Taoba Youth Film Fest moving to open air for pandemic safety
Around 300 young cinephiles from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Italy, North Macedonia and Turkey were hosted in 2019 festival screenings. Photo via Taoba International Youth Film Festival.
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The third edition of the Taoba Youth Film Festival, which started two years ago as a project to develop young audience for cinema, will run in open-air setting and other limitations starting on Friday.
As the festival is gearing up for five days of screenings, organisers have also set up the event to run with local participants only, as COVID-19 precautions impose limits on festivals and other cultural events.
In the programme, four feature and 21 short films will be seen by an audience of 13- to 18-year-olds at open locations of the National Youth Palace, Georgian National Museum and the Mziuri Park in capital Tbilisi.
In addition, open screenings will welcome further viewers at the Orbeliani Square in the recently renovated old town section of the city.
Finally, the Orbeliani location will also host screenings of films by festival partners through the end of October, with organisers planning to use the opportunity to transform the spot into a "cinema club" on Sunday evenings.
Beside screenings, Taoba will also invite student enthusiasts of film art to attend master classes for dramaturgy and direction at the newly unveiled Bolnisi Museum in the south.
Established by the National Youth Palace and the Culture & Education Foundation in 2018, Taoba is run with the aim of enable young cinema enthusiasts to develop "critical, creative and analytical thinking" through the medium.
The festival is a member of the European Children's Film Association and local partner of the Young Audience Award of the European Cinema Academy.
This year's event is set to run through September 30, with further details available on the official website.