Posts Tagged ‘Svaneti film festival’

Uprising in Guria | Djanki Guriashi (1928/9) Svaneti International Film Festive 2024

Dir: Alexandre Tsutsunava | Georgia, Silent, Historical drama 190′

On the final night of the festival, on 21st July, we took to the deckchairs in Mestia’s main square to watch this dazzling snapshot of Georgian history.

According to sources, the 1920s was one of the most significant decades for Georgian cinema in terms of aesthetics and channelling the ideology of the era. Director Alexandre Tsutsunava (Qristine,1916, Who Is at Fault?/1925, Khanuma 1926, Two Hunters,1927) was one the first Georgian feature directors and studied at Moscow Art Theatre School before honing his filmmaking craft under Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko.

In A Rebellion in Guria Tsutsunava makes use of national motifs and artfully draws on his experience as a theatre and opera director to conjure up the seething sentiments of the Georgian ‘peasants’ who mounted a wide scale revolt against Russian colonialism in 1847.

Based on Egnate Ninoshvilli’s novel this three hour historical epic features spectacular battle set pieces and impassioned performances from A Mesniaev, K. Eristavi and I Korsunskaya chronicling the rebellion that took place in western Georgia during. @MeredithTaylor

Amoki (1927) Svaneti Film Festival 2024

Konstantine “Kote” Marjanishvili, also known by his Russian name of Konstantin Aleksandrovich (1872 – 1933), was best known as the founder of Georgian modern theatre and is widely celebrated for his part in the development of pre and post-revolutionary stage productions which were known for their lavish style and prodigious output

Born into a well-to-do literary family in Kvareli, then part of Russian empire, he started life as an actor/director during the early years of the 20th century before joining a troupe in Moscow where he later made a name for himself as an accomplished follower of Konstantin Stanislavsky (1863-1938) and went on to direct six films of various genres during the 1920s including this silent drama Amoki in 1927.

Inspired by Stefan Zweig’s Indonesian-set short story Amok the director heads off on an avantgarde flight of fantasy in his silent feature debut, a murky morality tale translocated to India. It sees a drug-addled alcoholic doctor (played by Aleksandre Imedashvili) descend into a hallucinogenic opium trip after suffering a breakdown and fetching up in an Indian village where he exploits the locals and attempts to take advantage of a married woman who requests his services in performing an abortion which will end in tragedy for both of them.

Serving both as an ethnographic snapshot of rural life in India at the time and an imaginative social drama the stealthy pacing and a sinister soundtrack only adds to the tension of this opium infused sortie into the imagination of a corrupt medic taking advantage of the characters he meets along the way (Nato Vachnadvili is particularly expressive and suitably dressed in the fashionable style of the era). The scene involving a bicycle theft is accompanied by the rhythmic whir of the wheels while also providing a palpable metaphor for colonial oppression. DoP Sergei Zabozlayev experiments with a dazzling array of inventive cinematic techniques including double exposures, aerial shots and soviet montage. A brave experimental film even by today’s standards. @MeredithTaylor

SVANETI international film festival 15-21July 2024

https://youtu.be/-9svbnswPJA?feature=shared

Svaneti International Film Festival 2024

The fourth annual Svaneti International Film Festival runs for a week from 15 July 2024 in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Svaneti, a region nestling in Georgia’s Caucasus mountains.

SIFF is the brainchild of general director Teimuraz Chkhvimiani, and artistic director Mariam Khatchvani who rose to the international stage with her awarding-winning feature debut Dede.

The Festival showcases the latest world cinema short films across the genres providing an opportunity for talented directors, producers and writers from all over the world to share their work in an exciting international environment.

Described as ‘breathakingly wild and mysterious”, Svaneti is now accessed by Queen Tamar Airport in the nearby capital Mestia. Tamar reigned as Queen of Georgia (1184-1213) during its Golden Age when the country became the most powerful in the region. Svaneti’s emblem is the koshki (defensive stone tower), created to house villagers at times of invasion and local strife (until recently Svaneti was renowned for its murderous blood feuds). Around 175 koshkebi, most originally built between the 9th and 13th centuries, survive here today and provide a stunning contrast to Mestia’s ultra modern airport designed by the German firm J Mayer H Architects.

SVANETI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2024 | SVANETI, GEORGIA 15-21 July 2024

Image copyright J. Mayer H. Architects

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