FilmNewEurope.com: “The President Boosts Georgia as Shooting Location”

Georgia is fast becoming recognised all over the globe as a desirable place to shoot films following the success of Iranian-made, Georgian-filmed movie The President.

The film, which also featured Georgian actors, has been praised for its "gritty and realistic action and location work and has given a big boost to the Georgian film industry,” wrote journalist Iulia Blaga for FilmNewEurope.com.

Recently The President was awarded the top prize for best film at the Chicago International Film Festival. It also featured at the Venice International Film Festival in August.

The President is an allegorical story set in an imaginary village in the Caucasus, where the president is on the run with his five-year-old grandson following a coup d’état. The two travel across the lands that the President once governed. Now, disguised as a street musician to avoid being recognized, the former dictator comes into contact with his people, which he comes to know from a different point of view.

The coproduction between Georgia, France, the United Kingdom and Germany is expected to boost the Georgian film industry.

"The film opened the ORIZZONTI section of the 71st Venice IFF was praised by critics for the work of its Georgian action and its Georgian locations,” Blaga writes.

The film’s co-producer Vladimer Katcharava from Georgia’s 20 Steps Productions Ltd said now was "the right time” to film in Georgia.

It’s a film-friendly country. Everyone, from ordinary people to governmental structures, try to help, it’s cheap to shoot there and still get good quality, and there are good locations. However, our main problem is that the industry is very small and it’s unable to have two films shooting at the same time.” 

But things are moving fast. 

"The Georgian cinema was off the cinema map for a long time. Now we are back. The world and especially Europe need to discover Georgia”, says Katcharava.

Read the full article here: www.filmneweurope.com