can really see such details, dramaturgical conflict coherent with narrative structure”. but the main character’s face, the close-up image of her, This opinion belongs to Peter Roffman and Jim Purdy, is absolutely free of sentiment and emotion. It is the face American social cinema researchers. Many people do of a real person free of falseness, which makes watching not like segregated discussion about cinema, whether it incredibly interesting. it is a „feminist film“ or New Queer Cinema. However, Tatiana also loves to spy on people. From the cable car ignoring good taste, while there are certain trends in the or from the sky, she watches her sister, neighbors, the cinema, we cannot avoid discussing them. street, the city from a spyglass (so to speak, she is armed Some Georgian directors also say that for them the with a camera). story of some guy from Gldani is not more important Vakho Jajanidze uses words minimally as he under- than the environment of their own district or its residents. stands the advantages of visual narrative in cinema. However, the social issue has become very topical today. When you give freedom to a cinematic eye, reality and The directors left the central districts of Tbilisi and went the social environment gets reflected in the film itself. to the countryside and the peripheries of the country, but Therefore, in the scene of water distribution, the took with them their falseness and Tbilisi accents. director resembles his colleagues, who try to stage life Vakho Jajanidze was making social films even before superficially (without too much effort). At the same time, this subject broke into the cinema in recent years and the film’s color, the atmosphere, and the main character became rather banal are almost documental and alive. “Exodus” is a short film, made in a joint project with the “Exodus” is Vakho Jajanidze‘s first feature film, but he Georgian National Film Center and TBC bank. will return to documentary cinema. I believe that today The story revolves around two women living in social cinema in Georgia has a director who knows the Chiatura. One of the women works as an operator of the structure of cinema very well and who has great potential mine‘s cable car, while the other does house work. In for further development. the evening they have supper together. The same pattern repeats the following day, the next day and so on. Giorgi Razmadze Those who have not seen the film may feel it to be

film print 70 in theNewGeorgianCinema The DanceofDeath “Father”, TamarShavgulidze’s“The FirstDay”,Tornike of filmmakers? cinema aswellthemainideaof theyounggeneration as amanifestationofthecharacteristicstoday’syouth discoveries. Andonedirection.Canweseethisdirection names andfamiliarnames.Newfilmsdifferentnew short anddocumentaryfilmsin2015. tions andenvironmentforyoungfilmmakerstomake and TBCBankjoinedtogethertoprovidebettercondi plus theprivatesector.In2014NationalFilmCenter universal phenomenonbyreflectingonit. These formsmirrornotonlyindividualcasesbutrathera However, allofthemsharethesamerootandsubtext. variations, styles,incanonicalorinterpretednarratives. reality soindivisiblefromourexistence,invariousforms, cinema haveatdifferenttimesrepeatedthismystifying centuries, thevisualarts,literature,music,theatre,and and eitheracceptorworryaboutit.Overthefollowing ages whorealizetheruthlessnessandinevitabilityofdeath victims ofdeatharepeopleallsocialbackgroundsand eval culture,expressingthevanityoflife.Thepersonified Tato Kotetishvili’s“Ogasavara”, Data Pirtskhalava’s Six films.ThenewfaceofGeorgiancinema.New The firstco-investmentinthefilmwasfromstate The danceofdeathisonetheiconicimagesmedi film print film - - (and thereforeinthemselves)there emergedthoughtsof this isthesamething. share onemainthemeloneliness and death.Sometimes different handwriting,style,thinking,age,artisticvision, to dowithreality.However,allthesixfilms,despite mentioned conditionsmakesnosenseandithasnothing Film CenterandTBCbank?! the contestorwhetherthiswasa“requirement”of whether thedirectorsagreedonacommontopicbefore of themanypresentedatcompetition.Idonotknow to onethemeornotwhenitselectedthesixprojectsout the NationalFilmCenter“deliberately”drewattention involuntarily. Idonotknowwhetherthecommitteeof hope andjoy? is alotofloss,frustration,sorrowandalmostno going onwherealotofpainisaccumulated,there contemplation. Whatisgoingonintheworld? reality) andinthemselvesshowtheprocessofself- are concernedaboutinsociety(itsspiritualandphysical freely andexplicitlydemonstratewhatyoungpeople dus”, andGiorgiTsilosani’s“Preparation”.Thesefilm Bziava’s “WakeMan”,VakhtangJajanidze’s“Exo How didithappenthatinthesefilms byyoungpeople Of course,everyonesearchingforalloftheabove- I donotknowwhetherithappened“intentionally”or - 71

film print 72 fact. Whatdoloversexperienceand howmanythings of thecoupleinthiskinddeserted world(“Exodus”). and environment.Othersrarelyget here.Theloneliness there isnothinglightinthismonotonousclosedspace of vulnerability.Itisallthesame.sameand becomes. Timestopsandthephysicalfeelingofpain notonous, boring,rainyandfoggyeverythingaround makes womenlosetheirfeelingoflife.Howmo The veryfirstdayafterthedeath(“TheFirstDay”). mothers, createdtheirownworldandbecomelockedinit. a feelingofcold.Whatdochildrenfeelaftertheyhavelost most brutalface,enterslife.Thisispainfulandevokes addresses disappear.Howdeath,whichthistimehasits bonding andattachmenttoaplacegetslostwithit.How sometimes more(“Father”). just haspassedby,splittingapersonalityintotwoand with fatalcollisionsandphysicalfeelingofdeathwhich their parents,theyaimlesslywanderthestreetsatnight, what aretheirthoughts?Havingbrokenthelinkswith are thedirectionsthatboysleftwithoutfatherschoose, like intheimaginationofchildrenandreality.What suffer frommissingfathers,andwhatactuallyfathersare ent faces. and physicalstate;alsoofdeathitself,whichhasdiffer the wayoflifethesepeopleandaffecttheirspiritual In mostcases,thepooreconomicconditionsdetermine cial problemsandthereforeamessy,hardtoughlife. community. Eachofthemisbasedonadescriptionso- attitude ofyoungpeopletowardsthemselvesandtheir acquaintances, thosewhoaredyingorhavealreadydied? people ofdifferentages,familymembers,strangers, are theredifferentreactionsandattitudestodeathfrom of life,thetediousnessandlifelessflowlife?And the separationfromsolidground,deadlymonotony What causedsuchanacutefeelingofthefutilitylife, death isaconstantreminderaboutthetransienceoflife? light tones,butstillaboutdeath?Thattheexistenceof it? Talkingwithdry,emotional,cold,painful,humor,and rejection, lonelinessanddeath?Thedesiretotalkabout How imaginationandperception changes realityand How thepersistentrepetitionofsameprocess How childrenlosetheirparentsandhowthefeelingof How childrenseetheirfathers,howsilently The films,sodifferentandoriginal,clearlyreflectthe - film print film - Lela Ochiauri support andattention. who arewaitingtodieinsolitude;thoseneedour around usnow,whoarealone“hungryandthirsty” the oldergeneration.Themessagesareforthosewho present society;andnotfromtheyounggenerationto author emerge?Howdoesageneration their feelings?Howistimeexpressed?doesthe through these“wordsorwordlessness”,theirthoughts, and whatthewordsare.Howarepeopleexpressed lies, andwhatneedstoberead,beyondis“seen” different, becausesocietyislikethisorthat. maker aswell.Thecharacterstoo.audience.Thisis Perhaps somepeoplearelikethisthemselves.Thefilm Man”) . abandoned, andaddcolortotheirexistence(“Wake When youbecomeapatrontoothersleftlonelyand you havelosteverybodyandlifeisapproachingitsend. ability toliveandyourdignity,eventhere,when They allwentsomewhere.Butyoustilldonotlosethe feeling thatnobodyneedsyou.Everyonehasleft from wakeningtoawakening,deathdeath.The ning (“Ogasavara”). which hastheslightscentofdeathfromverybegin- frameless, weightless,andeternallove.Analteredworld surface, outlinesofwhicharenotreallythere.Oruntil death. MaybeevenafterInanotherspace, decision andgettingmarried.Thismaybeevenuntil are goingtohappenintheirlivesfallinglove,making Each filmcontainsmessagesnottothefuture,but Stories arebuiltonthis.Butmoreimportantiswhat Has anybodythoughtaboutit?Perhapstheyhave. How dolonelypeoplelive?theirlivesgoon - SPECIAL CINEMA 74 An individualrefractsnatureand thus natureisovercome. exist and music and poetry in particular are free from this. not does actually problem this art other In joy. or anxiety an individual perception of the world, an author’s spiritual this framework – here it is also necessary to offer a viewer by bounded are you too, cinema documentary In art. plex you seeandperceiveit.Inthisregard,cinemaisacom the environment which you are portraying, but rather how in not interested is viewer The difficult. very is tificially natural. Toachieverealismthrougharealitycreatedar this feature gains in itself. A phenomenon mirrored in a scene is not box cinematic a in framed is which event or nature. Thesenseofrealityinitissogreatthatanyobject to expressyourself? cinema. Whatopportunitiesdideachofthemgiveyou Mr. Kandelaki,youhaveworkedindifferenttypesof gana ShadowTheatre. Budru the and Centre, Film Abkhazia the as well as 21, Kvali and Kvali studios film the founded has He abroad. alized projects. many others. However, for some reason, he still has unre and Gogh», Van from Letter «Last Village», «The tune», Misfor «The «Nokalakevi», «Imereti», Gallery», Picture «Children›s Ball», a Without «Football include films His all areunitedintoonesystem,worldoutlook. theatre and shadow cinema animated fiction, mentaries, and a long creative process in searching for a form. Docu One of the important problems in cinema is to overcome Since 1969 Gela has worked as a teacher in Georgia and experimentation of full is Kandelaki Gela of life The Cinema is movement the of human the spirit Interview with Gela Kandelaki Gela Interview with ~ interview ~ film print film ------I went to VGIK (the Moscow Film Institute), where I can I where Institute), Film Moscow (the VGIK to went I manishvili, Lili Ioseliani, and Sasha Mikeladze, etc. Then opportunity to connect with such teachers as Mikheil Tu current educationsystem. That iswhyIconsiderthatchangesarenecessaryinthe paganda ofimmorality,whichleadssocietytotheabyss. pro the promote and order, any fulfil everything, for go fessional conscience.Itispreciselythesepeoplewhocan annoyed withtheamateurismofpeoplewhohavenopro of an artist, but rather a handyman. In cinema I ammost gian cinema.Itisasystemthatdoesnotallowthetraining what isthemostimportantproblemhere? Let’s talkaboutmoderncinema.Inyouropinion is theprocessofsearchingforartisticmethods. my characters. For me the most important thing in cinema portant thingwasthespiritualandnotphysicalstateof im the Misfortune”, “The In naturalism. from free action from differentregions and this enabled me to make the exterior and interior the for elements the all collected I so cinematic frameinstantlyarousespassionintheaudience. a in placed figure female nude a example, For naturalistic. In cinemathestrongsenseofrealismmakesanyelement the breathandenergyofalivinghumanbeingisputinit. because necessary not is here nature Overcoming else. ing flected on the screen is onlyre playing withmovement shadows anda noth as this surpasses theatre Shadow poetry. When IwasstudyingattheTheatrical Institute,Ihadan The issueofeducationisthemostproblematicinGeor In “The Misfortune”, I tried to make nature realistic and That’s whyIfoundmyselfinanimation as itiscloserto ------75 Photo: Khatuna Khutsishvili Photo:

film print 76 of “My Grandmother” by Kote Mikaberidze to really value case in as pass to years 40 for wait to have we Does pearl? vili’s “Plague”. How can we not be proud of such a genuine preciate such an interesting animated work as Dato Takaish ap not did they that fact the critics film Georgian forgive cannot still I Georgia. in exist not does think I which cism, publicism intoit. western cinema as well – Brecht ruined art by introducing in observed be can trend similar a that think I However, ly, thesearchfor form doesn’t often happen in Georgia. this meanstheemasculationofform.Unfortunate When I try to express myself through the form of a motto, create theirartandfeelpain,sufferfromthisposition. what theyarewritingandtryingtocreate. young peoplethemselvesdonotknowwhattheywant, you caneasilygetoutofthewoods.Unfortunately,today and mobilized are talents your moment, this In mistakes. this In process youalreadyunderstandyourweakpoints, necessary. is knowledge your Here artist. an of most. That’swhentheanalyticalprocessstartsinlife then youcanlookinthebinandtakeoutwhatneed starts, crisis certain a and exhausted are resources ative everything I taught you in the waste bin. When the cre soon asyoustartthecreativeprocess,shouldthrow to developpersonally. not onlyenablestudentstomasteraprofession,butalso to select staff at the Theatre and Film University who will say thatIlearnednothing new. Therefore, it is necessary There isalsoaproblemofanalyticalprofessionalcriti Artists musthaveahighlevelofcivicawarenessand At the very first meeting with students, I tell them that as ~ interview ~ film print film - - - - - the words.Themainemphasisin theplaywillbeon main thatwillhappenisplaying with thetranscriptionof the where sermons, Sulkhan-Saba’s stage to going am I made. Wehaveseveralinteresting projectsinthetheatre. kind of sublimation of my film 8½, which has never been What isthelatestwithBudruganaTheatre? studying thecraftatanintermediatelevel. tion, composition,andsoforth.Thismeansthattheyare exposi by meant was what idea no had they that realized I Academy, Film London the at students with meeting a During funding. find ever hardly or never almost works many directors who make interesting and individualistic ativity or artistry no longer exists, doesn’t it? In the West, who had placedthe order with him. At this moment, cre customer the from came film the for idea basic the as age days andaskedmetosendhimsomedocumentaryfoot material hereandafterheleftcalledmeafew of lot a collected He Kartli. Kvemo and Abkhazia from refugees displaced internally on film a make to wanted their work. For example, a German director visited us who Western universitieshavethesameproblems? You havecontactswithEuropeanfilmschools.Dothe don’t likeanything.It’sjustmypersonalheartache. criticism. I’m not talking from the position of those who it? Idonotwantmyreaderstounderstandpointsasa First of all I should say that what I am doing here is a is here doing am I what that say should I all of First Most artistsintheWestarefocusedoncommissionsfor - - - music and words. I am also thinking about «Mate’s Pas- here the participants are not competitors. There is no con- sions». The work itself is quite large, but Teimuraz Ba- test here. We get to know each other’s works and we ex- kuradze is working on adapting it. In this work, I want to change a lot of things.

break down the stereotypes of the wild nation which was 77 established in the West during the Soviet period by the Did there appear to be any new trends in terms of the Russians. To realize this idea, I need a bigger cast and a development of animated cinema at the festival this year? bigger space, and we need lighting as well. It is also important that we have contacts with Indonesia As in art in general, there is a crisis of form, ideas, and and Lithuania. Our actors go to Indonesia, the country of individual style in animated cinema as well. At this festi- shadow theatre, for masterclasses, while Lithuanians want val we try to select the best works from all over the world. to master this art here. In the next stage, Lithuanian versions The selection process is very strict. In fact, we have ex- of our plays might be created. And we also hope that they hausted interesting artwork made in animation cinema. will create something valuable which we can copy here. Therefore, this year we focused on film critics in the field, who while working at the Nikozi Festival will introduce Maybe you could say a few words about the Nikozi an appeal to the society of world animation. I think this Festival and the school there? innovation will be interesting for all the artists in the field.

The idea of the Nikozi School belongs to Bishop Isaia. As far as I know, you are going to make an adapta- With the difficult situation in which the local residents tion of “The Knight in the Panther’s Skin”. What will live, he wanted to found a place where children would your next film be like? learn animation and art. Despite the situation they are The main structure of Shota Rustaveli’s “The Knight very enthusiastic about creating small animated films in the Panther’s Skin” is told through music, images and and sketches. Soon a dance teacher will start to work sounds. This film will be made for readers. Together with with them. This initiative will be realized with the sup- the animation I will use documentary footage. When the port of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I want to make an text is the original, the images will be zero in order to animated film with them based on the children’s stories. clearly bring it to the audience. There will be two films: A talented and exciting generation is coming, with true “A Stranger Knight” and “Nestan-Darejani”. In fact, values and interests. what I want to do in “The Knight in the Panther’s Skin”, As for the festival, as you know, it has already estab- I have already tried out in “The Tiger and the Knight”. lished its name in the West along with popular and important animated film festivals. Unlike the other festivals, Maia Levanidze

film print 78 have andwhatkindofactivities shouldbecarriedout? What specificassetsdoesaneffective cinemapolicy human creativity. ing controlofthem,thenitnecessarilyencouragesartand preference tohumanbeingsandtheirneedsinsteadoftak- ent todevelop.Whenthestaterunssuchapolicygiving welfare ofthecountryanditspeopleshouldhelpthistal will always reveal itself. A state which is interested in the cause itusanaturalstateforhumanbeingandtalent be creating keep will support People exist. to still will decide art culture, not does state the if even However, thecinema. including ofculture aspects all in reflected culture, thenthestatemustmeetpublicinterest. responsible for taking care of culture and giving money to the startingpointandifpublicagreethatstateis not beseparatedfromthegeneralstrategy.Thestrategyis as wellforthestate? significance doesithavefortheseparateartisticunits What doesaneffectivecinemapolicymeanandwhat The formulacanactuallybeseen veryeasily.Justletus As fortheideologicaltrendsofstate,theywillbe Cinema policyisrelatedtotheofcultureandcan Gaga Chkheidze Interview with Interview with ~ interview ~ film print film - - - has tobegiventheopportunity gettothemarketand also hascommercialpotentialand thereforetheartwork is alreadyautonomousandinan independentworld.It enable themtosharehisexperiencewithyoungpeople. to order in exhibitions and retrospectives through master, of theartist,evenwhenlatterbecomesanestablished own work,andattendcourses.Thestatehastotakecare gain experience, read books, make critical reviews of their various activities,encouragingandinspiringpeopleto and festivals through qualification further of care take to to obtainknowledge. practical courses, high quality training, etc. will help them and literature required workshops, trips, education; good - higherschoolsmustbeabletoprovidestudentswith policy should ensure that there is an advanced film school satisfy peopleandtheirbroaderinterests.Thenacorrect ie theatresshouldbeaccessibletoeveryoneinorder be institutions,cinemaunions,andcinemasclubs.Mov- music schoolshouldexist–thisisthejobofstate. talent, theyenterthemusicschool,isn’tthatright?The after stage: for example, if they are found to have musical take acreativepersonandfollowtheirdevelopmentstage The creativeprocessisonething when theartisticwork has state the qualification, professional a getting After It isthesamewithcinema.Inthisareathereshould realize its commercial potential. Finally, when an artwork film institutions. If some problem arises, it should meet all gets older, it has to be looked after – this is part of protec- parties in order to together find the best solution. You can- tion, archiving, classification, and storing of cultural heri- not ignore it when the cinema “Apolo” is being sold, or tage. After some time, an old film needs to be restored so when the Ministry of Economy is going to do something that the classics can still be accessed, and so forth. with the film studio. You have to raise your voice when something wrong is happening and respond to it. What stage is Georgian cinema currently at and how Assessing the Film Center, I would say that it definitely would you assess the present situation in the context has to be more active. They should not hand over film of cinema policy? policy to others. They should have the ambition to be the trendsetter and its proponents. Georgian cinema today still lacks depth and is quite superficial. It depends on the level of qualification ofthe What can people working in the film industry do in artist. This is directly related to the culture policy. order to contribute to the further advancement of the I would not say unequivocally that the strategy of cul- cinema industry? ture is bad or does not exist. Many concepts and strategic plans have been introduced and they are still publicly Of course, self-organization is very important, I mean available – you cannot agree with every single point and establishing production companies, guilds and other orga- view when reading them, but their implementation is still nizations and not only trade union initiatives. One of the the most important thing. most important initiatives was the Georgian Cinematog- There was a promise that the budget for culture should raphers’ Union – but this has turned into a totally vague be three percent of gross national income, which is about and obscure organization, losing the function it had for de- seventy million Georgian lari. Today, the budget for cul- cades. The union comprises three hundred members and ture is eighty-five million lari, which means that the state we never know what we do, it is only the real estate which spends less than one percent on the culture. brings us together. The members need to think through When they were coming to power, the Georgian Dream their functions and capabilities. Generally, this kind of

party had to have a finished conception of culture because creative union should receive more funding. We really 79 people vote for a particular party’s program. Work on the lack initiatives for self-organization. We should make cultural policy actually began three years after the ruling greater attempts to do our best. party came to power - this is too late but better late than never. I hope something will be done. The theme of this issue is “Cinema in the Name of People”. How much are people able to access the What specific areas should be strengthened, in your cinema? opinion, and what initiatives are needed? Despite the fact that the government has declared that The main actor here is probably still the Film Centre. the masses should have access to films, and people should In 2000, the government decided that it should help the be able to see films, the barrier still exists. In the current cinema. According to the statute, the National Film Cen- economic conditions, if the ticket price is ten or fifteen tre defines, introduces and implements cinema policy. In lari what access are we talking about? At the same time, fact, today, its main activity seems to be only subsidizing as soon as you require a film to be commercial and profit- and the impression that such a huge organization has to able, and try to employ people, you cannot provide equal finance films and then export them abroad. The Film Cen- access in the system. tre’s main function, in general, is not just the Unfortunately, this is true. I think here we need to talk distribution of money. The Ministry of Culture can also about the importance of self-organization. Initiatives for transfer money through the committee. The Film Center of municipal cinemas, film clubs and educational institu- has to share cinema policy and be the main point for cin- tions, as well as open screenings, should become a reality. ema activities, a place of hope for all filmmakers, and an People should be able to see films for free or at a relatively information center and guide. low cost. But we do not have enough cinemas. Consider- There needs to be constant work in the form of educa- ing the average European statistics, in Tbilisi there should tion, through workshops, training courses, studies, and be up to 100 cinemas. In Berlin, for example, there are requalification. A cinema library and archive should be set 300 cinemas. up and the film center also has to deal with the restoration and development of a cinema network. In addition, the Elene Pasuri

Photo: Elene Pasuri Photo: Film Center has the job of liaising between the various

film print 80 Kvemo Kartli presented short films on behalf of their re their of behalf on films short presented Kartli Kvemo and Kartli, Shida Adjara, Imereti, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, of actor, painter or make-up artist. Students from the regions director, a was it whether “newcomer”, each to sultations the curatordirectorashehadtoprovideintensivecon schoolchildren but it also turned out to be a challenge for the for only not difficult was experiment The project. the the skillstheyhadgainedoveryearofparticipationin to testthemselvesintheartofcinema.Theydemonstrated the seriousworkahead.Theyweregivenopportunity storyboards, and psychologically prepared themselves for selected theshootinglocations,conductedcasting,drew tion period,thestudentsofschooldistributedroles, prepara one-month a Over written. be to scripts the sen during theyearofproject. received children the experience the crowned Georgia, The process,whichwasconductedindifferentregionsof stories. short different filming scripts, own their on based films five made people young the directors, film curator the children of Film School took part. With the help of the opened intheregionsinvolvedproject,which was front” “shooting so-called a months two of course the Over members. school’s the of all excited which and an other newthingwhichtookplaceaspartofthisproject about you to talk to want I now But magazine. our of theyearhavebeencoveredinmedia,including course the over held events Various project. successful a The studentspresentedsketchesfromwhichwerecho- as School Film about speaking is Georgia of whole The Young Cinephiles film print film - - - - working onthefilms: to beperformedatacharityeventheldinhissupport. but in the finale he helps the “bad boy” with his new song at school…hedoesn’tsucceedinhisloveaffairseither boy bad violent a of influence the under is he because ent The maincharacterdoesnotdaretorevealhismusicaltal the psychologicalproblemsofperiodadolescence. about us told Kartli Kvemo of region the Song”, “Banal film the In well. very her understands father her though in thelifeofanorphangirlwhohasproblemsatschool, put theemphasisonsocialproblemsandshowedoneday Kartli Shida of region The 1930s. the in American in life the contrastbetweenpresent-dayGeorgianrealityand shows director the and USA, the in born being of dreams Imereti, agirlbornatthebeginningoflastcentury and sternfaces,whichbringsusbacktoreality. tough with appear parents real the when finale, the until Everything seemstobeagamewhichendsinlaughter of Adjarashowschildrenimitatingtheirviolentparents. region the from film The other. each meet to way long a from differentvillagesandshowshowtheyhavetotravel region describestherelationshipbetweentwofriends and withyouthfulenergy. gions andsetouttheirsubjectsfromdifferentviewpoints h cide sae h eprecs hy and from gained they experiences the share children The of region the of representatives the by made film the In Mtskheta-Mtianeti the by presented “Meeting” film The - 81 Photo: Davit Chikadze, Tornike Adamashvili Tornike Chikadze, Davit Photo:

film print 82 who initiatedandimplementedthe project. from theprocessofworking.Iwould liketothankthose have a lot of memorable funny stories andvideos left over We them. overcame we but difficulties many faced We easy. not was it but cool, really felt It shot. they one first the was I film the on working started we When feasible. unrealistic to me. But it turned out that it was possible and would be in a film. This was something unimaginable and contributed tomakingourfilm. who everyone also and members, its and School Film of live withoutallofthis.Iwouldliketothankthefounders to me for be would it difficult how realized I film, the ing shoot finished we When friendly. very be to out turned hours butstillcomebackhomecontented.Thecrew seven for temperature freezing in outside stand could I that me taught it lot; a me taught has film This joyable. work, Icandescribeitinoneword–astonishing! ing andthatitwas just my childish weakness.Asfor the gize to him. I hope that adults don’t argue during the film very nervous and I annoyed one person. I want to apolo Iwas filming the During difficult. so be would process read aboutit,butIstillcouldnotbelievethattheshooting enough tobeinvolvedinaprojectlikethis. film or even a sketch, and I am very happy that I was lucky invested inafilm. work morebecauseyouarewellawarehowmuchis ma. After working on a film, you appreciate other people’s new friendsandenteredmoredeeplyintotheartofcine made lot, a learned we film, the shooting were we time best, creating your own and not just copying others. During the the finding into effort of maximum a put you and able process.Alotofideasaregoingaroundinyourhead As aparticipantin this project, I neverthoughtthat Mari Margvelashvili Mariam Palkosadze Shooting our films was difficult but at the same time en Giorgi Gardava I thought that shooting a film was relatively easy. I often Tamar Zaridze- Not everyoneisgiventheopportunitytoshootashort Making afilmistremendouslychallengingandenjoy- -RustaviNo.12StateSchool(14) AnanuriStateSchool(15) - DzegviStateSchool(16) –No.25StateSchool(13) film print film - - - - - Davit Chikadze the Amiranicinemaon31stJanuary, 2015. in held was project School Film the in regions five the in students the by made films short five the of premiere The in theprojectwereleftwithsomeincredibleimpressions. quality ofafilmdependsuponthewholecrew. understood thatinadditiontothedirectorsandactors, the workisnotaseasyitseemsfromadistance.Inow intense processofthecinemaworld,andIunderstoodthat turned outtobeincrediblypleasant.Ibecamepartofthe tend and participate making a film. For me this experience role, potentialandvalueofcinema. young peopleintoonebigfamilywhichlearnedthetrue us united You organizers. the thank to like would I ops. ema isalivingbodywhichconstantlyevolvesanddevel- am stillfullofemotionwhichwordscannotconvey.Cin and thesatisfactionwhichremainsbeyondfootage.I process ofshootingandtofeelthechallenges,hardwork, the see to enough was It cinema. of art unique the of part project hasallowedmeandmyfriendstofeelthatweare this teachers, our of help the With miracle! real a is That yourself? one filming But seasons. two last the for had time wasofnoimportancetome.Thankyouverymuch. was meanttolastjustonesecondbutthemeasurementof never disappearfrommymemory..ThesceneIactedin imprinted inmyheadsothatthiswonderfuldaywould I wasfullofhappinessandwantedeverysecondtobe and three… two, One, students. filmmaking the and tors, cameras, the microphone, the screenwriter, director, ac in that this was all really happening. On that day I saw the reality andIwasayoungnoviceactress.couldnottake reality. My first role. I found myself going from dreams to into turn to started dream my project, School Film the in of the cameras. When we started shooting the film “Mud” come anactressandIoftenpicturedmyselfactinginfront Indeed, thestudentsfromfortyschoolswhoparticipated Before Film School I had never had the chance to at to chance the had never had I School Film Before Natalia Mangoshvili-ZhinvaliStateSchool(18) have we which pleasure great a is film good a Watching Keti Mikeladze I always dreamed about acting in a film. I wanted to be to wanted I film. a in acting about dreamed always I Tamar Maridashvili-LowerGomiStateSchool(15) -DzegviStateSchool(17) - - - - 83

film print 84 scientific films of Vakhtang Mikeladze, GiaChubabria, Mikeladze, of Vakhtang films scientific The films. individual of kind these made and cinema tary 1960s, ayounggenerationentered Georgiandocumen clearly visible.Later,inthe1950s andespeciallyinthe Kalatozov and Nutsa Ghoghoberidze, the auteurs are very end ofthe1920sandin1930s.InfilmsMikheil talented andthusthefilmmaybegoodorbad. be aninterestingorboringimitatornot,talentedless this orthatline.Anotherthingiswhethertheauteurmay emphasizing thus and track sound a using are you when another, thisshowsanindividualapproach.Especially individual choice.Whenrejectingoneshotandretaining When choosingaplace for a camera, this isalreadyan this. like not were films Vertov’s Dziga Even true! not is this But cinema. documentary is recording objective this up acameraanddocumentcontinuouslywhatisgoingon, set you if that theory a had He director. film documentary Soviet the Vertov, Dziga recall us Let art. not is attitude there isneitheranauteur’ssignaturenorindividual be individual and therefore auteur. A work of art in which totally unacceptableassertion. and incorrect an is This cinema.” feature in achievements tion ofauteurdocumentarycinemaalthoughwehadgreat a completelydifferentview. However, there is one issue where I do not agree and have is veryinterestingandIagreewithmanyofitspoints. cinema, atheoreticianandpractitioner.Theinterview documentary on expert leading a Müller, Steen Tue tor the article Anna Dziapshipa interviews Danish film direc In magazine. Filmprint the of issue 13th the in published Amazing auteur documentaries were made even at the at even made were documentaries auteur Amazing Let us start by agreeing that it is impossible for art not to Dzapshipa writes: “In Georgia we have not had a tradi a had not have we Georgia “In writes: Dzapshipa I amwritingthisarticleinresponsetotheinterview Auteur Cinema Documentary Georgia hadGeorgia an Merab Kokochashvili ~ interview ~ film print film - - - and answerstoprovokethestaging ofscenesandinso questions dialogues, used director the Theatre, Zestaponi the of actors the about made Premiere”, “The film the In documentaries. today’s in reflected are it of aspects and to clearlyattributeeitherdocumentaryorfiction. difficult is which film a made Sikharulidze provocation, Using documentaryrecordingandacertainamountof me. for discovery amazing an was Sikharulidze Leri by “Infinity” sophisticated. more became forms Gradually dancing on the field. This film is also presented poetically. material insuchawaythatitseemedasiftheplayerswere documented actual edited They differently. quite football Sikharulidze and Gela Kandelaki, in which the authors see Leri by Ball” a Without “Football poetry; real creates it mentary butitshowssuchastrongauteur’svisionthat Buba them: of docu is material the some - Sketches” Darial “The Khotivari’s mentions will I produced. were films documentary and feature both where studio vision a tele up, set was hub a second then and films scientific 21st century? to. Whatmadedocumentarycinemalikeitistoday,inthe What paththeauteurcinematravelledandwhereitgot 1970s. the of beginning and 1960s the of end the at made showed inhisfeaturefilms? itnot later does Ioseliani Otar which philosophy the reflect precisely but flower little a to dedicated is It known. well is “Sapovnela” film Ioseliani’s Otar viewpoint. and rial inacertainway,whichallrevealedtheirownposition larly angleandwithaparticularmethod,editedthemate aparticu from materials documentary shot They films. Soso Chkhikvadze, and Guram Zhvania, are purely auteur Gogi Levashov-Tumanishvili’sworkisveryinteresting popular- and documentary for studio film a was There were films auteur of kind what remember us let Now - - - - 85

doing created a documentary-feature film. ‘The Premiere” and gave us a completely different creative solution. That is less poetical, but in another of his films “Moon Globe”, is because these directors made both feature and docu- he showed us what a human dream is and then realized the mentary films. This was happening right in front of me, dream before our eyes through the use of poetic passages. as I was then the artistic director of the Television Film This was a principled approach to a free, documentary au- Studio. teur cinema. This was the principle and Georgian TV documentaries I believe that “Tushetian Shepherd” by Soso Chkhaidze, followed this principle. “The Spot” by Aleko Tsabadze for me a film for all time, is a peak of creative freedom. was a feature film, but the documentary method is appar- He introduced these kind of documentary methods into ent in both the story and its realization. Staged episodes a feature film and intermingled artistry and documentary can be found in Mikho Borashvili’s films too. Therefore, in such a way that it is impossible to separate them. The all the films being made in the television studio show an feature film gained the characteristics and methods of a auteur attitude. This was my principle too. I believed that documentary. The same is the case for his unfinished film without that you cannot make a film. “Shvidkatsa”. While shooting the film, Chkhaidze created Another principle also appeared: neither the camera, the such natural conditions that the participants (non-actors) microphone, or the cameraman doing the shooting should revealed a high level of artistic skill and amazed the audi- be hidden. This principle is followed in all of my films.

Photo: Khatuna Khutsishvili Photo: ence. The individual auteur approach became a principle Sometimes, independently from me, this results in the

film print 86 a documentary film. Today there is a wide variety of wide variety a is there Today film. documentary a and nobodysaysthatthereisonly onewayofmaking fundamentalists, no are there “Today says: Müller Steen not knowthatfilmsweremadeinthisuniquestyle. Georgian cinemahasnowlostandtoday’syoungpeopledo a greatcrime. The studio had a totally different style which and narrationtechniqueshavebeencreatedheretoo. these havenotjustbeenimportedandadoptedfromabroad, lished throughoutthecentury,forahundredyears.Allof estab were traditions these that know to artists film tary teurs andavarietyofindividuals.Iwantmoderndocumen- has adistinctivestyleandisveryindividualistic. Sandro Vakhtangov is an artist of the new period. He also methods. different of combination excellent an – scenes staged are there and reality fixed no is There unique. was by “Lelo” documentary Irakli Makharadze, Paata Tabaghua and Leri The Sikharulidze for. aiming was he what ple couldopenupandinthiswaythedirectorachieved tobe mostly recording,butconditionswerecreatedwherepeo seemed “Bakers” Rachvelishvili’s Bidzina field. his was it as direction music the on worked Kakabadze the author’sindividualityinshapingcharacters.Zaal see we too, Here, Zakariadze”. “Sergo and Zurabishvili” “Avlip films excellent two made Batiashvili Dima ods. tion through the application of a variety of auteur meth ed, which,togetherwiththeirthemes,attractedatten was anobviousdiversityintermsofgenretoo. was the need to find a new form and a new method. There also theprincipleusedbyfreecinematoday. with otherswearingtraditionalGeorgianchokhas.Thisis ern clothingisveryorganicallysittingandactingtogether mod in Chkhikvadze Ramaz Joy”, of “House film the In space. one make all they present, and past times: the of an episodeforyouandhavetopickituprecordit. creates itself life often synthesis; interesting an is search and Recording evident. especially is individualism thor’s au the films Tabukashvilis’s Rezo In quest. a such volve which roadyourcountrywentthrough. right infrontofyouwhoare,wherecomefrom, out finding is director the quest, continuous a through by where “Road” in principle a had We principle. a become has it cases some in and necessary is participation Such the glassofwineinonehandandcameraother. of wineovertothecameraman.Andthenheisholding glass a hand they Wine”, of “Cradle in pitcher a opening creation ofagenuinelyorganicsituation.Whentheyare Many interestingtopicsareraised inthisarticle.Tue I still believe that the abolition of the TV Film Studio was Georgian cinema is interesting because here you see au There are many big and small films which can be cit be can which films small and big many are There The greater the ideological pressure became, the greater Another principle is the unity of the times, the confusion Films by Guram Pataraia and Rezo Tabukashvili also in film print film ------Nino Natroshvili documentaries inGeorgia.Thisisamistake. hadauteur never wehave that think filmmakers young the inMoscow, other partinGeorgia.Wehavecometothepointwhere arestored of them Part films. these of be moreactiveinendeavouringtocreatedigitalversions should Center Film Georgian the third, And them. show been completelyforgotten.Thisisacrime.Wehave to have documentaries Georgian important Second, rible. what Georgiandocumentarycinemawaslike.Thisister about little a only us tell historians film our that fortunate pen heretoo. This isverygoodanditwouldbeifweretohap tion.” I know that the same happens in other countries too. coopera in together films fund broadcasting public from co-production are agreements… Cinemainstitutionsandrepresentatives there included, Denmark countries, many “in says: Muller Steen Tue broadcasting, public of tation, asthelatterresultsinintensedrama. ciple of cinema is as follows: to find the truth via confron focusing ononlythenegativebringsinabias.Theprin good andbad. A lot of goodthingsaregoingonandjust will notgetfarfrombeingastereotype.Thisisdefinite. teacher oramasterwithoutcriticismandjudgement,you attend theseworkshops, if you receive alltheadviceof any established framework.Myfeelingisthatifyouslavishly shoot withoutworryingthatthefilmwillrunout. camera isverylightsothatonecanwalkunnoticedand supported by remarkably simplified video equipment. The also is This cinema. documentary modern in emphasized author’s attitude,anindividual’svision,isparticularly mentaries. Therootofalltheseconversationsisthatthe conceived andrealizedinGeorgiandocumentarycinema. already been all had this – attitude author’s the in bring staged episodes, maneuvering noise and sound, which and editing), all the auxiliary means, such as provocation, narration (recording, film documentary of methods basic choice.” I agree, but I repeat: together with the established Finally, I would like to say three things. First, it is un is it First, things. three say to like would I Finally, Another importanttopic.Withregardtotheinvolvement Today itispossibletotalkmuchmorefreelyaboutboth The articlealsoreferstoasystemofworkshopsandan The magazine also deals with some contemporary docu ------~ interview ~ 87

Interview with Mikheil Gomiashvili

The Political Exile Makhmalbaf Refers to in Every How did your relationship with Mohsen Makhmalbaf Interview is his Visiting Card Iranian director Mohsen begin? Makhmalbaf’s visit to Georgia was a big event for filmmakers as it allowed them to familiarize themselves with Makhmalbaf had seen me in Giorgi Parajanov’s film the director’s special working style and methods and to “Everybody’s Gone”, where I played the hairdresser Jora. get to know his different worldview and culture. They offered me the same role in “The President”, but His film “The President” tells the story of a dictator who in the end this was played by Zura Begiashvili. From the runs an imaginary country. There is no specific time and start, I saw some similarities between the two roles and place here, the director talks about dictatorship in general I did not like it, but I agreed anyway. Makhmalbaf is a as a negative phenomenon which has no homeland. We world famous film director with all his family and his asked the actor Michael Gomiashvili, who plays the main name, and of course I wanted to work with him… role of the president, about the process of working on Before arriving in Georgia, he asked the casting director

Photo: Khatuna Khutsishvili Photo: Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s film. to prepare my photos but then he opted for another artist.

film print 88 ay f y ons H lkd hm imdaey wrote them downandthescriptwaschanged. Aninterestingim immediately them, liked He points. my of many with agreed actually he that say can I 7pm. to 10am from rehearsals had we month a almost For imagine. could I pletely differentattitudetocinema…notlikeIhaveor different istheworkingstyleofIraniandirector? Renny Harlinonthefilm“5daysofAugust”.How Russian films;youworkedwithHollywooddirector You haveplayedmanyrolesinbothGeorgianand respect forhim. of deal great a felt I course of and festivals film various the from prizes and awards his at looked I festivals. class high- the all almost to chair a as invited been has He ery. discov their be to Makhmalbaf Mohsen claims Festival list of the world’s all-time hundred best films.the The Cannes into got it and Festival Film Cannes the at screened baf before,Ionlylookeduphisfilmsaftertheevent. already toolate…ThethingisthatIdidnotknowMakhmal dent, I did not really worry about it and when I realized, it was not preparedforthisoffer,Imeanplayingtheroleofpresi What didyoufeelatthatmoment? it inGeorgian,hesaid. tell you my final decision in ten days and will try to make would notbeabletoplaysuchabigroleinEnglish.Iwill sion withinonehourandIdeclinedtheoffersayingthat me the part on the same day… In fact, he made the deci offer to decided had he later, me told Vova As said. he hairdresser? Iamofferingyoutheroleofpresident, I willbeabletolearn it word for word, I answered. What be abletoplaytherole.Thehairdresserisasmallpartand that the film will be in English and asked whether I would were joined by Vova Kacharava. He immediately told me a long storyshort,wereturnedinthebuilding,where cut To … helicopter? what grandchild? what – stand had notreadthescriptattimeandIcouldn’tunder hiding fromahelicopterthatwastryingtoshootus…I into theyardandimaginethatIwaswithmygrandchild I thought that this was his working style. He made me run all. at film the in role future my to related not was do me me sometasksintheformofetudes. during theinterviewandatsametimehewasgiving non-stop shooting was He photos. the nor film the from didn’t know who I was – he couldn’t recognize me neither he time long a For talked. we and along went I studio. a When Makhmalbafarrived,theyarrangedameetingin Makhmalbaf isaspecialcase…Thismanhascom was (2001) “Kandahar” film well-known his ago, Years was I as truth, the tell To it. about lot a thought I know, You Gradually it dawned on me that what he was making ~ interview ~ film print film ------opportunity tofreelyexpressyour potential? Perhaps withthisstyleofworking, hegaveyouthe role: MishaGomiashvili,Tom,Dick orHarry. this played who matter didn’t it that realized I thing. single a understand not did I bad. very felt I film, the seeing after serious film. And there was material for that, but in the end, I so hurt? Because there was an opportunity to make a very fan of Parajanov but he is very difficult to imitate. Why am note the influence of Parajanov on hisa art. Makhmalbaf is also should One cinema. political independent, of master a is he style, peculiar his of Because truth. the is really This freedom andIamjustusingcinema to achieve thesegoals. for and oppression against fighting person a am I director, this ishowhecharmstheworld. perhaps Makhmalbaf… precisely is this Perhaps it! tains at he and goal a has he law, no is there him world…For the in means existing the all with this does He footage. happens inthefootage,whathewantstosaywiththis film, he would say… The important thing for him is what absolutely notinterestedinlogic,I’mmakingadifferent not right,thatsomeofthedecisionswereillogical…I’m guments… Ioftenarguedwithhimthatsomethingswere ics. It was very tough for me… There were conflicts… ar aesthet these with work to me for strange was It filming. not tospeakoftheactors. lighting staff,make-upcostumedesigners,artists, camera operatortothedriver.Thesameistruefor the from crew, film our like professionals with worked he had Neither characters. individual filmed mainly had actually never worked with professional actors before. He nor doesheknowhowtoworkwiththem. actors, about care doesn’t he camera; the of front in was who care didn’t he which in film different completely a together and agreed on, went up in smoke. He was making paring forallofthistime,whichwehad thought through pre been had we Everything transformed. totally was He began, itseemedasifMakhmalbafhadbeenswitched. Aren’t youbeingoverlyself-critical? did nothappeninthiscase. a chance tosaya serious wordinart, which unfortunately as I thought, that my life is entering the stage when I get main rolewithsuchafamousdirector,thereisfeeling, that stage. When an actor gets an opportunity to play the lowing meandIwashappythatwehadnoproblemsat with thismonthandahalfofworkbecausehewasfol age of the president was being formed. I was very pleased Thank God, in one of the interviews he says: I am not a a not am I says: he interviews the of one in God, Thank the in difficulties big were there start the from Right had he that realized I later, films his know to got I As filming as soon As myself. about talking not I’m No, - - - - - There can be no talk of any approach or freedom here. Did the fact that this director is being persecuted in I’m saying that I had the opportunity to play a serious, his country make any difference? You talked about good role and I had the material, a strong filming group, the specifics of his work, but did you get the impres- and I am hurt that it did not happen…This is my worry, sion that this fact adds something to his artistic work? my attitude and my personal opinion. However, this film opened the Venice Film Festival, the Goa Film Festival, Of course it does. It is dominant in his work and life. the Tbilisi Film Festival, the Busan International Film Perhaps nothing would remain if you took this away. This Festival. It won wide acclaim, in Tokyo and Beirut the is my personal opinion – it is precisely the political exile film won the top prize from the audience, and it wasa which he stresses in every interview that is his visiting card. winner at the 50th Chicago Film Festival, where he was awarded the Golden Hugo. I have often thought – maybe Nnevertheless, do you exclude the idea of working I’m wrong? It can’t be that I’m the only smart guy and with Makhmalbaf again in the future? the others have no idea about cinema… So there must be something in this film that they like and because of that I have no wish to work with him and I never will have. they award it so many prizes. I don’t know… but when I But that does not mean that Mohsen Makhmalbaf will lose watch the film, I feel discontent. anything because of this. He has already won his fame and taken his place in the world of cinema. One cannot avoid asking you about your “film grand- son” Dachi Orvelashvili. You are also known for your civic position. You often appear on TV. It is well known that you are con- As you can see, when you mentioned Dachi, my eyes cerned about the future of our country. Would you sparkled. He is a miracle child, very open and free. Not draw any parallels between the film’s narrative and only did he follow my advice, but we also shared so many our reality? rehearsals and we spent so much time together from morning till night that I fell in love with him. Dachi’s mother I see no parallels because the film gives a general por- accompanied him at the filming sessions. From the first trait of a dictator president. But one unintended parallel 89 they kept asking whether they would kill me. He worried can still be seen – it was a coincidence that the day we about it so much that he was nervous. When we were film- filmed the president fleeing the country from the airport ing the last scenes, I had the make-up of a tortured man was exactly the same day that Yanukovych fled Ukraine. covered with blood, and the poor child had hysterics, we could hardly manage to calm him down. In the last scene, F.P. Maybe we could say a bit about the crew? when we both have our heads in the rope, he looked up to me with his eyes full of the sea. It’s a bit hard to say The film producer was Vladimer Kacharava, camera whether he will become an actor or not, but what he does operator – Mindia Esadze, production design – Mamuka in this film, he does very well. Esadze, costume designer – Keti Kalandadze. The make- up personnel, sound designers, lighting designers, togeth- The film travelled around a large number of film er with the technical personnel formed a crew that any festivals. Did you attend these events yourself? world class film studio would work with. And in general we have high class professionals in Georgia. You should I went to the Venice Film Festival and I was fortunate also note the interesting acting ensemble: Guja Burduli, Ia enough to attend an international festival in Korea. My Sukhitashvili, and Dato Dvalishvili. wife and I were invited to go there. And Mohsen wel- comed us there. I had a personal invitation from Goa, but Is there anything which you might be unsatisfied with I couldn’t go I was also invited to go to Chicago, but in in this interview? short, I couldn’t go to either India or America due to financial reasons. I always say exactly what I want to say. Therefore, none I’m not a 12-year-old child who can go there without a of the government or ministries, etc. like me. I have nev- penny. The Ministry of Culture and the Mayor’s Office er complained about anyone for no reason – I’ve never told me that they don’t give money for such things. . . The claimed for anything that doesn’t belong to me. festival organizers cover travel and hotel expenses as they think it natural that an actor who played the main role in a Giorgi Ghvaladze film like this could not have financial problems, but we all know where we live.

film print 90 a largeamountbutitisstillvery important. funding fromtheNationalFilm Center.Itmaynotbe Withthehelpof“Dinola”,in2013 “Dede”gained woman thatishighlighted. a of story the is it “Dede” in whereas child, a is subject main the “Dinola” In different. quite is story the but tary, documen a – same the be will film full-length the of tics stylis The film. short a into it made and script the from together. Ilikedtheidea.immediatelytookanepisode yet gained any success. He wondered how we could work abroad withonlyascript,especiallywhenyouhavenot and Georgia in both funding obtain to difficult very is it you wanttoworkwithme,let’smakeapilotversion,as if me: told Vova Then now. have I version video the not already writtenafull-lengthscript,butofcourseitwas had I Kacharava, Vladimer producer film the met I when was born. “Dinola” film 15-minute the script, same the on based thenaward; Gala the won “Dede” 2012 In tradition. this But the main thing in the script is love, which is fighting the childhadtostayinfamilyofdeadhusband. woman had tomarry, she hadno right of refusal, and widowed a that held which tradition Svan a on based is made inSvanetiandaboutSvaneti. region of Svaneti. So naturally her student work is mainly Film University. She was born and raised in Ushguli in the and Theatre Rustaveli Shota the at Borashvili) Mikho of (studio Stage and Film of Department the from graduated Mariam Khachvani: «Dinola» was a pilot film. Initially film. pilot a was «Dinola» Khachvani: Mariam script The “Dede”. for script film her was there Then Mariam Khachvani is a young film director. In 2008 she Interview with Mariam Khachvani Waiting for "DEDE" ~ interview ~ film print film - - ity? Ordidyouexpectit? popular? Canyoucopewiththe unexpectedpopular- Well,howdoesitfeelwhenyou suddenlybecomeso life ofothercountries. creative and culture the know to get also you fun; even producers. Theseareverygoodandusefulcontacts and members, jury people, new meet You really. thing And thereweren’ttoomanyofthem.theyareagood tired. Thefestivaltrips?No,theydon’ttiremeouteither. such abigprojectaheadandIdon’tallowmyselftoget This isalreadythe25thfestival.Aren’tyouexhausted? at thefilmfestivalthere. few days before our meeting with her 11th award gained this magazineisreleased. which will perhaps be even more impressive by the time list incomplete an is This festivals. film various at gian) Festival, and 11 awards for “Dinola” (including two Geor Film Sundance the at Lab Screenwriters masterclass the invitation to participate in the an Cannes Film Festival and also in was There Institute. Film Doha the from tained grant received at the Sofia Film Festival and the grant ob around thefestivals,whichledtopost-production just paynoattentiontoyou. it isnot,almostimpossibletogetanyfundingasthey If country. own its in funded is film a whether to tention aim hcvn: ts o ery o e trd I have I tired. get to early too It’s Khachvani: Mariam a Romania from Georgia to returned just had Mariam “Dinola” and “Dede” of trek long the began then And Mariam Khachvani: Foreign producers pay a lot of at of lot a pay producers Foreign Khachvani: Mariam - - - 91

film print 92 should only trust my project to him. However, although he kind ofcriticalnoteswhichmade meunderstandthatI had alreadyreadmyscriptwhen we metandhemadethe Vova met. we how that’s and Vova phoned Irakli me. for producer good a on me advise to Solomonashvili Irakli asked I Later them. of one was about Vova members. asked jury the and Center Film the at competition the to about Vladimer Kacharava when I took the project “Dede” say thatitwasahappymeeting? How didyoumeetVladimerKacharava,andcan work withhim. ter. AndIthinkifyoudon’ttrustaproducer,shouldn’t ask him because he knows very well how to do things bet never I doesn’t, he if even but everything me tells Vova have never been interested in the financial side of the film. about finances. ducer whohelpsyoutocompletelyavoidthinking and perhapsit’saluxurytoworkwithsuchpro- This probablyshowsagreattrustinyourproducer much interestedinit. to hiscalculations.Idon’tknow,behonest.I’mnotthat million euros,oraboutsevenhundred,Ithink,according What istheestimatedbudget? have totraveluptherethreetimeswithsuchalargegroup. according to the script, there are only three seasons. We where, Svaneti in conditions hard very in filmed was it as sufficient, not is amount the far So abroad. project the export to able be will who involved, also are producers ing. We have a very good French producer; other foreign fund get will we hope We well. as France in center film Norway andinPoland,wearegoingtoapplythe Have youobtainedfullfundingnow? do anythingelse. whelmed withyour popularity, then you won’t be able to with work that I cannot even feel it. If you get over that Iamappreciated.simplydon’tthinkaboutit. hard workandstrugglethatIdon’tevenhavethefeeling ately attheverybeginning.Iachievedthisthroughsuch would perhapsbedifferentifIbecamepopularimmedi- Mariam Khachvani: Manana Meladze first told me told first Meladze Manana Khachvani: Mariam I truth, the tell To true. that’s Yes, Khachvani: Mariam Mariam Khachvani: According to Vova, it’s about half a in grants for applied have We No. Khachvani: Mariam busy so am I parallel. in exist work and pleasure Both it path… hard a such travelled I’ve Khachvani: Mariam ~ interview ~ film print film - - - Who doyouthiswith? much aboutitonset. we needordon’tneed,sothat don’tneedtothinkso episode which superfluous, is footage which see better to studio the in together it watch We film. animated of kind image thatIhavetoshootontheset.Thenwemakea can’t drawwell,butitdoesn’tmatter.Ieverysingle I that true It’s well. as film full-length the for it do will I and film short the for same the did I this. do to me vised designing the scenes and so I am drawing them. Vova ad is thecreativeside? You arecontinuingtofightforfunding.Atwhatstage creative side.Wetrusteachother. together butIwouldnotcallthisaninterferenceinthe So there is no need to compromise. We work on the script may notcoincide, but over timewewillstillsharean idea. things Some coincide. visions our because often argued not have We perspective. technical and financial the from only project a discuss not does He vision. cinematic truly a has he that sure am I and expertise his trust I side. ative opinion iscrucial? relationship liketoday?Didyouargue?Andwhose interfere inthecreativeprocessandwhatisyour producer, whoyouobtainedthroughgreatefforts, All’swellthatendswell.Andhowmuchdoesthis thusiasm. en great with project the praising was Vova and angry When wewentuptothejury,Iwasveryannoyedand smiling. there sitting Vova saw I room, the entered I as without theproducer,veryangryandmiserable.Assoon on Facebook but he didn›t answer. I went to the interview ing himbutcouldnotgetthroughtohim.Iwrote phon was I that remember I Festival. Cannes the at was Vova time that At producer. the with together interview second roundofthecompetitionandIwasinvitedforan the to got It “Dinola”. for funding for Center Film the to made himagreetobecomemyproducerandweapplied (she laughs). years five in films five make could I that answered I and film a make to years five him took it that me told Vova a goodprojecttogether. It tookmethreeyearstoconvincehimthatwecouldmake refused to be my producer. But I didn’t accept his refusal. he meeting, first very our at talent cinematic my stressed aim hcvn: t h mmn I m okn on working am I moment the At Khachvani: Mariam Mariam Khachvani: I would say the same about the cre finally I when day the bitterly most remember I But As herecallsnow,thereasonforrejectionwasthat - - - - Mariam Khachvani: The producer Vova Katcharava, cam- Mariam Khachvani: It will be the same – Nutsi Khap- era operator Mindia Esadze, production designer Mamuka tani. But now she has grown up, and I’m looking for an- Esadze, the production manager and second director Dali other actor for the younger character. Narimanidze. With the film designer and camera operator we have selected almost 80% of locations. After that we Let’s assume that you notice during filming that the make the final illustrations together with the artist. actress is not what you wanted. Would you give up At the same time I have selected almost all the main and replace her with a new one? What would you do characters and held rehearsals. in such a situation?

As far as I know, the language of the film will be Mariam Khachvani: I am a very bad director. It is very Svan, as well as the actors… demanding, and I certainly wouldn’t give up. Before filming with an actor, I know what they are like and I will Mariam Khachvani: Yes, they are all Svans. demand that they do their best. I do my best and I demand the same from others. If I am not sure about them I won’t And all non-professionals? bring him to the film set.

Mariam Khachvani: All except one – now we are negoti- So, you don’t expect any surprises. ating with the actor Giorgi Babluani and we think we will approve him for the main role. Mariam Khachvani: No, I don’t really. I know that there are some difficult scenes which they will find hard to deal And aren’t you afraid? with, but I know the solutions as well. When I worked with the child, I learned how to find ways to not fail and Mariam Khachvani: I’m not afraid, because I don’t just do the scene differently. When you are well prepared, choose actors visually. I fully know their character. And there is less stress when filming. If something changed also they mainly play themselves in the film. I hold re- there, and it can always happen, you have to make a quick hearsals, explain the characters, and what they can add to decision. When you are well prepared, you can easily 93 the characters. They are Svans and for them this subject is make decisions. easy to understand. They even help me with some things. I remember when we started rehearsals, two of them When do you start filming? were taking part and the others were sitting there sheep- ishly. Then they became very enthusiastic, so much so that Mariam Khachvani: We start shooting in Svaneti in they started to compete with each other. In short, in order early July, then in the beginning of October, and finally to have them open up and not be locked up, you have to sometime in January or December. . try your best to create the right conditions. I had to work with non-professionals in the short film as well and I be- Positive energy, integrity, self-confidence, freedom – came used to it. It’s not difficult. I can find the key to it. this is the aura that forms around the young director. Let’s hope that the result will be equally positive. We The roles, as far as I’m aware, are quite dramatic and all want one more good Georgian film. what is the manner of performance going to be like? Will the non-professional actors be able to convey and Manana Lekborashvili show all this drama? Or do you choose a more closed style of acting?

Mariam Khachvani: I think they will because Natia Vib- liani, who plays the main role, is very talented. I was looking for her for a long time and quite by accident my sister found her on Facebook. Then I went up to Chuberi and there they also praised her saying that she was very talented. So I’m not interested in a person only visually. They must be talented and smart and must understand what I’m saying. They all meet these requirements.

And the child?

film print 94 “Red Shoes”, Jean Renoir’s “Boudu Saved from Drown from Saved “Boudu Renoir’s Jean Shoes”, “Red their and Pressburger & Powell Hitchcock, by “Vertigo” noir, film Reed, Carol by Man” Third “The as such films, cinema through? ferent times?Andgenerallywhodidyou“discover” Which directorsdidyougetinspirationfromatdif- erything, andsearchforrelatedliteratureaswell. ev watch and director film specific a of filmography tire education, ifonemaysayso.Wecoulddownloadtheen torrents. Thesetorrentsiteswerethemainsourceofour becoming widelyavailableandwestartedtodownload streets ofTbilisi,whileinthemeantimeInternetwas profession andpoetry. the about more – something studied really and attended sion. Therewereoneortwocourseswhichweregularly didn’t havedirectcontactwithcinemaandtheprofes unreal, surrealisticphenomenon.Actually,atthattimewe How didyougetintocinema? for everynewepisodeofKimono. inexhaustible arsenal of cinematography is the inspiration An program. 70th the for preparing are editors… and tor, creative team: the author, writers, producer, camera opera Kimono hasbeenbroadcastontwodifferentchannels.Its 2013, Since screen. television the to shifted have cinema he doeswhatlovesmostandthatconversationsabout film industry. The author of the TV program believes that duces theaudiencetocontemporarytrendsinmodern known factsfromthehistoryofcinema,Kimonointro un to addition In cinema. about program TV a makes he films, make not does he but profession, by director film At differentstagestherewere different directors and inthe literature and music, films, for looked I Then rather a always was University Theatre the at Studying a is Zamza program, TV the of host and author The Kimono program –aTV about cinema and not only cinema... ~ interview ~ film print film ------the format only to a certain, required extent. I think this think I extent. required certain, a to only format the some routinelyshotandediteddefault, buttointroduce form, to share what we believe to be important; not to use tant informationaboutcinemain a smartandentertaining ferent categories was to provide the viewers with impor top 5,andsoon…. different categories:inspiration,cinemaID,theme, direction, the films and cinema people are spread over Kimono? Insteadofhavingoneparticularthemeor Why didyouchooseakaleidoscopeformatfor festivals. Ithinklivedinthecinemaforawholeweek. the cinemaorsomewhereelse. in it saw I whether exactly remember don’t I but series, Hitchcock the of one from was This alive. buried there laying on the dead body she’s of the guard herself. So that she is left sees and lamp a or match a lights finally She whose corpse she’s lyingon while she waits for the guard. the womanisbreathingandtryingtolightmatchessee dark, it’s coffin, a in is scene The out. her dig and go will that theyhavetoburytheprisoneralive,thenguard a womanprisonernegotiateswithprisonguard,whosay went there for the second time, I saw another horror scene: asked toneverbetakenthecinemaagain.AndwhenI and scared very was I out. falling body dead a finds and wardrobe a opens she – colors brown-green dark, some remember I – house a into comes woman a where scene a first film I saw in the cinema was a horror film. There was of the cinema. For some reason, when I was very little the effect onme,butIrememberthatasachildwasafraid somebody veryimportant.Idon’tknowwhohadthemain to mind different types of people and might have forgot tion of “Angry Young Men”, and so on. Now I’m bringing Dreyer, Japanese, Eisenstein, Ford, Pasolini, Ken Loach, the British genera the and Ozu Kaurismäki, Aki ing”, With regard to Kimono’s format, the idea of having dif film at film any missed never I student, a was I When - - - 95 Photo: Khatuna Khutsishvili Photo:

film print 96 the factors and causes of increasing violence, the conflict the violence, increasing of causes and factors the to dedicated been have Kimono of editions this, Before expression… of forms system; political economic, cal, ecologi social, the criticize who artists world-renowned ism, the role and importance of civic activism in Georgia; Which oftherecentprogramswouldyouhighlight? Georgia today,andtherearemanysuchproblems… relation tocinema.Alsoissueswhichareproblematicin in discussed be usually can everything sports… extreme ture, contemporary art, choreography, video games, even reasons arerelevanttoday.Art,literature,music,architec different for which films historical or cinema, world of whether it isthetrendsandproblemsofGeorgiancinema,news – this from come program the for subjects the which people are generally concerned about. So of course gether, all the issues and problems of the modern world a spacewhereallkindsofcontroversialissuescometo well asallpossibleformsofartisticactivities,cinemais cific TVprogram? How doyoucomeupwithaspecificthemeforspe- ence: youngpeople,teenagers,students… format turned out to be most relevant to our target audi For example, one recent episode was about civil activ civil about was episode recent one example, For Apart frombeingasynthesisofvarietyartsas ~ interview ~ film print film - - - - - You chooseanoriginalformat: non-studioshooting ries, thevisualsideofprogram isverysignificant. Together withthenon-standard themesandcatego- end andwewouldhavetheseriesatleast. TV series, it would be great. None of us have read it to the a into it makes HBO if However, Joseph? this remember and interestinglyaboutvarioustopics.WhydidIsuddenly are notcelebrities.Thesepeopletalkmuchmoreclearly are oftenpeoplewhodon’tappearintheprogramand which Ilikeverymuch.AlsoinKimonotherespondents series, these discusses everybody So old-fashioned. and a detectiveseries,itmeansyouareanagebehindthetimes discuss can’t you today if and cool… wasn’t it Brothers”, thing today, if previously you hadn’t read “Joseph and his of TV series is relevant in this regard… This is a common cinema whichwehighlightintheprogram.Thecategory there aremanyinterestingthingshappeninginmainstream necessary tomaintainsomebalanceintheprogram.And prised ofcinephilesandcinemaprofessionals… mainstream cinema?Youraudienceisnotonlycom- How equallydoyoucovertheso-calledarthouseand through documentaryandfeaturecinema… Soviet in times andtoday.Weoftenreturntovarioussocialthemes sexuality of theme the generations, between Mainstream themes are essential for television. So it is it So television. for essential are themes Mainstream and constantly changing locations. What are your But these areas often don’t become the subject of obser- criteria for choosing a specific area? vation and analysis. Documentary films are more interesting, I think. A good location manager is as necessary as a mine sur- We made programs on almost all the directors of films veyor. I think that in Tbilisi and its outskirts there isn’t made during the period of time since Kimono started,. In anywhere left where we haven’t filmed. If we had time we the section Movie ID, film directors talk about their own would travel around the country to get good locations, but films. Now we also cover all the news about Georgian television requires everything to be done very quickly. We cinema. choose locations according to the subject, together with a producer and a camera operator. Sometimes we stay in a Kimono is a program with no competitors on posh hotel, sometimes at Eliava Bazroba shopping mall, Georgian television. There is no program which can or the Tbilisi Sea, or Electrodepo wagons… compete with you in terms of ideas or artistic points. What I want to say is that on the one hand, it is good Film festivals are one of the most relevant and popu- to not be too competitive, but on the other hand, you lar cinematic events… In Georgian television we can will agree that the fact that Georgian television lacks say that your program is the only program where of programs on cinema is a real problem… film festivals are covered more than superficially (when they make short reports, only mention names, Georgian television is principally trash in terms of etc.), but fully – at the level of analysis of the films, form, content, competence, taste… if you watch it, it discussion of trends, consideration of the general means that you just want to make fun of it or you enjoy background… playing with your nerves… But does a TV program necessarily have to be trash? There have to be programs of I think that Kimono is the program which covers film other types because such programs also have their view- festivals most thoroughly. The most recent one was the ers, maybe fewer in quantity but I don’t think that this Nyon Festival in Switzerland, where the focus was on should matter….

Georgian documentary cinema. Before that there was the With this program are you trying to guide the audi- 97 Tallinn Festival, which this year will focus on Georgia; the ence in a certain direction with regard to cinema… Berlinale for the last three years; we plan to cover the So- nar Music Festival and also the Prague Quadrennial – an As I said at the beginning, in cinema all the controver- important event in scenography… Here, of course, finding sies of the modern world come together and you could sponsors is very important… when there is a significant say that it is a compass to analyze reality and to orientate event for Georgian cinema at a festival, I think that cover- yourself in it, and thus it is part of education and train- age should not only be interesting for Kimono… But the ing… On the internet you can find anything you want, but main problem in televisions, as in cinema, is finance… shortage of time doesn’t allow you to look for everything since we are talking now about this issue… because it’s and I think that here Kimono plays an important role – obvious that this is the problem for the whole country in perhaps it guides more young people towards a specific general… film director, specific films, themes and focuses on a variety of issues. Here you can find something, and you will How would you assess the processes in Georgian get the information in a very short time and then if you cinema over the last period? How often do Georgian want you can go and search for it to a deeper extent. filmmakers come into Kimono’s focus? What will the cinema of the future be like? Film The fact that two full-length feature films are funded per theorists say that cinema has exhausted its expres- year is a very small number considering the potential of sive methods and that the introduction of innovations feature cinema in recent years. Everyone knows this to in today’s era is impossible as almost all forms of be true. Everyone talks about it... If, say, ten films were expression have already been copied many times, that funded every year, at least five or six films would live new masterpieces are just allusions the dialogue with up to expectations. In my opinion, in addition to fund- the old classic cinema… ing, the scripts are the main problem. Technically, they have learned the “grammar” of making films, but the film Cinema has always been just like the people themselves. scripts still remain problematic. We always say that Geor- What happens today to mankind happens to cinema too. gia is a place where, at this point in history, there are a thousand subjects that significant films could be about. Neno Kavtaradze

film print 98 a NewImageforGeorgianCinema “Father” –SuccessinLocarno and Festival is known as a festival for discoveries. For many For discoveries. for festival a as known is Festival Film Locarno The talents. promising for section morrow competition programofthefestival intheLeopardsofTo inthe presented was “Father” film short Pirtskhalava’s were Data air. open the in 8000 directors of audience total a to screened Georgian by films 1946, since Festival Film International the hosted has which Locarno, of city where it was acclaimed as the best short film. In the Swiss Festival, Film International Locarno the at success great had film the August, In contribution. financial state’s the with along Bank, TBC company private the from funding nounced by the National Film Center, and it also received audience despiteitslackofduration. the to story main its home brings completely it but film, short a is It Pirtskhalava. Data director film young the by “Father” film short one into condensed was family one of story dramatic the – himself by questions unanswered incident, the older brother Lado finds some answers to the lence sharpenstheirinterestevenmore.Afteradramatic si his but father, their for questions of lots accumulated had disappeared many yearsago...LadoandNikahave routine have an unexpected meeting with their father, who young brothersbythistimeengagedinadepressingdaily “Father” was a winning project in the competition an competition the in project winning a was “Father” two period, post-Soviet the of reality social hard the In film print film - - - learned abouttheauditionsfrom amutualfriendofhis Englishdirector by the William Oldroyd. The shooting took place in Georgia. He “Sin” film the in was role film first His Canada. and England in plays stage of number a in parts had He course. Bachelor three-year a on drama ing. Throughauditions,hegotintotheleadingschoolof moved to London, where he completed a course in act one-year course in “film and television”. From Canada he that thiswasnoplaceforhim,andwenttoCanadaona realized he months, six After University. Sea Black the but whenthetimecametochooseaprofessionheentered arts, the by fascinated been always had He process. ing film the throughout step-by-step him inside growing was role andashesayshimself,felthowLado’scharacter this play to difficult it find not did he why is this Perhaps Tbilisi, the troubles ofhispeerswerenotsounfamiliar. in raised boy a for film, the in character his of that from his lifestyleandviewoftheworldiscompletelydifferent Although Tbilisi. in raised and born was Sandro director. a Georgian with film first his was “Father” and London in lives actor Georgian The film. the in Lado brother er old the plays who Kalandadze, Sandro actor 24-year-old successful careersbegan. actors anddirectors,Locarnowastheplacewheretheir o Goga adecs te ao dsoey s the is discovery major the audiences, Georgian For - - - and Data Pirtskhalava’s and went along to take part. ing success. However, he is happy with the progress of Sandro Kalandadze: “We filmed a short study and we hit Georgian cinema and the encouraging film projects, it off from the very beginning. Data and I realized that we which will eventually bring it success. were on the same wavelength and share similar ways of He visits his homeland on holidays. “But I never rest 99 thinking. I knew that it would turn out to be a good film, there either,” he says. He is so used to the busy work- I was watching the process from the inside and believed ing pattern in London that this hard routine has become in the director’s vision. I would be interested in doing any his way of life. Sandro Kalandadze: “Being far from your good project with him again in the future. This was my homeland is tough. When I came here I found it hard to first collaboration with a Georgian director. Generally, acclimatize and to adapt to the local way of doing things. film scares me a little bit as the theater is more my thing. I Now when I feel the time of departure from Georgia ap- believe that there is a living process in the theater. Cinema proaching, and I have to go back to the same pace and and theater are completely different from each other, but relationships, that is hard too. London is a cold place, not working with Data got me to realize that there are film- only the temperature, but the relationships as well. You makers who I would be able to work with in the cinema. are alone there, but that is nevertheless a good thing, be- I was given the space and time to let the character grow cause it gives you the space to develop, you spend your in me and not just play it superficially. We were talking time acquiring knowledge.” a lot about the character, his history, where he was born, He still has one academic year of his undergraduate grew up, what kind of world he lived in, what he did... course to complete. He says that while the past two years It all helps me in the transformation process. Despite the of the learning process were mainly dedicated to training, fact that I have almost nothing in common with the main the third year is the most important from a professional character of the film, I didn’t have any difficulties during point of view. In addition to acting, he is very interested in the filming process. The filming consistently followed the theater directing. He wants to study directing in England plot and I gradually felt more confident with the charac- or Germany, and combine acting with directing. He does ter. Freedom is very important for an actor, and that was not exclude the possibility of playing roles in films in the something that Data gave to us. For example, the text re- future, nor the possibility of performing in plays in his mained the same as it was in the true sense of the word, homeland. Before that, he has to grow creatively, think but I was allowed to change the words to fit the situation.” about a lot of things and then fulfill a mission, which al- Sandro believes that the success achieved in Locarno though banal for some people, is important for him – to will be extremely important for the film’s cast and crew, serve the motherland. but he is not so much involved in the festival processes. His priority is on studying and training rather than achiev- Maia Tsetsadze

film print 100 film „FullSpeedWestward“,which wasshotinGeorgia. Tolz. Georgian audiences are familiar with him for his last some interestingandimportanttasks. set has Ministry, Foreign German the by and partners ing The project,whichisfundedbythepowerfulbroadcast tors, tsudentsandjournalistscantakepartnthiscontest. direc producers/ independent as countries. well as broadcasters TV six in contest media a announced has Adam tion andmigrationthisisthelistoftopicsforwhich and diversity,ethnicreligiousminorities,discrimina the from Eastern Europeanpartnercountries.Culturalintegration professionals film and media uniting project h poet edr s emn ouetra Stefan documentarian German is leader project The new a is Diversity Cultural for Prize Media Adam The About Adam new the Interview with Stefan Tolz ~ interview ~ film print film - - - covered in several jackets), I started to learn the language the learn to started I jackets), several in covered films (sometimes I even sat in thecold cinema halls alone to Georgians.Inadditionwatching alotofGeorgian the country was, „exotic“ to me, but I myself was „exotic“ was only Not countries. western the from student first the years oldandIenrolledintheTbilisiTheatreInstituteas rise andfallofZviadGamsakhurdia.Iwasthenabout25 chaotic periodthelastdaysofCommunistregime, that thisplacewouldbecomemysecondhome.Itwasa in Georgia? and whathashebeenlookingfor,for24yearsnow, Let‘s startfromthebeginning.WhoisStefanTolz When IcametoGeorgiain1990,reallydidnotthink too, which led me into the families and hearts of well- what puts people into motion, what needs do we have, known Georgian artists and celebrities. Among them were what feelings do we follow, why we get up every morn- Tengiz Abuladze, Eldar Shengelaia, Rezo Gabriadze, ing and think that life hasn’t any meaning. There must be Temur Babluani. Obviously, it was a politically difficult something which we are moving towards. The filming period, and so were the following years, but for me the took place in 5 different countries and now we are at the first year and a half spent in Georgia has probably been post-production stage. the most important time of my life. For me, it was almost Thomas is doing another documentary film with Andy an infinite treasure hunt, discovering a new cinematic vi- Goldsworth. Andy works in nature and explores the traces sion which I had never met before. However, I don;t think and tracks of mankind on our planet. And Thomas has that every Georgian film is brilliant, you can undoubtedly been following him with a camera for his new film for find diamonds among them which almost no one knew several years now. In this film (with the working title “The anything about in western countries, other than a few film Human Touch”) the co-producer is Skyline Productions experts. I have lived in several western countries. I love from Edinburgh. It will be released in 2017. France and California, and my job as a director led me to the dicovery of even more great places: China, Cuba, As I know one of your projects is about Georgian Yemen or even the Canadian Rocky Mountains. But the issues and women homeland of my soul as a director is Tbilisi, not New York, Munich or Paris - and I do not care which passport I Yes, at the premiere of my latest film at the International have or where I was born. Film Festival in 2013, a British actress Maryam d’Abo came up to me. As you know, she is the daughter of the famous Why documentaries? general Kvinitadze, who fought against the Bolsheviks in 1921, before Georgia lost its independence and became a re- A lot of people probably perceive documentaries as mi- public of the Soviet Union. She is interested in telling her sto- nor, secondary films. Something not worth going to see ry - she has Georgian roots and wants to find out what these in the cinema, not worth paying money for. But when I roots mean to her. So we laid the foundations for a project discovered the power of the documentary film school in about those independent women-artists who live in Western 101 Munich, I knew that it was what I wanted to be doing. Europe but think that their talents and careers are connected to Georgia. Nino Kirtadze, a Paris-based Georgian director, You have started a production company Filmpunkt will be part of this project. Also, we want to work with one in Cologne. What are the projects you are currently of the musicians for example, Khatia Buniatishvili or Ka- working on? tie Melua. Mariam’s mother is now 95 years old and as the daughter of the first Georgian president Noe Jordania, she is We are specializing in full-length documentary films. one of the last witnesses of the 1921 Georgian emigration. Currently Filmpunkt is involved in making three docu- Unfortunately, the project has not yet been funded, but this mentary films. The budget is a total of 1.8 milion euros, woman has so much to tell... which is a lot of money in our business. Only 10% of the money comes from television. This is not a good trend I think it is time now to mention the most important as the public broadcaster should be interested in funding project nowadays the Adam media Prize for Cultural more creative documentaries, because this is one of the Diversity. Where did the idea come from? best forms for the development of our society. And this should be the main objective of public television. I have been a member of several film or TV judging We are presently co-producers of the film “Cahier Afric- panels during my career, but being in this kind of jury ain”. This is a film about a woman who was raped during is becoming increasingly important to me. I mean the the civil war in the Central African Republic (where Geor- European CIVIS Media Prize for Integration and Cul- gian soldiers are taking part just now in the peacekeeping tural Diversity. This prize has become a kind of network mission). The director of the film is Heidi Specogna from among broadcasters and creative talents across Europe. Switzerland. It’s been already five years since she started Speaking about the responsibility of journalists and the seeing the stories of the women who witnessed war crimes public media is an annual chance for me to see what is and didn’t remain silent. Such crimes are continuously oc- happening in Europe, what are the trends, what are the curring during war and always hit the weakest. problems, what is developing and how, who are stand- My partner in the company, Thomas Riedelsheimer, is ing behind the media sources and who are the decision- currently working on two documentaries. One of them is makers in other countries. Unfortunately, the CIVIS called “The Color of Yearning” and asks questions about Media Prize is only open to the European Union and

film print 102 translated the regulations into all six languages all thedetails,registerandparticipateincontest.We site - www.adamimediaprize.eu – participants can find out web our Via age. of years 28 under journalists and tors works, websites, web videos, and a prize for young direc non-fiction short and news works, non-fiction full-length works andentertainmentprograms,documentaries What prizecategoriesdoesthecontesthave? the maintaskformeandmyteam. is This involved. be will - media online and stations TV it isveryimportantthatallthesources-publicorprivate Adam isgoingtoshedlightontheseissues.Therefore, a negativeeventarevitalforthefutureofoursocieties. issues andthereceptionofdiversityasapositivenot and asweknowrelationshipsareimportant.Minorities a goodwayofintroducingandmaintainingrelationships, ted tothedecision-makersindifferentcountries.Theseis submit be to films the for chance a is this that important is It award. the of categories six the of each to allocated films tocreateabetterplanet“forhumans”. Making about. is award the what that’s So, planet. the on being human first the was Adam award. the on sign is notsurprisingthatIwantedtoputasmallGeorgian it “human”, for word Georgian the from comes “Adam” professionals in these former Soviet countries. The name media connect to order in CIVIS, of experience the on based prize, Media independent own, their establish to Partner Eastern ship countries,Ithoughtthatitmightbeagoodidea the in fields Media and Cultural the Minis try announcedthattheyweregoingtofundprojectsin Foreign German the when Thus, Switzerland. important support. casting Union.Ithinkthisalready meansthatwe Civis MediaFoundationandthe EuropeanBroad- well-established mediaorganizations,suchasthe Support fortheAdamMediaPrizeisprovidedby Broadcaster willbroadcasttheceremonylive. held on 10th December in Tbilisi, and the Georgian Public place inKievNovember.Theawardsceremonywillbe ern Europeandfromtheparticipantcountrieswilltake West from invited experts with sessions jury The 2015. will feel left out. The application deadline is 25th October, h cnet a anucd n i ctgre: fiction categories: six in announced was contest The In myopinion,itdoesnotmatterhowmuchmoneyis ~ so no one interview ~ film print film ------Salome Kikaleishvili nership tousethistoolintheinterestsoftheirownfuture. in Georgia and the other five countries in the Eastern Part wise. Nowitwillonlydependuponmediaprofessionals I do believe in this, and I wouldn’t have initiated it other opportunity for directors to find partners for new projects. in WesternEuropeorothercountries.Itwillbeagreat at thenationallevelcanuseAdamtoearnmediaattention great success. And the films which were so far shown only proved coverageoftheseissues,thenitwillhavebeena methods. Thus,ifafewyearslater,thereismoreandim diversity issues, as well as about new TV formats and film will beabletoenlightensocietyabouttheintegrationand Adam that believe I initiative. this from lot a benefit will is increased,commissioningeditorsanddecision-makers ment. Ifthecivilawarenessregardingwhatcanbedone television belongstothepeopleandnotgovern public But to. allowed not are they think they or sions, deci own their make to want not do they and decisions” rethought. being the makes boss “the that thinking of to used still are People process the in still is Broadcaster Public the of service The countries. six these of several will encouragechangesintelevisionstructureatleast Finally, whatdoyouexpectfromAdam? Partnership organizations. international initiativewhichwillbefundedbytheEastern an become will but Germans”, by made “prize a remain to more regionalandlocalpartners,sothatitdoesnothave find will we that hope I However, Office Caucasus. South the for Cooperation Swiss the and Internews, Ukrainian the Ukrainian and Georgia Public Broadcasting companies, as such us, helping are organizations local the of some that who arefamiliarwiththisregion.Iamgladthatnowsee which unitesthebestGermanacademicsandintellectuals DGO (German Association for East European Studies) too, network. Wealsodiscussthestepswearemakingwith media formanyyearsandIamgladthatcanusetheirwide European Eastern the with worked well. have institutions as Both Welle Deutsche with and Union) Broadcasting (European EBU the with coordinated be also will initiative VIS Media Foundation, which has years of experience. The I hopethatAdamwillturnouttobearealimpulsewhich Obviously, our activities will be coordinated with the CI the with coordinated be will activities our Obviously, ------Old Footage from a New Perspective

I spot a large three-storey house from a distance. A luxurious facade, sophisticated ornamentation birds and flowers are depicted on the stonework. There is an interesting balcony visible beyond the iron railings. Meghvinetukhutsesi was afraid of heights, and for him this balcony was con- venient for filming. It was even more beautiful before. Now it is covered with canvas – the inhabitant, hands laden with various products, is showing me the green-roofed balcony. I have passed along this street many times. I have seen “Data Tutashkhia” too. But I imagined that the balcony where Data Tutashkhia and Count Szeged have a conversation would be a little more impressive. How could you get to the balcony, who lives in this house now? We are just ordinary people living here. Anyway, none of us has any connection with art. Only Melia is known to the public. Come inside the main entrance, 103 Photo: KartlosPhoto: Mzhavanadze

film print 104 one toenter. for manyyearsthedoorhasbeen standingopenforany upturned tables andchairs, the windows are brokenand dry yearsagohasbeenturnedinto awarehousethereare and lookingafter. leave. Theydon’tcarethatthisplaceneedsattention, wooden shedandgreetsme: very skinnymanwithablackpoodlecomesoutfrom a – neighbor a of attention the draw I backgammon about talking By himself. against backgammon playing shorts, this sortofthingshappen. park acarbywallenclosedwithstaircases,butperhaps could anyone how about idea no have I Quarter”. Vera of “Melodies the “No from this remember don’t - I here.” parking states wall the on writing blue huge – simple so not is everything But words. few a and laundry washed Chiaureli, Sopiko return to characters the for is needed nothing has changed overtheyears.Asifonlything if As charge”. of free Tbilisi of masters the by made was construction The 1850. Belloy. Timothy Architect case. stair Street “Bethlehem sign: the with decorated is wall brick The Street. Asatiani 14, at stairs Bethlehem the up metre ceilingsonthethirdfloor. entrance for several minutes. I need to check out the seven for hislackoftimeandsaysgoodbye.Istandinthemain himself excuses information, of piece last the friend me new gives My too... Spring” of Moments “Seventeen here, filmed was “Nino” but Tutashkhia” “Data only Not awarded asilvermedalasthebestbuildinginTbilisi. rials fromParisandVenice. the building of this interior. He himself brought the mate with Ohajanov Mikheil architect commissioned zarjiants Bo merchant Tbilisi a 1910s the In Tbilisi? in windows trance withmarbleinlay,hugechandeliersandcrystal en main a seen you have often How history. interesting are seven meters high. Thishouse is famous for itshistory. rooms the where floor, third the to up go can You anyway. moved hereafterthefilmissues.Buttheyarenotnow walked upthemarblestaircase. of thehouse. someone itmustbeimpossibletogainaccesstheinside was lucky.Iknownooneinthishouse.Withoutknowing this famoushousetoopenthehugewoodendoor.Ithink of inhabitant “ordinary” the help I is. it beautiful how see The house from which Vardo threw out the washed laun A lot of people visit this place. They inspect it and then withred boy blonde is a here Imeet person first The walking am I far. not is film-frame the in stop next The Then thehouseparticipatedinacompetition.Itwas It isobviousfromonlyonelookthatthishousehasan They there. get to Raphavas the visit to need you No, Can wegainaccesstothebalconyfromhisflat? We flat. his is this Look, Melia? Nika know you Do film print film ------Meriko Kajaia than tenthousand! more expensive very very, be would it because only tion, which GiorgiandLamarawentupisnotworthrestora adze and Bela Mirianashvili; that the winding staircase on Zakari Sergo with film a in staircase this see to able be theywould that sad agree so easily to destroying this I feel history; that we will only floor. second the from time with me. to theyoungmanandthankhimforspendinghistime goodbye say I loud. out nothing say I But me. for be they and paintersIthoughttomyself,probablyneitherwill wouldn’t wewantto? fortune. And they will take us to newly built same blocks of flats. the share to going is staircase this them; destroy to says anoldwoman. said itwillcostalotofmoneymorethantenthousand “Aren’t theygoingtorestoreit?” host. the ask I staircase?” this with do to going they are can see the whole winding staircase from this spot. “What You painting. the of reverse the on read I Tsetskhladze” Mamuka 2011, “Paris, - house the in studio painter’s a paintings, lotsofbrushesandpaintstellyouthatthereis too, andevenLadohimselfforalittlewhiletheenormous man and leads metothesecondfloor. ayoung jokes floor third the on Mengrelians and floor, second the on Megrelians are there floor, first Georgia I guess, look, thereare Megrelians living on the replaced. Wehaverepresentativesfromeveryregionof Not onlytourists,eventhepeoplelivinghereareoften try toreflecttheblue,twistedandunevenstaircase. brushes and lenses Both me. besides painters and tourists and dangerous. it’sdamaged step, thethird goabove don’t But filmed. knows alotabouteachotherandtheyard: laundry lookeddownfromthebalconies,hereeveryone like bookspackedonshelves.Theownersofthewashed washed clothes hang on the ropes, clamped with precision and thestaircasearelinkedbyuptotenropes.Colorful ing whichisfadedblueduetooldage.Theapartments enter after immediately staircase winding a notice You I lookedattheold,blue,unevenstaircaseforlast New buildingswillnotbethatinterestingfortourists why better, something us give they if do, we course Of Do youwanttomove? These buildingsarealldangerous,theysaygoing They camearoundanumberoftimesandcheckedit sister Asatiani’s Lado here, lived Zakariadze Sergo – We alwayshaveguests,buttheyleavesoon. several by visited is courtyard this danger, the Despite was DayLast” first, “Day stairs where are the Oh, those A verybeautifulcourtyardisopentoeveryonetoo. - - - 105

film print 106 when Iwasstillatschoolandit became abrightspotin called trophy movie “The Great Waltz” by Julien Duvivier How didyoustart? 16th PrometheusFestival. women andtheirenvironmentwasthemaintopicof perspective new a from festival the at presented was film Gogoberidze’s Lana festival. the at shown was Matters”, Personal on Interviews “Some them, of One films. fiction at the Batumi Art-House Film Festival. She has made nine awarded been had prize same the Earlier, cinema. to tion Gogoberidze was awarded a special prize for her contribu I tookthelongroadroundtogetinto cinema.Isawaso- Lana director Festival, Film International Tbilisi the At Entire life with cinema Interview with Lana Gogoberidze ~ interview ~ film print film - that itwouldbeabsurdtostaythere andtransferredtothe half ayear.AfterTovstongovleft theuniversityIknew he accepted meinhisclass. I studiedattheuniversityfor and accepted was I Finally Lermontov. by “Masquerade” chose I presentation. a make to chance the me gave He ber us sitting in the garden and talking about literature. remem I family. the of friend a was He us. to came gov in them. part took Street Sulkhan-Saba on living child every and whole generation. Then there were games. I wrote plays music leftanunforgettableimpressiononmeandmy beauty, its perfection, the Viennese forest, the editing and Its childhood. oppressive and difficult monotonous, our When itcametoenteringuniversity,GiorgiTovstono - -

Photo: Khatuna Khutsishvili Philological Faculty at Javakhishvili University. At first I feeling I had that we were part of something what was studied western European literature, English studies. Then going on in film was when studying in Moscow I first saw I did the postgraduate studentship and defended my thesis, “Magdana’s Lurja”. This was a breakthrough. We were and only then did it became possible to enter the Moscow watching ordinary people’s lives, and their everyday lives State Institute of Cinematography. Because “our great had become interesting. compatriot” Stalin had died. What were your relations with censorship? What was the situation like in Moscow? Did you feel any kind of discrimination as a “child of the enemy” My first uncensored film was “Turmoil” in 1986. Rela- or as a woman? tive to the other Soviet republics, in Georgia we had more freedom, which was partially due to Eduard Shevard- Soviet reality was full of paradoxes. I never felt it in my nadze. The centre of censorship was Moscow. For exam- profession, but in Georgia for men and women with equal ple when the movie “Some Interviews on Personal Mat- skills the advantage was always given to the man. Before I ters” was due to be passed over to Goskino, the process went to Moscow, my mother wrote a letter to Mikheil Ka- delayed. Firstly due to one committee, then another… The latozishivili. As my mother used to say they were friends process took a whole month, then I was told to cut out all in the “previous life”. During the conversation she told the interviews and it would be “a wonderful film about me that she was worried about my decision because she divorce”. was afraid that I would end up working as a director’s third assistant. “A woman in cinematography is absolutely Your family is different from other families in that unimaginable in our reality” those were exactly the words there are three representatives from three generations she said to me. Then with my youthful impudence I re- of filmmakers in it and all of them are women. Did plied that I would be the first one to change that. you take into account the fact that your mother was the first female filmmaker in the Soviet Union when After finishing studies in Moscow you returned to choosing a profession?

Georgia. Other young filmmakers of your generation 107 came back too and together you created the “sixties I hadn’t seen any of my mother’s films. She never talked generation”. It is interesting to hear how you came about them either. First it was Mikheil Kalatozishvili who together and in general how the “new wave” was told me that my mother’s films had a great impact on him. created? Siko Dolidze used to talk about my mother with me. So I didn’t have any idea that my mother was a director and This issue is a subject of research and it is interesting that as a director she had been a great deal. to examine the path and the dynamics in cinematic de- I think her past was so difficult that she cut it out of her- velopment. I cannot tell you whether it was by accident self and didn’t want to talk about it. She protected us from or simply conformity with the law that we all studied at it in some way. The whole tragedy of the epoch is con- the Moscow All-Union Institute almost at the same time: centrated in my mother’s fate. Every feature of an ocean Otar Ioseliani, Mikheil Kobakhidze, Eldar and Giorgi cannot be depicted in just one drop, as is the case of my Shengelaia, Merab Kokochashvili, Otar Abesadze, Tamaz mother, because she was one of the millions of repressed Meliava. Then this talented cohort of people returned to people. After returning from exile she refused to look to their homeland, and gradually Misha Kveselava became get any compensation, this is how much she wanted to cut its leader. It was at that time he became manager at Geor- the links with the past. gian Film. I remember how we gathered in the old film The first film I shot in Georgia was a documentary film studio around Misha Kveselava and wrote manifestos on “Gelati”. My mother was actively involved in the work- how to create a new Georgian cinema. ing process. But she never said a word about the fact that her first film “Buba”, which had just been rediscovered, Because of the Iron Curtain, you didn’t have access began with a passage from Gelati. It turned out that I was to developments in world cinematography. Neverthe- following my mother’s path, but my mother never told me less, parallel to the processes taking place in the West, a word about it. we started a new movement, created a new style and characters… Giorgi Razmadze

What we were doing was not linked to anything else, but we were deliberately searching for new forms. The first

film print 108 where MargoandIconverged. phrases whichwerethemaingrain ofthestoryandthat’s several were there “Ana” of finale the in because novel right about the resemblance between the film and Becket’s forms fromonepersontoanother.ItturnedoutthatIwas that thisnovelcouldbeakeyfor“Ana”. ett’s “Molloy”. It impressed me hugely and then I realized Beck Samuel reading was I time that At made. be would film the that realized and it read I script. the of version trust MargoandIagreedtodoit.Thenshesentmeanew blindly I However, hero. the to myself relate not could ples ofhowIshouldworkonaparticularscene. Through herspiritIunderstoodtheaestheticsandprinci much thesameprincipleweneverhadlongrehearsals. they wereshootingmyscene.WeworkedwithNutsa hearsals. Margocalledmeandtoldthatintheevening re long have didn’t We “Dinosaur”. in episode my with up came we So filming. start they before anything you tell was addedlater.GenerallyIhavefoundthatdirectorsnever character My “Dinosaur”. on working started already had weeks. As soon as it was over, I received an offer. Margo five for Credit” of “Line on worked We her. from support si-Meskhishvili’s film. I felt her friendliness and the special tors whoyouwanttoworkwith? “Dinosaurs”. Howdoyouchoosetherolesanddirec- Previously youplayedapartinherdiplomawork “Ana” isafilmbynovicedirectorMargoZubashvili. Zubashvili’s new film, in which she alsoMargo plays apremiere main role. the sees year Next Credit”. of “Line in parts untilNutsaMeskhishviliofferedherthemainrole Shenge inGiorgi laia’s “Death of Orpheus”. She then had a her couple of small Isaw time first the For Theatre. In “Molloy”, a character gets depersonalized. He trans He depersonalized. gets character a “Molloy”, In I scared bit a was I “Ana”, for script the read I When I metMargoZubashvilionlocationshootingNutsaAlek Drama Rustaveli the in actress an is Kasradze Nino e Actress Plays who Herself Interview with Nino Kasradze ~ interview ~ film print film ------Giorgi Razmadze not. Thisisjustpartofthemysterywhichwecallart. the same.Itdoesn’tmatterwhetheractorisinclose-upor exactly feel should audience The eyes. actor’s an in reflect it. This is not just an emotion. It is thoughts and ideas which call to what know exactly don’t I pleasurable. enormously is movements borninsideyousothatothersalsosensethem, the express yourself make you when process The cinema. Weren’t youafraidoftheclosenesscamera? have someexperiencesomehow. already I and close-ups mostly are there “Ana” in ever, How me. for relevant not is nuances such about talk to very closetothecamera? of ahumanface.Howdifficultisitforyoutowork István Szabóbelievesthatcinemaistheclose-upview just followstheflowleadingtoabyss. she end, the in and reflection for time no is there that fast change andshefellintodespair.Everythinghappensso er similar situations that creates this woman. She couldn’t ey andfeelsherselfstronger.Itisacollageofthisoth else sheismoreassertive,becausedoesn’thavemon Somewhere this. achieve to order in anything do would get thefabricforsewingadressfromfree,andsoshe to wanted she day One different. was she situation each How wouldyoudescribeNino? character of“LineCredit”a“disgustingwoman”. In oneinterview,NutsaMeskhishvilicalledthemain No, absolutely not! This is the most interesting part of of part interesting most the is This not! absolutely No, I have so little experience in working in film that I think I treatedNino’scharacteraccordingtothesituation.In - - -

Photo: Khatuna Khutsishvili 109

film print 110 the peculiarities? French filmschoolsandteaching systems?Whatare What arethedifferencesbetween Georgianand in ordertobeagoodleaderforthecrew. have here.Thedirectorshouldknowhowtodoeverything not right for astudent to have onlyoneprofession, as we is that think They exercises. practical and techniques to couldn’t give me. But unlike us, they pay a lot of attention France in spent years seven which culture film about lot a learned I and Georgia in months 3 for studied I Paris. in ESRA school film Technical the from graduated I Later sity ofPariswhereIgotbachelorandmaster’sdegrees. tinue mystudiesthere.Igraduatedfromthe8thUniver French well and cinema was my hobby). I decided to con ulty of Film Expertise. Then I moved to to France (I knew Fac the in University State Film and Theatre Rustaveli hadn’t gonetoParis? the othergive?Andwhatwouldyounothaveif gia too.Whatdidoneofthemgiveyouandwhat You studiedcinemainFrance(where?)andGeor- received fundingtodirectacomedyfilm. he result a as and Center Film National the by held contest short films and one feature-length film. He recently won the 12 made has He year. this Georgia to returned He School. Film ESRA the then and directing) and editing in degrees master’s and (bachelor Paris of University 8th the in Film of Faculty the from graduated he Then Relations. national Inter of Specialty University State Ilia the from graduated He Tbilisi. in 27/04/1986 born was He directors. of eration suid o a hr tm i Goga t h Shota the at Georgia in time short a for studied I Giorgi Varsimashvili is a representative of the new gen new the of representative a is Varsimashvili Giorgi Interview with Giorgi Varsimashvili Paris-Tbilisi ~ interview ~ film print film - - - - - Do youstillhaveanycontactwith theFrenchfilm overcome theirbureaucratichell. Imostlylikecomedies. to manage somehow we if year, next Russia in released journal. ItwasreleasedinParisthisyearandwillalsobe released lastyearandhadaverygoodreviewinyour was It Georgian. in Dream” “Parisian called film length did youmanagetorealizethem? Where didtheideasforyourfilmscomefrom?How go backtoyourregionsandworkthere. school: you know, everything is fine in Paris without you, film the at say would They me. like thousand several are really needsyouinParis.Imaybeagoodeditor,butthere traditions, lifestyle,etc.)andtheachievements? were thedifficulties(thelanguage,discipline, How didtheFrenchperiodofyourlifebegin?What cialties thatwereconnectedwithworkingonrollsoffilm. they have addeddronepiloting,andtakenoutseveralspe- example, For emerge. that ones new some also are is developingsorapidlythatsomespecialtiesdieandthere knew atleast10-15specialareasoutofthe50.Thecinema school the finish to managed who Those total. in subjects all kindsofcamerausage...ifIamnotmistakenwehad50 accounting specialties,physics,chemistry,editing,colors, sity. Wehadlectures12hoursaday.weretaughtlaw, univer our from different very is school film French The cally taughtthetheoryandonlypracticewasediting. As a student I shot a dozen short films and one feature- one and films short dozen a shot I student a As The most difficult thing was to acknowledge that no one Their universitiesareverysimilartoours.Wewerebasi - -

Photo: Khatuna Khutsishvili 111

film print 112 foreign films which help them to understand theworld tounderstand them help which films foreign producers toGeorgia? What canattractforeigncompaniesand things. ForexampleIwonthecontestrecently. they didn’twantthem.NeverthelessIstilldoalotof but universities, the to these give to wanted and France isn’t happening. it but advertisements, TV and videos music edit to want and videoversionsoftheatreperformances.Ireally have an editing studio and I have work only for short films many problemsbutstillveryfewpeoplehereneedyou.I it’s understandableiftheydon’tneedyou.Wehavetoo ema afteryourreturn? How didyougetusedtotherealityofGeorgiancin- development stage. ny. It is a Georgian-French production. We are still on the film, which will be about Georgian and Corsican polypho strange ways.Ihavealsobeenworkingonadocumentary Tbilisi residentswhosolveverystrangeproblemin takes placeintheyyear2000.Thescenarioconcerns think, this isgoing to be a very funny thing. Theaction Now weareworkingwithanEnglishconsultantandI What areyouworkingonrightnow? film, thefestivalwasnotabigdeal,andnorprize. get toagoodfestival.IwonanawardinAustriaforshort only achievedthisgoalinTbilisi.Also,Ididnotmanageto I and producer, French a find couldn’t I that fact the all, of myself shot 13 films. Of course, there were failures too. First I room. news television public French the in editor an was I time one At school. outside films 20 than more on worked I were they? Where theremoresuccessesorfailures?Andwhat think itturnedouttobeareallygoodfilm. I correction. color and mixing sound the for students low fel former French my employed and film Georgian a on they needaneditorandviceversa.Iwasrecently mean fromthestandpointofcreativework? school, formerfellowstudentsandtheircountriesI Stories that come from abroad. The French are fond of fond are French The abroad. from come that Stories I translatedalargepartofthelecturesattendedin It washard.Everythingis well-constructed inParis, and competition. development script film comedy the won I There werealotmoresuccesses.Istudiedfor6yearsand I amveryoftenincontactwiththem.Theycallmewhen ~ interview ~ film print film - - Lela Ochiauri not knowing. of ashamed be would Paris in students first-year that ogy, technol digital in especially things, know don’t they But skills. and talent their for cinematographers French of ity ematographers whostandtentimeshigherthanthemajor ably oneofthelowestinworld.Iknowseveralcin- such examples. of lot a are There “Batman”. on worked Another group. sound film Spielberg the in work to invited was he when responsible positions.Myschoolmatewasstillastudent starts makingamovie,heemploysmanystudentsinvery he if and school, our of fond very is Besson Luc general. ers can’tunderstandthisandthereisalwaystalkaboutit. produc of generation older the But appearing. are funding idly thatpricesaregoingdown.Alsoalternativesourcesof rap so developing is Technology dollars. 3,000 costs with is alsothisprogressintechnicaldevelopment. where theyarethedirector,editorandcameraman.There films making are people French young days These emas. cin in shown are films these Then Monaco. in but euros, only 2,000 euros. My fellow student made a film for 4,000 unthinkable thenyearsago. that manyyoungpeoplemanagethingsweresimply nology andfundingmethodshavedevelopedsorapidly tech But interns. as people younger summon producers of theworldandGeorgianyouthcinematography? within, how do French youth films differ from the rest For you,whoknowstherealityofFrenchfrom taxes, lowbureaucracy,etc. low personnel, technical hardworking crew, cheap fields, architecture, cinemaculture,professionalstaffinsome country, wehavesomanyadvantages.Thereisthenature, a As stories. Georgian in interested are they but France, about film a make to directors Georgian invite will body No film. Georgian a be will producer French a of tention better. TheonlywayforaGeorgiandirectortogettheat As forus,intermsoftheleveleducationweareprob France has really good schools and is a talented nation in filmed was Caribbean” the of “Pirates that camera The me cost which film full-length a made I example, For There is a conflict between generations in France. Older ------SPECIAL focus 114 Of course, the film is not against the corporation directly. them. Idon’tknowhowamgoing tokeepthispromise. til weconvincedthemthatwere notgoingtoattack Union, who did notwantus to go down tothemine un system. TheformalitieswererelatedtotheCorporation In Georgiawedon’thavesomuchofabureaucratic thing weneededforshootingwithoutanyformalities… about eventstakingplaceinChiatura.Wefoundevery ticular directionof area anddidyouhaveapreliminaryideaofthepar- What wasthebasisforselectionofsubject and politicalreality. especially builtfortheworkingclass,inaneweconomic of the authentic local space, placing the city, whichwas with the working title “Manganese”, combines all aspects film, The 2014. of summer the in Chiatura in shot he film the finishing be soon will he and films, experimental and of California.Atthisstageheisworkingondocumentary ses the sions, whichisagreatsuccessfordebutantdirector. attended people 200 than more out: sold were cinema Urania the at tickets the All Festival. Film tional Interna Vienna the of program main the in days closing Faces of Comrade Geloveni” was show on the second and The idea came quite suddenly. I was reading something Misho is a fourth-year student of artattheUniversity 21-year-old Mikheil (Misho) Antadze’s film “The Many shooting? Interview with Mikheil Antadze Manganese ~ interview ~ film print film - - - - I gotwhatwantedtoget,butof course inachangedfor spontaneity. So the film became something quite different. istic orconstructivistic,itismore about catchingeveryday realize yourpre-setgoalsinthefilm? What ledyoutothisparticulartopicandcould workers, butalsothepublicandprivatespace. the weakercountry.Thisaffectsnotonlypeopleand brought foreign corporations, who utilize the resources of from some formofsocialismintoclassicalWesterncapitalism transition The changes. economic unexpected by hand, isdisplayedinthemines. mannerisms ofpeople.Thecurrentreality,ontheother the architecture, the buildings, the in reflected is it face: themselves veryinterestingrelicsofthecity. above ground,theminesandcablecars,whicharein what isimportanttoyouastheauthoroffilm? What willthefilmbeabletoshowaudienceand to workthere. people andresources,becauseotherwiseitisimpossible the exploits and there rules which system the reveals It Generally, a documentary film is not necessarily formal affected space a is: it like Chiatura show to wanted I Chiatura is interesting with its history lying on the sur It wasveryinterestingtoshootbothundergroundand - - - 115

film print 116 problems gounnoticed. very hard,butforthemajorityof society,theyandtheir a fact.Wecamethereandmetso manypeoplewhowork with something which is really aproblem, and which is deals it because filmmaking social is this level some At on suchasubjectandnothaveyourownpoliticalposition. film a make to impossible is it hand, other the On about. think; the main thing is to show what I want them to think already a political act. My goal is not to tell anyone how to litical position,butshowingtherelationshipsinsocietyis po a convey not does film The politics. party political or particular direction? Do yourfilmsconveypoliticalpositioninany there isandIwouldnotbeabletofilmwhatthere. This wasnevermymotivation.Ijustwantedtoshowwhat to showsomeoneorsomethingfromanegativeangle. agenda hidden some had I whether seeing or filming was I what observing was he that feeling the had I However, they gave us a safety expert to accompany us in the mine. that grateful am I week. one just everything: shooting for a fewtimes,butweonlyhadlimitedtimegrantedtous sary permitsinadvance.Theytriedtochangetheschedule we didhavetherightandhadreceivedallneces However, there. film to right the have didn’t we that told other barriersdidyouface? process ofworkingonthefilmandwhattechnicalor What didyoufindparticularlyinterestinginthe right toputthetechnicalsideaboveconceptualside. maker needs the best quality camera for shooting. It’s never film documentary a why know don’t I equipment. the us rather poor microphone. We have to hank GDS for lending had atripod,camera,fewlenses,voicerecorderand resources you have, the better andcleaner you work. We and howdidyoumanagetofindresources? What requirementsdidyouhaveforshootingthefilm What waspreparatoryperiodtheforfilmlike? not madebyme,whichisquitedifficult. observations. Wehavetoapproachitasthoughwere at agreaterdistancefrommyownproject, but thenIdeletedtheseprojectsbecauseneededtobe decision in the process. I tried several to start the editing mat. When working on a documentary, the author makes We should not define politics as standard parliamentary standard as politics define not should We We facedthebiggestproblemsinChiaturawhenwewere We hadminimalresources.Generally,Ithinkthefewer film print film - - - Ekaterine Kutubidze problem, IwillprobablyfinditdifficulttoreturnGeorgia. this out sorted have I Before debt. the repay to work to have a job-IamindebttotheuniversityandstatesoI this footage.Ioftenworkinarchives. on the Internet filmed by others and arrange my films from images are gradually becoming noise. I often find footage world that it is not necessary to shoot your own film. Extra There aresomuchvisualproductiontakingplaceinthe eos whereIusedmaterialsthatmostlyfoundelsewhere. vid experimental make to used I documentary. a also is head my in have I film next The studying. still am I yet. that Iamadocumentarydirector.notevendirector However, it would be a little bit of an exaggeration to say direction aregoingtoworkin? What plansdoyouhaveforthefutureandwhat in thisdirection. and nothing else,but Icertainlywanttocontinueworking is themissionofsocialcinema. think, we have to know what we have to think about – this all have to do something; we have to think and in order to we societies, larger the to communities local small From time weallstartedthinkingcollectivelyaboutwhattodo. that theworldisatacrucialmomentinitshistoryandit’s realize you little, a least at understand you if but events, contemporary about anything read not may You before. developed. Todayweneedsocialcinemamorethanever more is it that think I contrary, the On previously. had it how muchareyouplanningtoworkinthisdirection? How importantissocialcinemainthemodernworldand This year I am finishing university and starting to look for for look to starting and university finishing am I year This documentaries. onwere I worked films few last The films social make to mission my is it that think don’t I power the lost has industry film the that think don’t I - ~ interview ~

Georgian Cinema is Now 117 in Need of Special Support Interview with Katriel Schory

“Georgian cinema needs mobilized financial and moral Israel and Georgia, in terms of film production, are support, professional associations, and purposeful pro- somewhat similar to each other… Our themes and impor- motion to ensure that it steadily attains its place on the tant issues are quite analogous. Any film fund has the goal international market.” This is the view of Katriel Schory, of setting up a strong, organized system through finding Director of the Israeli Film Fund, who recently visited good stories and revealing and promoting promising film Tbilisi for a few days. The Georgian Film industry today directors. My short visit to Tbilisi has the aim of sharing is quite strong and has been adept at telling stories and experiences with Georgian colleagues and getting infor- films, which have been able draw the attention of a global mation on their achievements. We are talking about se- audience... lection criteria, aims, funding and the popularization of Katriel Schory: Now you need to maintain these results successful projects… and strive for greater success. Through the recruitment of good directors and skilled producers with good stories, The process of ensuring a stable international market many remarkable achievements can be made. for the Israeli film industry also only began recently, the evidence for which are the five films you presented You are visiting Georgia for the second time; you at the Cannes Festival last year… have relationships with the Film Center and have your own opinions on modern Georgian cinema. Yes, we had a period of stagnation when we lost audi-

Photo: Nikoloz Mdivani Photo: What is the purpose of your visit? ences and the trust of film directors. Then we had a seri-

film print 118 information aboutthisproject? the project“CinemainSchools”. Doyouhaveany aged togetcinemaoutregional schoolsthrough The GeorgianNationalFilmCenterhasalsoman- staging, shooting,thehistoryofcinema,screenwriting… teach and lessons the take cinema in specialized and ified lighting and recording equipment. Teachers who are qual including studio film small equipped fully a has school Each art. cinema of field the of generation future a up ing bring for prerequisite a is This cinema. Israeli today’s of already beseenasthefundamentalreasonforsuccess el have the option to study filmmaking as a full course can 11th and12thgradeschoolchildrenat240schoolsinIsra- support forthemisourdirectresponsibility.Thefactthat develop theirprofessionalskills.Inthisregard,providing directors, aswellproducersandscreenwriters,needto latest informationandskills.Inordertoachievesuccess, the with filmmakers our provide to order in meetings and alize the importance of periodically organizing workshops properly andarticulatethepointsclearly… often finditdifficulttopreparetheirapplication ing withtheCinemaFund,inexperiencedapplicants competitive projectproposal…Whentheyaredeal- Special knowledgeandskillsareneededtowritea project. Thistooisapartoflife. vation, moretimeforself-improvementandworkingona disappointed. However, many are given much more moti are applicants Many budget. existing the with line in is number This realized. be can fifty only applications 250 of out example, for - them of few a just select only can for theIsraeliFilmFundaftercrisis? What problemscanyounamewhicharestillrelevant adds uptoasuccessfulproduct,goodfilm. already this - producer experienced an and director film endeavour ledustorealresults.Agoodstory,atalented diverse with its population and lifestyle, and therefore this from allpartsofthecountry.Israelismulticulturaland to theregionsandlookedforobtainednewstories come fromthecrisisturnedouttobethatwereached faith andregainthetrustwhichwehadlost…Theout- to gettheaudiencebackcinema,givethemsome teresting forawideraudience.Wehadtoworkveryhard in less thus and experience personal on much too based directors didnotgiveusanyprospects.Thesewerestories by offered stories the addition in and crisis financial ous Of course, this is something that we are aware of. We re Every yearalotofgoodprojectscometousandwe film print film - - - - - Anuka Lomidze and professionalmanagement,shouldnotbesodifficult. market, whichintermsofthewill,necessaryresources world the to out these getting in help need You deserve. they recognition the get films and filmmakers Georgian tus attheinternationalleveltopromoteandhelpmodern impe moral and financial serious a need you now right existing resourcesandpotentialsithas. its bestandtriestoachievetangibleresultsusingallthe know that the National Film Center of Georgian also does cus on.Wejustselectthebestprojects.Icanseeand fo to topics and issues priority have not does Fund Film funded. Lastyeartherewereevenfourteen.TheIsraeli women… The directorsofallthethreefilmsyoumentionedare in millionsofdollarstothecinemas. of euthanasia. This film, along with the other two, brought comedy madewithalighttouchontheveryheavytheme a also was There impossible). almost is separation their her family only if the husband allows her to, otherwise divorce (asyoumayknow,inIsraelawomancanleave problems andobstaclesrelatedtotheprocessofacouple’s the reflected which “Divorce”, film the and service, tary the absurdityofmakingwomenworkinIsraelimili name, for example, “Zero Motivation”, which pointed out can I 2014 of films successful most the Among freedom. its work.Wedoourbesttoensurecompletecreative in independence political full have to strives Fund Film ed. Asforpolitics…itismostimportantthattheIsrael and somesocialtopicsinwhichsocietyislessinterest There arealsomoresubjectivethemesthatwritershave modern Israelicinema? How oftencanpoliticallymotivatedsubtextbefeltin they wanttogointothisprofession. high schooltheycanmakeafreechoiceofhowdeeply in results thousands ofchildrenfallinginlovewithcinemaand This School”. “Film project the in like sions discus organize and possible, as much as movies show We above. described initiative the from different quite is We alsoreachthemusingasimilarsystem.Thisproject schoolchildren. tenth-grade to sixth with club cinema of Today Georgiancinemaisstillshownintheworld.And are women three least at of projects the year every Yes, relations. human and family reflect mostly films Recent As farIknow,youbasicallyhavemeetingsofatype - - - - - ~ interview ~

A Georgian Animation Project 119 at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival

The Annecy International Animated Film Festival was Tsetskhladze. This project will be presented, along with founded in 1960. The 55th anniversary of the festival be- “pitching”, at the Annecy Festival. gins on 15th June and will continue until 20th June. The We talked to Mr. Catherin about this very important Annecy International Animation Film Market (MIFA) event for Georgian animated cinema. screened six short (5-10 minute long) animated film projects from Georgia: “Jupiter’s Dream” by Davit Rikiash- What can you briefly say about the seminar? vili, “Lile” by Natia Nikolashvili, “A Fisherman and a Girl” by Mamuka Tkeshelashvili, “Hermit” by Dato Kik- This seminar was very interesting for the participants as navelidze, “Pocket Man” by Ana Chubinidze and Luka well as for me. For the participants, I think it was the first Tsetskhladze, and “Selfie Bear” by Ilia Agladze. experience of this type. And for myself, although I am a Olivier Catherin, a French producer and Annecy Inter- producer, working with a group in such a format was a national Animation Festival representative, was invited new experience. We concentrated on two issues: improve- to Georgia. He held workshops with Georgian filmmak- ment of the content of projects and the preparation of oral ers in order to develop selected projects. The workshops presentations; and most importantly, we thought about were in intensive mode. At the end of the workshop, all of the main goal – winning an award at the Annecy Festival. the projects were presented at Rooms Hotel Tbilisi. The Creating such links was a real pleasure.

Photo: Nikoloz Mdivani Photo: winner was “Pocket Man” by Anna Chubinidze and Luka

film print 120 contacts andtointroducemodernfilmproduction. well understood.Itisnecessarytostrengtheninternational ter hasbeeninstrumentalinthisregardandisvery Cen Film the that think I standards. modern to cording made toadapttheeducationalsystemandarrangeitac of thegeneralcreativeprocess,agreateffortneedstobe part a become to wants Georgia If quality! high-artistic profession. ThisisalevelofEuropeanhigh-tech,with the learn to Poland or Republic, Czech Hungary, many, profession. IseetalentedpeoplewhogototheUK,Ger this master to training intensive of years 5-7 need People tries theyhaveverystrongschoolsforanimatedcinema. coun other many and France In school. animation good pet theatre,shadowetc… it also covers other related arts – illustration, comics, pup however, cinema, of part is Animation Chubinidze. Anna artist and illustrator talented most the by Man” “Pocket is For the Annecy Festival, the project that has been selected sure that very soon we will see great animated films again. cinema and the cultural values that your country has, I am and recoveryhasstarted.GiventhesuccessofGeorgian peared afterthecrisisbegan.Nowperiodofrevival disap it However, unique. quite artistically and industry, animation? important factorforthedevelopmentofGeorgian tion andasaproducer,whatdoyouseethemost How muchdoyouknowaboutGeorgiananima- project. temperament andeveryonewasstrivingtoimprovetheir great a was there Here experiences. and techniques ent director andproducer,theyhaddifferentskills,differ the by represented was project each that fact the Despite The targetaudienceforeachprojectwasalsodifferent. genre. and technique of terms in both ways, own their in What wouldyousayabouttheprojects? I thinkthatnowthemostimportantthingistocreatea Georgian animationwasactuallyahighlydeveloped The projectswereverydiverse,interestingandoriginal film print film ------Interviewed byKetevanJanelidze such agreatopportunity! me overtheInternet. advises and helps still Olivier but done be to still is work them verymuchandwishallofthebestluck. all theprojectswereinterestingandoriginal.Ilikedof not dointwoyears,Oliviertaughtusweeks. well. I was very satisfied with the workshop. What I could lutions. Eventuallyweputalltheprojectstogethervery so desired the finding to us led which questions asked idea andestablishingourownmotivation. individually. Mainlyweworkedwithshapingascript,an the workshopparticipantsverywellandhelpedeachone knew He festival. the from films animated short winning the us showed residencies, French various Festival, tion Anima International Annecy the about talked France, in he introducedustothecurrentstateofartinthisarea out andpresentananimatedproject.Atthesametime, set to us taught Catherin Olivier Producer Center. Film “Pocket Man”,basedonmyownstory. project film animated short a created I Center the of help years ago,Ibecameinterestedinanimationandwiththe stories. I am a member of the Center for Book Arts. A few dimensional books,andsculptures.AndIalsowriteshort I aminvolvedinchildren’sbooksandillustrations,three- from architectureintotheareaofillustrationandbasically State Tbilisi at Academy ofArt,butfromtheIgraduallymovedaway Architecture of Faculty the from ated Annecy Festival. writers of“PocketMan”,whichwasselectedforthe We alsotalkedwithAnnaChubinidze,oneofthe I want to thank the National Film Center for giving me giving for Center Film National the thank to want I of lot A Festival. Annecy the for preparing am I Now I amhappythatmyprojectwon,butwouldsay He advice. accurate and specific very us gave Olivier the by organized workshop the in part took recently I Anna Chubinidze: I am a painter and illustrator. I gradu - - - ~ interview ~ 121 Interview with Niki Karimi

Niki Karimi is not just the only female jury member in We would search for locations and actors together. I the feature film section of the Batumi International Art- learned a lot during that time. First I made a documentary Film Festival, she is the only person from the oriental film (To Have or Not to Have; 2001), the next stage was countries too. She is a special women she has both ori- writing a feature film script, which took me two whole ental mystery and western elegance. She easily arouses a years. voyeuristic passion in people. I am not surprised that she is a very popular actress in her own country. How different are the challenges of documentary and She is looking through her photos on Serra’s camera and feature films? is satisfied with some of them. The tables and armchairs are arranged very close to each other, but the really inti- When you are shooting a feature film every detail and mate distance between us does not create any awkward- component is pre-designed and assembled. There is an in- ness with her open nature, she is ready to talk. variable concept and idea from the very beginning. Mak- ing a doocumentary is more like a research process. You What made you decide to become a director? never know how things will develop, as it largely depends What pushed you into becoming a director? on the reality. [In the case of feature films, you already have a personal opinion on the subject of the film. It is as It seems that I always wanted to try directing from the if you already know some of the answers. As for docu- very beginning. Being only an actress didn’t give me an mentary films, you may change your position many times opportunity to tell the stories and ideas that have been throughout the filming process.] running through my head from quite an early age. From that time I read a lot and was very inspired by literature. I Do you think that cinema and the image actually has

Photo: Sera Dzneladze Photo: worked as Abbas Kiarostami’s assistant for several years. the power to change people’s attitudes and ideas?

film print 122 eastern cinemastemsfrompoetry? cinema, whichisadescendantof proseliterature, Do youagreewiththeopinionthat unlikewestern thing thatwillmoveyou). poetic approach...(some- culties, toshowsomethingofa diffi their overcome to manage they way the show then mean. Itisenoughtoshowsomeoneinacriticalsituation, land ontheMoonorMars,doyouunderstandwhatI to need not do You easily. very happen can and beautiful semantic limitsandtakesyouintoawiderspace.Thisis existing the destroys which picture a find can you times Some issue. particular a to approach new a perhaps kind like thiskindofdirectiveapproach. don’t I films. my in rigidly and directly speak never I but this, to similar views conservative many against fight and Somehow they need to dominate. Of course, I try to resist important andpowerful.Menareeasilytakeninbythis. the boysinfamilyarepersuadedthattheymore films and it is very patriarchal. From their very early days, world arestillverysimilartoeachother. because oneway or another, people’s problems all overthe is This Georgia.” of true also is this “Oh, say, and film can Ameri low-budget a watch you Sometimes everyone. for times, arenotlocal.Theyappearfamiliarandcontemporary these times,andtheeventsorproblemsdevelopingin But times. own their about speak should artists all belief, ceived associalcriticism.Asitissaid,andIsharethis per it’s Perhaps community. my about films shoot to try film “OneNight”.Doyouagreewiththisassessment?” criticizes thesystem,”saidoneauthorinareviewofyour “Karim isnotjudgmentaltowardshercharacters,she onaJ.D. Salinger shortstory. wasbased independently I made film feature first The me. and on influence great a Auster had have others many Paul Chekhov, mostly: literature Dostoevsky, with Hemingway, associated is impact strongest Which filmmadeaspecialimpressiononyou? screen reallyhasagreatimpactonpeople. cinema hasitsmagicadarkenedroomandanilluminated Besides, not. or theirs with coincides taste director’s the if matter no think, people make to manages always film good A think. someone makes it if people influence to ity with thearticleyouarewritingrightnow,hasabil A good film is a film that offers something new to man to new something offers that film a is film good A my in reflected always is society Iranian example, For I donotjudgeanyoneneitherpeoplenorsystems.only the But one. just name to hard be would it case this In Any mediawork,startingwithpaintingandending ~ interview ~ film print film ------Tako Kalandadze West inBatumi. graphical context: there are always encounters of East and possibly it was just well joined into the surrounding geo interjections, whichsavedourdialoguefromsterility.And was unlockedanorientallanguageofeyes,gesturesand mat andalongwiththewestern,Englishlanguage,there for question-and-answer the from formality the all away took situation “close-up” the and chairs the of proximity viewed andappreciatedintheirowncountry. is film their that director any for important especially is it course, Of it. see to opportunity the had compatriots my and cinemas of number a in shown was film my project, not availabletoseeinIranduecensorship.Withthis was countries, European other in and Festival Cannes the at shown was which Night”, “One film my example, For their screening. for selected were halls and films art- house for only intended section a was There Experience. tion forthebetter.IamtalkingaboutprojectArtand a verygoodinitiative,whichinturnchangedthesitua are showninthebigtheaters]? monopolized anditismainlycommercialfilmsthat non-commercial films.[InGeorgiathisareahasbeen Are thereplacesinIranwhereitispossibletosee Hanif Kureishi. origin Pakistani with writer English the by Time Blue a ography. I have just finished translating the novel Love in book ItranslatedfromEnglishtoPersianwashisautobi translations. I like Marlon Brando very much and the first you workinthefieldoftranslationtoo… Tell usaboutyourinterpretingactivitiesIknowthat regard, thereisnothingnewappearing. think that everything has been tried and exhausted. In this I Technically, year… this attended I festivals film the at cinema? What areyouropinionsabouttendenciesinmodern important andnecessaryforlife. Generally Ithinkthatthepoeticwayofthinkingisvery vision. poetic more a approach, poetic more a with films rank films at the different festivals I give preference to the Niki turnedouttobeanattentiveconversationalist.The About 2yearsago,theIraniangovernmentcameupwith make to started I English learning was I when Yes, presented issues social about films mostly were There to get I whenever way, the By agree. absolutely I Yes, - - - - 123

film print 124 was important both financiallyit and strategicallySo to become funders. of list the in is Eurimages not or whether film a choosing when attention pay and database, their in for listsofprojectsfundedbyEurimages andkeepthem ask often managers Festival quality. certain a of sign is it financial support to European art-house films. In addition, cause ofthefactthatitisastrongfoundationwhichgives Georgia fromeverjoiningthefoundation. number ofimportantlegalproblemswhichwouldprevent broken downatthatpointastheirsidehadpointedouta negotiations withEurimages,butcommunicationhad the foundation? and generallywhyitisimportanttobeamemberof Center then.Canyoutelluswhatleduptothisevent, in 2011.YouwerethemanagerofNationalFilm number ofyears,butwewereonlyfinallyaccepted The ideaofjoiningEurimageswasintheairfora activities ofthefoundation. resentative inEurimages,spokeaboutthesessionsand Rep Georgian the Tatishvili, Tamar implemented. been result of thiscooperation, several important projects have a as and 2011 in fund the of member 36th the as cepted ac was Georgia 2015. October in Tbilisi in Fund, place took Support Cinema European Europe’s of Council Georgian projects should appear more oen on international the market lm h ws onn Ermgs o motn? is, be First, important? so Eurimages joining was Why I joined the Film Center In 2010. There had already been the Eurimages, of Session Working Strategic 140th The Interview with Tamara Tatishvili ~ interview ~ film print film - - - importance of this step then some of the proud Georgians. importance ofthisstepthensome theproudGeorgians. and creatively. Some of the Europeans are more aware of the the accessionofGeorgia. we receivedanotestatingthateverycountrysupported ponent countries were reassured and several months later op the even opinions of exchange three-hour a after ever European film family. There were a lot of obstacles, how the necessityandimportanceofourmembership fore themembersoffoundationandwetriedtoprove Eurimages. of board 35-member the by satisfactory considered were yer Imanagedtoprovethedefactocircumstanceswhich law a as Finally impossible. be to out turned it but tions, representatives in order to change these trading obliga ister Nikoloz Rurua. We worked a lot with the diplomatic commitments oftheGATTandGATSagreements. toes andsellingworksofartinthesameway,dueto toma selling treats Georgia example, an cite To detail). plicated issueanditreallyneedstobediscussedinsome cultural productsaso-calledspecialregime,(it’scom Eurimages, because our country doesn’tgive trading with joining from country our prevented Organization Trade of internationallaw.TheconditionsforjoiningtheWorld issues of number a settle to had I that out found I Olla, a memberoftheEuropeanfamilyart-housecinemas. It was a very interesting case – strategically, juristically, juristically, strategically, – case interesting very a was It InTurkey in2011,alongwithtwocolleaguesIcamebe We developedacertainstrategywiththeCultureMin Roberto Director Executive the with meeting a During ------125 Photo: MakaPhoto: Kukulava

film print 126 interesting initiativefortheGeorgian filmindustry. which ischairedbyyouand isaparticularly Tell usabouttherecentlyestablished workinggroup, at theworkingsession. Nino Zhvania, producer Nika Abramishvili) was financed by (directed “Parade” project Georgian a time, same the they return to Georgia. It was definitely a historic visit. At impossible forsuchanimpressiontoberepeatedevenif try’s culture.Astheystatedinathank-younote,itwillbe coun our know to getting with ending and industry, film and importantmeetingswiththerepresentativesof informative very the with beginning expectations, of their all exceeded experience their afterwards stated they as However them. to attractive so seem didn’t changes plane exhausting with journey the and country exotic an became thehostsofthisyear’sOctobersession. ages was in 2013. Jobst Plog had a positive impact and we year on this issue. The first visit of the president of Eurim a nearly for worked I and invitation official an made side office, and taking many details into account. The Georgian an infrastructure, working good a requires This countries. working process? aspects ofthemeeting,inadditiontoformal Olla, gatheredinTbilisi.Whatwerethepositive including ouroldfriendexecutivedirectorRoberto gia andaccordinglythefullstaffoffoundation, year, thistypeofworkingsessionwashostedbyGeor working sessions in different countries. In October his The specificsoftheworkEurimagesisorganizing this fieldisstillveryspecificallydevelopedinGeorgia. But distribution. is Eurimages from funding the obtain to pact onthesector.Theonlydirectionthatdoesn’twork im positive highly a has this So impressive. is obtained fee isaround122,000euros,andtheamountofmoney ready, to the tune of al 1,6000,000 euros, in funded total. Our been annual have projects our of Seven Turkey. for case the was this example, For ready. yet not is sector the member may not be funded for the first two years, because is aprerequisiteforthesuccessoffilm. ing a project in Eurimages is co-production status), which European co-production (a necessary condition for financ the mostimportantpartwouldbeencouragementof the membershipoffoundationgiveus? What hasbeentheoutcomeoftheseyears?did For most of the members, Georgia was still perceived as Sessions are planned on the basis of the invitations from According tothegeneraltacticsofEurimages,anew While workingonjoiningthefoundation,Iknewthat film print film ------Keti Machavariani side thebordersofEurope. working formatforturnoverandmarketpercentageout very important, asEurope is beginninga search foranew and inotherinternationalmarketstoo.Thiswillbecome projects shouldappearmoreoftenintheEuropeanmarket Georgian quotas female on working than important more nance thegenderbalance. countries therereallyisaneedtoencouragethemainte Georgia. Thisinitiativemaybecontroversial,butinsome in discrimination suffer really don’t filmmakers female of women. the balanceisskewedandthereminimalinvolvement gender shouldplaynorole,butthestatisticsshowthat and talent is talent that believes which session, Sarajevo prioritized areasforEurimages. As Iknow,supportingfemaledirectorsisoneofthe Jorjadze, RusudanChkoniaandKetiMachavariani. part inthediscussion:LanaGhoghoberidze,Nana filmmakers representingdifferentgenerationstook on thetopicofrolefemaledirectors.Georgian esting discussionwasheldintheMinistryofCulture Within thesessionthattookplaceinTbilisianinter- and producers. This willbeaveryusefulcourseforGeorgiandirectors give youmoredetailedinformationbytheendofyear. a few daystotalkabouttheseissuesandIwillbeable in France to traveling am I format. Progress in Work festivals. Wewillsupportthesekindsofprojectsinthe a newprogramcooperatingwithfourleadingEuropean starting about release press a publicize to decided was it where Tbilisi in meeting the at was It formats. film bold different, qualitatively risky, more assist will Eurimages we havebeenworkingonaprocedurethroughwhich projects tobeinoperatingmodeandformorethanayear the ocean. across just located is say, which, of side one co-financing of model that for or scenario experimental an for obstacle sic Europeanco-productionschemeshouldnotbecomean clas the or scenario of type 3-act classic the Therefore, I think that in Georgia a renewed film strategy is much is strategy film renewed a Georgia in that think I The discussions in Tbilisi were very positive, because There wasanoperatinggroupcreatedin2014duringthe That iswhywecallthesekindofatypicalcutting-edge Cinema isalivingorganism,italwayschanging. - - - ~ interview ~ 127

Cinema Accompanied with Wine or Jonathan Nossiter’s Visit to Georgia

His father was a foreign correspondent for the Washington shown in the second section Panorama and Culinary Cin- Post and New York Times, and so he spent his childhood ema of the Berlin International Film Festival. and youth outside his homeland. He grew up in France, Although he graduated from a sommeliers school in New Italy, Greece, England and India. He trained in various pro- York City and is the author of several books on wine, as fessions ranging from painting, and ending in cinema. well as composing wine list for leading restaurants in New Today he is a famous American film director. The film York, he does not consider himself to be a wine expert. “Sunday” (1997), which won the main prize of the Sun- He visited Georgia in the Cinema-Vino framework and dance Film Festival brought him initial recognition. Soon gave the audience the chance to see some of his films. The after, another of his works “Mondovino” became the director himself rarely watches films on the big screen. fourth film in the history of documentary cinema tobe Even now, he only watched the first scene of his film “Rio nominated for the Golden Palm of the Cannes Film Fes- Sex Comedy”, for the remainder of the film he was not in tival. The director’s latest work “Natural Resistance” was the hall as we were interviewing him.

film print 128 without anychemicals.Tenyears ago,whenIwasmaking gian winemakersandGeorgianwine… manage tocomebackassoonpossible. morning I’vealreadystartedtothinkabouthowIcould impression on me thatalthoughI’mleaving tomorrow an such made Georgia minute first very the From joking. gusting food… I’ll never come here again! Of course, I’m workshops forGeorgianfilmmakershereinKakheti. gia. MyambitionistobringthemGeorgiaandarrange Geor of fans great are Jakob Irene Pullman, Bill pling, Ram Charlotte Dylan, Matt here. happening is what me They knowthatI’minGeorgiaandareconstantlyasking as directorsandactorsareveryinterestedinyourcountry. will organizesomemeetings… When youcomenexttime,theNationalFilmCentre Film Centercanbeinvolvedinthisprocess. back assoonpossibleanditwillbegoodiftheNational rectors oryoungartists,butthisisagoodreasontocome What wasthefirstimpressionwhenyouarrived? fabulous country…diditmeetyourexpectations? Before comingtoGeorgia,yousawitasapoeticand interested inacountrylikeGeorgia?! Parajanov, respectwinecultureandtraditionsnotbe time. Whathasattractedyoutothecountry? You havebeenplanningtovisitGeorgiaforalong “Fabulous andPoeticGeorgia” thing tocreatebeautyandcelebrationforotherpeople. mostly madetoearnmoney.Theyforgetaboutonemain are Films businessmen. be to want they poets, becoming this isanart.Intoday’sera,directorsnolongerdreamof in ordertobeablemakesomethingnew.Ifyouaskme, past. Winemakersalsohaveanintenseinterestinthepast the in back being of feeling the had I Tsaishvili… Soliko Bitarishvili, Iago of cellars wine the in organized were duction toGeorgianwineculture… As Iknow,youwerealsoinKakhetitogetanintro- “Winemaking thisisalsoanart” For a long time I have only been drinking natural wine natural drinking been only have I time long a For F/P It seems that you have made good friends with Geor This wouldbereallywonderful.Peoplearoundmesuch dis people, Horrible terrible! was impression first The and Pasolini on up grew director, a be one can How Unfortunately, I didn’t manageto meet any Georgian di tastings Wine amazing. really was Kakheti in tour The film print film - - - - - Intellectual Stars for film-making Georgia attractivelocation Georgian cinema an exampletotheworld. Georgian naturalwinecanreallyencourageothersandbe and Italiannaturalwines.Nowthesituationisdifferent. “Mondovino”, the world was even skeptical of the French dance comefrom. It wascompleteimprovisation.Nooneknowswherethe scene ofthemovie,whichopenswithCharlotte’sdancing. know where your heart is. Perhaps you remember the first you and eyes, her at look You Rampling. with working lotte Ramplingplaysthemainrole? you madethefilm“RioSexComedy”,whereChar- What wastheprocesslikeforcreativeteamwhen lucky tobeableworkwithher… been I’ve then since and Greece in ago years 15 time first the for her filmed I them. of one is Rampling Charlotte and aprivateplaneinordertocommunicatewithpeople. Gvantsa Zakareishvili good idea, maybe I can shoot part of the film in Georgia… Rampling will takepartinit.Ihavejustthoughtthatthisisareally Charlotte that likely most is it but yet actors the choosing started not have I Words”. Last “My novel your nextfilminGeorgia? Could thisbeyourinspirationandyouwillmake never seenanythinglikeGeorgia.Tbilisiisauniquecity… language textbook. soon as A I get to better. Rome, I promise them that I will know buy a Georgian to get to films Georgian some me have friendsinyourcountryIaskedthemurgentlytosend cant successinrecentyearsontheworldstage.NowthatI works. I know that Georgian cinema has achieved signifi documentary Kirtadze’s Nino films, Ioseliani’s seen have ely odru. o fe cmlt fedm when freedom complete feel You wonderful. Really There areintellectualstarswhoneveraskforlimousines The future film that I will make is based on the French the on based is make will I that film future The I havetraveledallovertheworldformanyyearsand I better. 1970s-1980s the of cinema Georgian know I - ~ interview ~ 129

e main thing is to have a goal and believe in it Interview with Adam Michnik

Even within the diverse program of the Tbilisi Interna- ies in the University of Columbia, leader of the Lincoln tional Film festival, against the background of film screen- Center’s Film Society Program and Director of the New ings and masteclasses, Cinema for Social Change a project York Film Festival 1988-2012, and Adam Michnik, the leg- organized by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute including lec- endary Polish dissident, one of the leaders of the Solidarity tures, discussions and film screenings was still exceptional. movement in the 1980s, journalist and political expert, and Its curators were Richard Peña, Professor of Cinema Stud- editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Gazeta Vyborcha.

film print 130 which Georgiashoulddevelopand thatitmusttakeits thing severalyearsago. dor inGeorgia,JacekMultanowskitoldmethesame of otherlong-establishedstates.ThePolishambassa- to gothroughthesamepathasPolandandnotthose Film Festival.YousayatsomepointthatGeorgiahas I heardthemessageyousentinadvancetoTbilisi wouldn’t beabletotalkwithyounow,wouldI? this theretooandnothinghappenedtome,otherwiseI about spoke I and Dozhd channel TV the to interview an gave I Russia. in am I when even often, Putin criticize I that repeat I Stalin. of times the in ago time long a cuted But PutinisnotveryfarawayfromStalin. problems andhowtoovercomethem. is still not Stalin or Brezhnev. We are talking about present fact that I don’t like Putin and criticize him quite often, he the Despite Russia. in that doubt even don’t They clear. munism. But, ofcourse,Ican’tcomparecapitalismwithcom- it’s notaparadise,andwedidn’tknowaboutthisatall. there, fine is everything not that fact the capitalism, of face the EU,alltrapsinwayandthirdthingisother ent alectureseries«TheEURealityandExpectations”. zyna Kolenda-Zaleska’s film «Miracle of History» and pres Katar discuss to order in Change Social for Cinema project the TbilisiInternationalfestival,withinframeworkof during theImediTVcompanyconflict. terwards. ThesecondtimeIwasinGeorgiaasamediator ference atthetimeofhisresignationandIwasinvitedaf him inMoscowafewtimes,andIwasinvitedtothecon from Poland,whereIhadinterviewedhim.Thenmet knew I who Shevardnadze, under still was Georgia ence, activities. visits wererelatedtopoliticsandyourjournalistic of timespreviouslybutunlikethecurrentvisit,those It isknownthatyouhavebeeninGeorgiaanumber and present. Georgia, aboutculturalandpoliticalissues,thepast I’m notbraveenoughtoinstruct orindicatethewayin o I ant ge wt yu I ol hv be exe been have would I you. with agree cannot I No, is Everything here. discussion no is there course, Of to path Poland’s shows which film, interesting very a It’s at me recruited Institute Mickiewicz Adam the time This In some ways, yes. The first time I came to the confer the to came I time first The yes. ways, some In to visit his about Filmprint to talked Michnik Adam ~ interview ~ film print film ------Have youseennewGeorgianfilms? of theroadifitdoesn’tleadto church? use the is what question important very a asks and forms dictatorship, dictators and era in general in very artistic the describes film this that think I but specialist art an not impression? Imeanforitsartisticvalue. its outsteppingthetimes,wouldyouhavesame But Ifyousawthisfilmtoday,withoutitsbravery, about tohappen. pressions… Ineverfeltbeforethatgreatchangeswere film “Repentance”. the greatestimpactonmewasmadebyyourGeorgian But conjunctural. nothing is there film abortive most the cal sonority.Idon’tmeanbadorgood,saythatevenin there wasnotasinglefakepolitical,historicalorideologi say about Wajda, I made the observation that since 1956 air offreedom. Union, Wajda’sfilmswerelikebreathinginthefresh research aboutAndrzejWajda.ForusintheSoviet have littlecontactwithcinemabutyouwritten Before theinterviewstartedyoutoldmethat poleon. sible. IfeverythingispermissiblethaneverybodyNa That they havelimitations.Wethinkthateverythingispermis state. the of framework the in only exist mocracy love freedombutdon’tunderstandthatandde There was the whole movement. Like the Georgians, we fought forfreedomandofspeech. course, Butyouwerealsoimprisonedbecause There wasnotthiskindofterroranywhereelse, he stilloperatedintheSovietUnion,notPoland. Though Dzerzhinsky was Polish (and we don’t love him), not thekindofterrorinPolandthattherewasGeorgia. earlier thanGeorgia. an independentcountryandchangeditsformation a similarhistorytooursandwhichbeganform Of course,wearetalkingaboutacountrywhichhas sador wasright. ambas our that say still will I but Poland, from example sw Rpnac” h ohr a o tlvso. am I television. on day other the “Repentance” saw I History is shown with such genius, so bravely, the re the bravely, so genius, such with shown is History I shareyourposition.Itistrulyso.Whenwroteanas me. only not was it But times. many imprisoned was I Yes, that is right. But our past is still different. There was ------I was presented with a recording of Nana Janelidze’s What did you expect? You knew what you were do- film “Will there be a theatre up there?”, though I haven’t ing, didn’t you? watched it yet. At first I didn’t, to be honest. If I were in the Soviet Let’s return to Wajda. His film “Ashes and Dia- Union I would have known. But there were people whose monds” also shows what the war generation went bravery and obstinacy can’t be repeated by anybody else through after the war ended the whole era. Right up too. For example what happened during the trial of Andrei until today and everywhere where there is a war. Sinyavsky, when a declaration in his support was signed by Pautovsky, Chukovsky, Sholokhov… That was impos- It is a brilliant film. Universal. On the one hand it shows a sible in Poland. particular era, our history, and on the other hand how a person’s fate changes when the whole theater of action changes. As in Georgia, Polish cinema and theatre spoke im- plicitly to the audience about those issues which it was It is probably an everlasting theme a soldier whose impossible to imagine could be talked about directly. life has a point during the war, which he loses in one day. Not having a perspective and direction, the main There was this kind of theatre and theatre criticism in hero is killed off precisely on the day the war is over. Poland. Our great theatre critics were Jan Koti and Ostap This is very symbolic. Popuzena. Their writings are brilliant comments about the political situation. Yes, this film was made after the novel by Jerzy- An Andrzej Wajda’s film “Ashes” a fresco with the narrative drzejewski, There are no good communists in this novel. of Polish history was our 1970s reality, that we have our A good communist was a dead communist. There is this hell, that we are rebels and we want our country’s inde- kind of anticommunist position. But not everything was pendence. happening like that. What importance does culture and cinema have for

And how it was happening? society in general? Is it able to change anything? 131 What impact can it have? You know very well that many people believed in com- munism at first. Than a lot of them disliked it. Of course Lenin said that we need cinema most of all the arts. Only there where those who believed in it sincerely and there joking. where those who were ambitious for status who didn’t Culture was very important in my life. In general people believe but still were communists. There were political only begin to think about their lives, morals, when they criminals too. have contact with culture theatre, literature, cinema, paint- I have never been in a party, but I was a Marxist-Lenin- ing… You said yourself that art was a window to freedom ist. I liked the idea not the authority. in the Soviet Union. As a Polish person, I would say that there was no Poland on the map years ago. If we were But still you were among those who fought against the able to go down this path, life, we did it with regard to our Communist Party. That’s why you were persecuted. It culture. We were saying that we don’t have a government was all the same then. but we have poets, we have Adam Mickiewicz, and we also have Chopin. And if we have connections with other I believed until 1968, but after the events in Prague I told nations, there is a cultural dialogue around these values. myself that I could not lie to myself. Culture protects society and this is very important. Georgia is a country with a unique culture. It is develop- Would you do the same? Would you fight like you did ing and I am sure if not today, then tomorrow it will ad- if you had the opportunity one more time? vance and develop even more. It is a slow road but the main thing is to have a goal and believe that “our cause is just!” That is a very difficult question. I was imprisoned many times and that was not my choice. Lela Ochiauri

It was a response to your actions.

But I did not choose prison.

film print 132 artificially imposed requirements and created individual works of art. The ex The art. of works individual created and requirements imposed artificially thecontrol Despite the opposed who directors appeared there studios, of story-telling. Hollywood the in reigning style specific very a by characterized ply callHollywood. sim we which cinema, commercial denotes directly film Dependent cinema. cinema decided to offer an alternative to the audience, which is independent cinema, there must be a dependent cinema as well. The directors of dependent standing ofitsmeaning.Ifwethinklogically,inordertohaveanindependent under clear a having without used, often is which cinema”, independent can “Ameri of notion the define you can How today. happening is what and eled concept of so-calledindependent cinema was launched, what paths it has trav the when understand to order in context historical an in point the place I And development ofHollywood… You saythatAmericanindependentcinemaplayedamajorroleinthe some GeorgianstudentsatColumbiaUniversity. know Georgiancinemawellinrecentyearsandhavehadthechanceto to got have I opportunity. this for Institute Mickiewicz Adam the and Michnik at theShotaRustaveliTheatreandFilmUniversity. November, PenagavealectureonindependentAmericancinemaforstudents 27th On Festival. Film International 16th the in held was which Cultrue.pl, of program Change Social for Cinema the of framework Adam the within with Michnik together Tbilisi visited 2012, to 1988 from Festival Film York In the1920saverywellestablished industrysystemwassetupwhich I amtalkingabout the ideaandconcept of Americanindependentcinema. Richard Pena: This is my first time in Georgia and I would like to thank Adam New the of Director and University Columbia at Professor Pena, Richard Independent Cinema Self-Revelation by Richard Pena: Brave People film print film - - - - - ~ interview ~ 133

film print 134 The roleofmarketinginAmerican cinema. nected withcommunisminvarious ways. showed that40%ofthe200people onthelistwerecon whether any of them were communist or not. The study garding directors and screen writers, as therewere doubts much evidence.Thestudiosencounteredproblemsre Union. Despite a long search, the committee couldn’t find vealing Hollywood stars who sympathized with the Soviet a “blackspot”inAmericancinema. and theHollywoodBlackListwentdowninhistoryas The actionsofAnti-AmericanCommitteeinthe1940s munism, theSovietUnion). with themwhotalkedandwroteaboutthissubject(com sympathized who those or themselves communists only scholar anddirectorThomasAndersen,wrotethatitwas ism in films. In his book “Red Hollywood”, the American films. Before the 1950s they avoided the problems of rac earned someincome,thestudiosdidn’trestrainthem. were differentopinions,howeverwhiletheartists’works filtrated Hollywood in any way. As for political views, there ema? Whataboutcensorship? Were KGBagentsabletopenetrateAmericancin- ferent artisticdirections. dif created and films independent of existence the mined political andaestheticones.Theircombinationdeter on severalfactors,includingeconomical,technological, istence ofdirectorswithdifferentvisionswasdependent In 1947, Congress set up a committee with the aim of re In general, Hollywood doesn’t like making controversial I don’t think that KGB agents or the Communist Party in ~ interview ~ film print film ------NatiaMeparishvili distribution. film of component favorable additional an as irrelevant a numberoftechnicalreasons.Asnow,theInternetis dios nevercountononlinesales,whichisdeterminedby stu film distribution, of terms In unprofitable. is it pect, as financial the for As tool. good a is Internet the reach, dent cinema? online incontributingtothedevelopmentofindepen- What aretheprospectsfordistributionoffilms nomic strategyforthefilmindustry. to shootingblockbusters.Thiswasanew,successfuleco over switched Hollywood films. four to average, on it, reduced they year, a films forty made previously they If techniques. marketing apply actively to started and films studios changedtheirstrategytheyreducedthenumberof example, Spielberg’s Following sales. ticket from money Universal succeeded,aswasprovedbytheamountof never made more than 150. This strategy of Spielberg and They made500printsforthecinemas,whilebeforethey where welooked,sawads,posters,pressreviews,etc. Every “Jaws”. with connected was campaign film scale large- most the and first The films. successful by lowed the around world. Theappearanceoftheyoungdirectorswasfol screens cinemas conquered which “Jaws”, directed Spielberg 1975 In cinema. commercial of period in Americancinemaandstartedupthemostinteresting ese, Steven Spielberg, Brian Palma and others – appeared In termsofthedisseminationinformationandout In the late 1960s some young filmmakers Martin Scors Martin filmmakers young some 1960s late the In ------indus- 135 try todayfilm print 136 tinuing thetraditionsofGeorgian cinematography,they con are they that fact the despite different are films the very social.It’sadifferenttimeand adifferentgeneration, the surface.TodaymodernGeorgian cinemahasbecome the same time an entirely different flow could be felt under if everything was wrappedupinacomicshroud, while at had itsparticularstyleineverysituationandperiod. tions, whichrespondedtoeveryepochinitsownway,and tradi film great of country a is Georgia that see can created. One is picture comprehensive a so and few) a only are there (although films restored screening also are We the newthings,youstarttowonderwhatwasbehindit. in interested are you when because too, films new pletely the successofGeorgiancinemainrecentyears. Despite bigresponse. the fact that we have a already been a little had spoilt by projects These Sofia. in nominated were films Fifteen festivals. different at and countries ent differ in films Georgian on focusing events major three the firstplace? ent frompreviousones.Whatwouldyoupointtoin There wereseveralnewprogramsforprojects,differ- summarizes theresultsatendofyear. and programs and projects new the about talks Janelidze, Nana director Center, Film the of Manager The prestige. also increasedanditisstartingtorecoversomeofitsold recently and gained alotof success. Interest in it has its direction.Georgiancinemahasbeeninthespotlight determining and initiatives and plans new executing gan be Center Film National Georgian the 2015 in projects, In Soviet times the fable-type of films were created, as created, were films of fable-type the times Soviet In So we set up a program there is a retrospective and com First of all it should be noted that during the year we had Along withthecontinuationofitsprevioustraditional Georgian Film Focus Georgian Focus Film Interview with Nana Janelidze ~ interview ~ film print film - - - - - Meskhi, produced by Zaza Rusadze, which won a prize a won which Rusadze, Zaza by produced David Meskhi, and Machaidze Salome Karumidze, Tamuna by very important. “When the Earth seems to be light”, a film were packedwithaudiences. popular thattheentirecitylivesthisfestival.Thecinemas so is and guests 500 had which IDFA, - Amsterdam in posters. live music. There was also an exhibition of Georgian film ze’s film “My Grandmother”, which was accompanied by the maincontest. into got Fountains” Frozen the “Summer Burduli’s Vano them, of One films. of lot a from fourteen out picked val) this beganatCannes.TiinaLock(directorofthefesti this year,andwewereinfocusheretoo.Talksabout projects ofthislevelweresubmittedforpitching. six when instance another remember don’t they that sion by us. By the way, I still get feedback from that focus ses Center, and the development of all six projects was funded tivals. Four of them have already been funded by the Film before producersandmanagersfromtheinternationalfes pitched were which project six as well as day, present the retrospective containing fifteen films created from 2000 to festival administration madethe decisions. There was a the and material the sent They We course. of very important. films the chose was festival) European nificant sig and interesting very (a Festival Film Documentary ing created. of thetime,andprobablythat’shownewstyleisbe of telling stories. The main core responds to the demands tell their stories differently. And this is a very modern way We had two films in the main competition and that was that and competition main the in films two had We The lastlegwasthemostprestigiousandlargestfestival We decidedtoopenthefestivalwithKoteMikaberid festival A-class an became Festival Film Tallinn The Creative Nyon the at Switzerland in us on focus The ------137 Photo: Khatuna Khutsishvili Photo:

film print 138 hr i te hne o cen n o te vial films available based ontranslatedliterature. the of one screen to chance the is there and there guest main the be will Georgia as 2018, in Fair time it will be possible to connect it to the Frankfurt Book midze’s “Fox-Trot“. Karu Zura finally and project, common Mosulishvili’s “Citizen Saint”. There is also Lali Kiknavelidze and Miho novel Elbakidze’s Marina with bond a has who jrishvili Ka Tiko third Togonidze, Eka and Chkonia Rusudan is pair second the is Odisharia, Guram pairs and Ovashvili winning Giorgi the of One commissions. given were sessions, workshops,andmeetingsheld.Theparticipants There were five projects chosen this year. There were two Books”. “Filmed entitled time second the for platform a was there Cannes In experience. international our of tion erature deservesscreenings.Thisiskindofacontinua- 21th century.WebelievethatthemodernGeorgianlit such asthedevelopmentofaprojectcreatedaround pick out? various different“themed”ones.Whichwouldyou Together withtheprincipalcontestsyouhavesetup two girlsfromPankisi. Mari Gulbiani is going to make a documentary film about now And Cinema”. of “School the of auspices the under as wesentNonaGiunashviliandMariGulbianitoPankisi the way,thisisacontinuationofanotherourprojects, By important. extremely is it as appeared, topic Pankisi film production that we launched. We are pleased that the received fundinginacontestfor creative documentary projects Eight potential. great has It production. film tary Center hasplayeditspartinthis. a newandsuccessfullife.AnditseemsthattheFilm It appearsthatGeorgiandocumentaryfilmhasbegun never seensuchsuccessbefore. had Georgia foundation. festival the Fund, Bertha IDFA the by 2015 in funded was project The Pastorale”. “Love. special status of Observer, who is a producer of the project The festivalwasattendedbyTamunaGurchiani with the “Rooms”. Gvasalia’s Tsira and Sun” Oneli’s The of Rati City “The Wall”, Berlin New “The Chagelishvili’s Toma were These developing. in part took Center Film this wasthewinningprojectofcompetition). co-production was announced for a documentary film and that time first the Georgian-Latvian was (it Aliens” “Double Olte’s co-production Ugis and film, debut best for I think this project will help film development. If there is ventures, exciting and new to attention of lot a pay We The Film Center is actively helping Georgian documen There wereprojectspresentedatthefestivalwhich film print film - - - - Giorgi Razmadze,LelaOchiauri there. can film industry after the filming of a big TV series began training and explained the development of the South Afri omy, we invited Disney’s Vice-President, who conducted additional newjobs.TogetherwiththeMinistryofEcon a country,thelocalindustrydevelopstoo,whichcreates million euroseachyear.Whenlargebusinessesenterinto 30 about gaining is budget country’s the co-productions, through and incentives financial the of result a as and tia, Croa and Bulgaria in example For countries. European This practicehasalreadybeenintroducedinanumberof projects. international of execution the to contribute will mented coststothecinemacompanies. docu the of 20% return will state the finished, is film the privileges for projects created with co-production.When on introductionofacashrebatesystem.Thisincludes Currently weareworkingwiththeMinistryofEconomy production, which has been a huge burden for filmmakers. managed to change the law to remove income tax for film Center tobeofgreatimportance. I So Film the by introduced working of style this that consider experience. of lot a gain also will participants the are successfulitwillbeagreatsuccess.Andtherestof shops andmeetings,evenifonlytwooftheprojects will have an experienced script-doctor, thee will be work applications representdifferentgenerations. and wehavehad25applications.Wearepleasedthatthe There willbeeightwinningprojectsinthecompetition cated tothe100thanniversaryofGeorgianindependence. animation studio. German the Studio, Han of patronage the under is project future andthissegmentwillbecomemoreactive.The applicants, butwehopethatthenumberwillgrowin animation contesttoo.Unfortunatelytherewereveryfew Varsimashvili, andtheBasti-BubuStudioprojects. Giorgi Inashvili, Zura Bartaia, Tamar and Jorjadze Nana “My Wife’s Girlfriends”. Out of 18 works they chose six: series TV the of creators the before, us with collaborated There werepeopleonthecompetitionjurywhohadnever good in the future. But sometimes order justifies our hopes. that thisisnotsomethingbornbyitself,itwon’tbe say may You genre. comedy the in deficit huge a is there that believe I personally time. first the for films comedy Georgia isaveryattractivecountryandthisdecision There werechangesinthefundingpolicythisyear.We Have therebeenanychangesinthefundingofcinema? While workingonthedevelopmentofscriptthey We havedeclaredacontestforscriptdevelopmentdedi It was the first time that we announced a children’s book This yearweannouncedacontestforchildren’sand ------Film Education

Education has been a constant sore point for our country for many years. Students, parents and teachers are all dissatisfied with the quality of education. The education system itself has been in a constant process of reform. It is no surprise that the entire reform process is complex and time-consuming. However, I think that small local changes and the elimination of certain shortcomings are far more easy to achieve. That is why I am appealing to people who have received a cinematic education outside the country to share their positive or negative experiences with us.

Manana Lekborashvili 140 Filmmaker Levan Koghuashvili, know theseandyouhavesomeexperience. of cinema, no visual art. It’s assumed that you already history no production... editing, sound, camera, subjects: versity. Theprogramwascomprised purelyofcinematic Uni York New at MA an do to America to went I 2002 must younot? education, some them give must You nothing. know they and Directing of Faculty the to come who people young music, visualarts…Moreover,nowitismostlyvery philosophy, literature, education: liberal so-called a was strongly very VGIK from got I which thing the Perhaps films. of lot a watched I to. listen to had I that music the cation. Ireadthebooksthathadtoread.listened gave mesomethingthatisnecessaryforadirector-edu mas withfootageratherthanrealfilms. diplo their did directors Many difficult. was Everything himself suggestedthatIofficiallydoadiploma. was afreelistenerandattheendofcourse,Khurtsiev else. Maybethatwasjustthecaseformepersonally.I ematic thinking. actors, thewayofthinking,andsoon,butlessaboutcin with working about more learn you Here cinema. not still episodes. It was very good directing experience but it was certain staging of practice the – “Ploshchadka” so-called as VladimirBakhmutski,whotaughtusforeignliterature. only incinemasubjects.Wehadverygoodteacherssuch a veryhighlevelofgeneraleducation,not gave mewas undergraduate studies and I think the main thing that VGIK my completed I workshop. Khutsiev’s Marlene in VGIK at Directing of Faculty the entered I 1994 In thing”. “my was film whether and field, this in something do could I vision intriguedmeandIalmostremainedinjournalism. country was, and it was the same in the university too. Tele the in situation the what remember you perhaps – 1990s thing. They didn’t even know what to teach; it was the early nomics oftheTheatricalUniversity.Itwasthenanew studied forhisMAinCinemaatNewYorkUniversity. and degree Bachelor’s a with (VGIK) Cinema of In stitute State Moscow the from graduated then University, In terms of trade, VGIK gave me nothing, therefore, In therefore, nothing, me gave VGIK trade, of terms In For me this was not enough. But I believe that the VGIK The situationthereinthe1990swasnotsocalmeither. nothing me gave VGIK profession, my to regard With As for cinema, we gained very good experience through However, I was interested in cinema; I wondered whether I studiedinGeorgiaforoneyearatthefacultyofEco Film and Theatre Rustaveli Shota the at studied Levan film print film ------whether thisis“yourthing”. understand clearlywhetherthisis theprofessionforyou, and theygiveup.Perhapsitisthiswhichallowsyouto place. one for Nevertheless, manypeoplecannotbearsucharegime people 900 – competition huge is there And fees. for year a dollars 50,000 – institution pensive ens, thousandsofvariantsarewritten. works and why it doesn’t work. You have to rewrite; doz is reallyintense.Everysingledetailselected,howit is aboutsubjectsandtheirimpactonpeople.Thecourse ows, props,etc..Cinemaisnotonlyadialogue. does itwork.Andthesamehappensforlightsandshad cerpts, for example: which is good, which one works, why ex film slides, photos, choose you – overview an get you cal assignments. Very specific training in your craft. Here from thecameraoperator,sounddesigner,andsoon. demand to what know also You years. two the over rience designer. This is a very good system. You gain a lot of expe you performtheroleofcameraoperator,producer,orsound 4-5 people and if you are a film director, in the other groups it shouldbenotedthatthecourseisdividedintogroupsof ment. Youaregiventwoyearstofinishthefilmitself, haveto have a script for a full-length film ready you or at least a treat then By diploma. onyour start you finally and film, feature minute 10-15 a documentary, 10-minute shot insitu,withoutdialogue.Thisisfollowedbya to haveachoice. and well, as teachers other experience to opportunity the workshop isnotabadideainitself,butyouhaveto I liked Boris Frumin’s method and so I only chose him. A different teachers in every semester or finish with just one. choose can You choose. can You directing. and writing, script camera, in subject: each in teachers four or three operator, director,orproducer. camera editor, end: the in be will you what choose you third year,whenyouareworkingonyourdiploma,that the in only is I in. working up end will they field which cinemapro of the fessions ataveryseriouslevel,becausenobodyknows all studies everyone years two first You have to work in a very hard regime. It’s a very ex very a It’s regime. hard very a in work to have You From the very beginning, the training involves practi involves training the beginning, very the From but films, many not are there that seems it glance first At film 4-minute a make to is given are you task first The are There workshop. the of principle no is there Here The MAlastsforthreeyears.Ilikethefactthat ------141 Photo: Khatuna Khutsishvili Photo:

film print 142 Film Critic Maia Gugunava, gram unfortunatelydoesnotcover allareasofcinemaart. communication andproduction, this undergraduatepro the factthatmainlyfocusis on teachingaudiovisual given However, courses. elective and compulsory basic, gram lastsforfouryearsand,asinGeorgia,itincludes Information and Communication. The undergraduate pro of Faculty the of Unit Audiovisual the in taught is raphy masters anddoctorate. BA), (with graduate stages: three into divided is training cational institutions. entrance exams is a student is allowed to enter higher edu the passing after Only school. high finishing after 16 of datory trainingperiodwhichthestudenttakesatage man two-year a is Bachelor a system education Spanish the in example, For regards. certain in other each from thesis withthetitle"IntertextualityinCinematography". the supervision of Mr. Gonzalez Requena. She is working on a under Today, Documentation. and Analysis Theory, graphic at theComplutenseUniversityofMadrid,entitledCinemato qualifications, in 2007 she was admitted to a doctoral program ies incinemaandliterature.Withtheaimofachievingfurther came particularlyinterestedintheoryandcomparativestud be she period this her During University. State Tbilisi continued in studies she Languages, Foreign of University Tbilisi State Chavchavadze Ilia the from graduating After critic. At theComplutenseUniversityofMadridCinematog- education higher countries, major other in as Spain, In differ Georgia and Spain of systems educational The Maia Gugunava is a Spanish-language philologist and a film film print film ------novative interdisciplinarymethodology offilmanalysis. in and interesting an proposes who Gonzales, Jesus gist Madrid, theprogramwasfounded bywriterandpsycholo gram laststhreeyears.IntheComplutenseUniversityof pro The semiotics. cinema and narratology, critique, sis, of cinema as the history of cinema theory, film text analy interesting, as this includes thorough studies of such particularly fields is program doctoral the Studies, Cinema to in communication,methodsofcreativity,etc. social andpoliticalmarketing,researchmethodology law, photojournalism, history of documentary and news film, tion, interpersonalcommunication,virtualcommunication narrative, advertising production, sociology in communica mentals ofgraphicdesign,literatureandcinema,hypermedia stage representation, visual art history and analysis, funda working withactors,musicalaesthetics,theatrehistoryand and production,televisionrecording,etc. structure television studios, film technology, and theory sound theory, text audio-visual production, audio-visual photography, film directing, script, audio-visual narrative, sual communicationlaw,radiostructureandproduction, history ofcinema,imageculture,analysis,audiovi jects whichareorientedtowardssubjectsincludingthe the secondyear.Theyarereplacedwithcompulsorysub second years,althoughtheybecomefewerinnumber When I first decided to study in Spain, I was going to enter Unlike Georgia,theMAlastsjustoneyear.Withregard diverse: and interesting very are subjects elective The and first the in primarily taught are subjects basic The ------the Faculty of Philology, where the comparative analysis of From the third year we started to prepare for the defense

film literature was also taught. But as soon as I discovered of our doctoral dissertations, for which the period is from 143 this program, I realized that I needed to change my choice. two to five years. While working on the thesis, the fact At the entrance exams they asked me: what is it that brings that we had the opportunities to meet individually with you from the country of Ioseliani and Parajanov to study the supervisor and discuss all the issues of the topic plays cinema theory here? I did not know what to say, but I felt an essential role. melancholy, joy, and a huge responsibility at the same time. Of course, the research process was facilitated by the Given the fact that I had a higher education in Span- fact that majority of the theoretical texts were translated ish philology and not in cinematography, I naturally faced into Spanish and available in the university library. As some difficulties, but nevertheless I think that this was a you know, access to bibliographical materials from such very important experience for me. cinema theorists as Christian Metz, David Bordwell, The doctoral program lasts for three years. During the first Francesco Cassettes, Robert Stamm, Mikhail Iampolski, year the course was very busy and intense. We had lectures etc. is very important for making progress in research. It and seminars every day, which were mainly interactive. In would be wonderful if at some point well-known theo- the course of the lectures, students had to submit written retical texts could be translated into Georgian as well. work prepared at home and make presentations. Activities Because, in spite of the rich cinematic experience that we were planned which involved both individual and group have in Georgia, I think the main problem is the lack of working. At the end of each course there were exams where bibliographic material, which inhibits in-depth study of everyone had to submit a presentation on a certain topic. theoretical areas in Georgian cinematography and to some I would particularly single out Gonzalez Requena’s extent also the interests of the students. workshops, where we discussed and analyzed in detail It is also a very interesting experience to participate in films by Orson Welles, John Ford, Andrei Tarkovsky, the various research programs and congresses which are Hitchcock and Bunuel. These films were really scruti- regularly held in Spain. In the field of cinema, a lot of nized in so much detail that there were seminars where we activities are held in Spain of both a theoretical as well stopped on the footage under subtitles and could not move as a practical nature. There are also a lot of magazines on. That was his methodical approach. published, which of course, contributes to the fact that this The following year was dedicated to working on the di- profession is in high demand in the country and increases ploma thesis. In my case, I was studying the film “Blow the professional motivation of the students.

Photo: Khatuna Khutsishvili Photo: Up” by Antonioni.

film print 144 ent. First of all, it is a rich school with very good infrastruc wanted tostudycinematography. we talkedaboutthetaskshad carriedoutandwhywe development ofthelightingduringfilm. the analyze to had we and 2002) Mendes, Sam (dir. tion” and actorsmoving. and take a three-minute continuous shot with the camera formed aphotoseries. tor. Thenwehadtochoosethesevenbestphotos,which and make photos at the pavilion using a light and an ac for cinematographers,becausethetrainingusesrealfilm. popular particularly is School Film Lodz others. many and Roman Polanski, Krzysztof Zanussi, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Andrzej Wajda, Jerzy Skolimowski, Zbigniew Rybchinski, Munch, Andrzej as such graduates, its of proud is is it and traditions great with school film famous a is This School. ertheless Iworkedonfivestudentfilmsduringthisyear. ment and there were always queues for a camera. But nev I remember that we had very little and poor filming equip years intheFilmSchoolLodz,Poland. University, thenstudiedforcinematographyfour Tato studiedcinematographyattheTheatreandFilm Camera Operator Tato Kotetishvili, In Lodz the course situation turned out to be very differ very be to out turned situation course the Lodz In where committee, the with interview an had we Finally, On the third day they showed us the film “Road to Perdi themes given the of one choose to had we day next The themes given 10 of one on film to had we day, first The I hadtositathree-dayexam. Then in 2003 I got the opportunity to go to the Lodz Film I studied for one year at the Theatre and Film University. film print film ------people isincreasingallthetime. people heretoowhohelpstudents andthenumberofsuch are there Fortunately, personnel. lighting the paid they as long as free for lighting students give would firms rental camera some Or discount. 80% a students offered ment equip camera video of hire the for company biggest the lunch and in return we wrote their names in the credits. Or For example, some pizzerias would give us free pizzas for Generally speaking,theyhelpstudentsalotinPoland. could evenbuyit.Thisisalsoaverygoodexperience. them for a test in making a film. If you had the money, you use to wanted we that saying offices, Fuji and Kodak the get extra film, we borrowed extracts from each other, from camera thatwewanted.Thisisverygoodtraining. the in image of kind the exactly get to us forced which therefore wecouldnotmakeanycomputercorrections, of rehearsalsandmakeonlyonedoubleshotatmost. lot a do superfluous, anything choose not prepared, well be very to you forces which minutes four this with film whole a and youchangethememorystick.Andherehavetomake have 4minutesleft,itmeansthatyounomorespaceleft you and film a shooting are you when because exercise, ing to make a one and a half minute film. This was a very interest were given one box of 120-meter film (4 minutes) and we had and most importantly you get to shoot on film, 35-mm film. ture: pavilions, cameras, the latest lighting, editing facilities As isthecaseeverywhere,course herebeginswith But in fact this was not enough and we were all trying to film, and the from version final the show to had We we year, first very the of semester first the in courses the For - - general subjects, such as music, choreography, and so on. When making your own film, you would write the script, There were so many subjects that if you studied all of go out with an expert, and then you would start to film.

them, you wouldn’t be able to make any films. And I con- Until the third year, the visual side of a scene was more 145 fess that I was a poor student, as I often skipped the theo- important; logic and storytelling were not our duty. In the retical subjects, and I had problems and low marks. But I third year, we were asked to make the script more dramatic. made my choice - I preferred to work on films and if they A student cinematographer can shoot a film on their own were finally satisfied with the film, the rest didn’t matter. or can pool their budget with a director. There are some But there were subjects that I regret I didn’t study. There projects which you have to do together. In the beginning, was one cinematographer, Violanta Dilevskaya, who for example, is such a project in which directors, cinema- taught the course Cinematographic Drama. She taught it tographers, and actors from the same year are meant to in a very different way, filming at the level of sensing. She work together: they start to talk, to write script, to make had a more intense and peculiar approach; other people a shot-clip and eventually the course aims at shooting a taught the more technical side. Even today, I regret that I mini one-shot film. This leads to very interesting results missed this course because of filming. and it was a very important experience. There is no workshop principle In Lodz – one year one By the way, many cinematographers end up by becom- teacher teaches you, in the next year, another. This is a ing directors, especially documentary directors, because good thing. It might happen that one teacher doesn’t like they have to shoot a lot and so they get a taste for the you and why should that be a barrier for four years. On process of directing. the one hand, you will be held down, and on the other You really get to shoot a lot of films if you want to. And – one year is enough to learn as much as you can from of course here everyone is eager to do that - they are mo- one person. From other people you will learn other skills. tivated and excited. And this helps to form a good creative Diversity is good. atmosphere. The main subject is still cinematographic art, which is Filming is the best way to learn. Especially when you led by an expert. We had this subject once a week, for an are working with a great expert. Practice like this is very entire day. The first part was so-called “theory” - we dis- important. When I studied this didn’t happen, but I know cussed films, the expert would talk and explain things to that they have now started to help students be involved in us. The second part was practice; the task would be very film production and work as assistant camera operators, specific, how do you shoot this or that particular situation; just assistants. I managed to do this all by myself then and for example, how to take a long shot while in motion, or got some wonderful experience.

Photo: Khatuna Khutsishvili Photo: lighten an interior through reflectors and filters.

film print 146 ators to have an honest attitude to their work. This can be the productscreated,moreimportant itisforthecre the mostimportantcomponents. see everythinginordertofindyourself,yourownplace. plorable if you don’t get to know world culture, You must the director’s imaginations and fantasies. It’s really de first but then later it settles down and into opens doors into will createamessinyourhead,andthatmaybetrueat and knowledge. came integral parts ofthedirector’svision,imagination in frontofthescreenandsuddenbreak of dawns be detail ofthefilmingprocess.” big or small every know to get finely could we and films student shooting were we result, a As film. the screening volved intheprocessesfromwritingscriptto We weredoingeverythingwithgreatartists.in from herfirstyearengagedinpracticalwork. director becameastudentattheUniversityofTheaterand childhood.” my by influenced mostly are films my full life, diverse very and a lived have I that fact the Despite magical. pen, everythingwascoatedinmagic, had an amazing childhood, nothing everyday would hap jump off,Ijustlikedthefeelingrightbeforeyoujump. lot from high places. Then I realized that I didn’t want to magical andphantasmagoricasNanaJorjadzesays. very earlychildhood,especiallyifthischildhoodwasas since herchildhood.Thesearchforcreativitystemsfrom pilot a be to wanted always has Jorjadze Nana director film successful The walls... the on painted or to attached wood, materialsofallkinds,hangingfromtheceiling,and Creative conscience and dignity. “The more ‘brilliant’ more “The dignity. and conscience Creative According tothedirector,acreativeconscienceisoneof this that think may “Someone films of lot a Watching Living inauniversityoftheater,manylongnightsawake practice. about all is film theory, not is “Film Practice Then the architect. was profession first director’s The A happy and carefree childhood “I used to jump down a A tinyroomfullofplanesmadepaper,paperboard, 1001 ingredients for making lms From Nana Jorjadze film print film - - - - - accordance withtheirfantasiesisthe editingprocess. art inwhichthedirectorisabletomove intimeandspace stall itinthemindandtoinstallat theeditingtableonly range totheartist’screativeprocessesatrighttime.Toin ing to the principle of montage, it is valued and offers a wide that gavemethefilm.” picture this exactly was it but film the with do to nothing ette ofanelderlywomanfollowingacow.Thisframehas silhou the saw I when “Robinsonade” the with happened what is This film. the to you guide still they but film the important quality.Thisiswhenthemainthingborn... tails and being able to share this with others is the most must beabletoseetheoverallpicturefromsmallde the shotsthatsomeoneelsemayhaveleftunnoticed,you and realadventures.” the trains without tickets. But that’s what gives me stories on travelled even I money of lack of Because stations. at travels comfortably, they find out very little. I spent nights listener isanartinitself. good a into turning things; new and stories new of lots always I wanted toseeeverythingformyself.” world. whole then and Union, Soviet the gia, allowed toleavethecountry.ItraveledwholeofGeor not were you when Union Soviet the of framework the if thereisachancetodo so. I used to travel a lot,evenin duce yourselftoworldcultureathomebutyoumusttravel lot ofexcitingeventsandstoriesisessential. to knowamulticulturalenvironment,becomingpartof traveling, beingaroundawidevarietyofpeople,getting interaction withpeople.” taught, inthefamily,atschool,university,through Editing “Films are born at the editing table. This is the is This table. editing the at born are “Films Editing Over time everything is deposited in the memory accord memory the in deposited is everything time Over Noticing details “The details may not be connected with The directormustbeabletoobservetheworld,discover someone when comfort; like don’t “I stories Collecting Traveling isanopportunitytomeetnewpeople,hear You must become a traveler ”Of course you can intro can you course ”Of traveler a become must You Everything isdirectedtowardsoneparticularpurpose, ------147

film print 148 for international funding or festivals. For any creative per contests in participation be can which field, international cial processes give usopportunitiesforactivitiesinthe finan the go, to way long a is there However, that.” for sufficient is producer good a funding, of matters in fere international arena and increases the chances of success. international arenaandincreasesthechancesofsuccess. termines the quality and working efficiency, getting into the same languageandimprovisingtogether. a teamwhichIcanworkwithcomfortably,speakingthe cess andediting.That’swhyitisveryimportanttohave pro filming the decoration, score, the script, the creating lence isthemostpowerfulmusic…Iamfullyengagedin si Sometimes episode? that or this in music for need a their ownlanguage. rectors must be able to speak with their crew members in Di too. profession director’s the are cinematography to the capabilitiesandimportanceofediting.” of aware be should they importantly, most and specifics their know must They techniques. editing with familiar and visions good actorsduetobadediting.Gooddirectorsmustbe interesting films, “lost” of lot a been have profession whereintuitionisnotgoingtohelpyou.There Funding “Cinema is an expensive hobby. I never inter never I hobby. expensive an is “Cinema Funding Films need resources, including financial ones. This de This ones. financial including resources, need Films Being involved in every process, having a team “Is there related professions the all Jorjadze, Nana to According film print film ------Maka Kevlishvili many yearsforfilming,holdsalot ofinterestingstories... details things, and props,whichhavebeencollected bythedirectorover small 1001 with filled suitcase The ly... My life is like this too, I never plan anything in advance.” shooting. Thisisalivingprocess,itrealimprovisation. get toreadthescriptindressingroomondayof need theirimmediate,split-secondreactions,andsothey I trytoinsuremyselfagainsttheirpre-formedfantasies. I demandthattheactorsdonotreadscriptsinadvance. ing frommyscripts and sketches. Itmaybesurprising,but is improvisation.Thereonlytheroughstructuresurviv camera whentheisalreadyrunning. the behind born are films Her film. the of surge the pull has written,whatshesketched,andfollowsthemain But when she is on the set she forgets everything what she starts gettingintoshape,thenthewritingpartcanbegin. story the When born. are films her which from sketches film? the with say What fascinated her? What influenced her? These are the to want she does What sketching: very pleasantandinterestingtogetknow. son, themulticulturalenvironmentoutsidetheircountryis The list of film ingredients can be extended indefinite extended be can ingredients film of list The Improvisation “On the set, one of my characteristic traits by begins Jorjadze Nana history, film about Talking - -