The Calvert Journal: “New Georgian cinema: discover a fresh generation of filmmakers reviving a national tradition“

The resurgence of Georgian filmmaking marks the bright future of the art form in the country, says a new piece by The Calvert Journal, an online magazine dedicated to culture and arts coming out of eastern Europe, Balkans, Russia and Central Asia.

The newest wave of award-winning productions by Georgian directors is the focus of the magazine's report from the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

At the prestigious Czech festival held from June 30-July 8, the Journal's Carmen Gray spoke to some of the filmmakers representing award-winning new cinema productions.

[Rusudan Glurjidze] was awarded for her feature debut House of Others last year at the Czech spa town’s film festival [...] She was back this year as a jury member, where there were again several strong Georgian films in the line-up", explains Gray in the feature.

In the interview Glurjidze narrates about her experiences of studying under the tutorship of director Giorgi Shengelaia as well as the backdrop of her story for House of Others.

 In the first year [Shengelaia] turned off the sound and told us that if he didn’t understand our films without dialogue, they weren’t cinema", says the director who collected the Karlovy Vary prize in 2016.

The feature story also covers international success enjoyed by Georgian directors over the recent years by noting works including Tangerines by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences member Zaza Urushadze.

Mariam Khatchvani's Karlovy Vary award-winning feature Dede and widely acclaimed work My Happy Family by the directorial duo of Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross also receive a mention in the story.

With a look at the century-old tradition of Georgian cinema and the dire condition of the art form in the country in the conflict-ridden 1990s, The Calvert Journal's piece offers a perspective on the recent rebirth of filmmaking talent and industry in the country.

Read the full story here: www.calvertjournal.com