Georgian directors collect top award at Dutch film festival

A film directed by three Georgian filmmakers has claimed a major award at a European documentary film festival for its portrayal of youth in a country of contrasting realities.

After making its international debut last week, joint Georgian-German production When the Earth Seems to Be Light, directed by Salome Machaidze, Tamuna Karumidze and David Meskhi, collected the Best First Appearance prize at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.

The prestigious film event revealed the first winners of the festival today. The announcement came via a tweet from the festival staff:

IDFA Award for Best First Appearance: When the Earth Seems to Be Light, Machaidze/Karumidze/Meskhi pic.twitter.com/7bivfSFzXU

— IDFA Industry (@IDFAindustry) November 25, 2015

The Best First Appearance prize included a cash award of €7,500.

The three directors were among a number of Georgian filmmakers who were taking part in the festival, which included more than 450 films and roughly 2,500 documentary professionals in the Dutch capital. Winners for more sections are scheduled to be announced over the coming weekend.

Cinema contains many portraits of young masculinity, but our experiential, expertly-crafted Grand Prize-winning film, When the Earth Seems to be Light, sees its outsider subjects differently. It finds within their apathy the visions of a different and better life,” said festival organisers while announcing the winning production.

When the Earth Seems to be Light premiered in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi on October 19. The film’s plot follows a group of young skaters in their experience of the realities of life in a country that lacks the means to meet their dreams. It discusses subjects such as love and freedom while appearing "as lost as they do sure of themselves,” said a preview by the website www.dazeddigital.com.

The Amsterdam film festival will continue until November 29. The Georgian directors’ film is next scheduled to screen at the upcoming Tbilisi International Film Festival on December 4 and 6.

See the trailer for the award-winning film When the Earth Seems to be Light below: