Netflix unveils Tamta Gabrichidze’s short doc ’The Trader’ in its 2018 selection

Young Georgian filmmaker Tamta Gabrichidze’s short documentary The Trader has been selected by global cinema distribution platform Netflix, making the film available to an audience of over 100 million viewers across the world.

The popular platform will make the award-winning short (also known as Sovdagari) available for its members next month, along with other "original documentary shorts" picked for this year.

The selection follows a decision by Sundance Film Festival to pick the work for the celebrated event’s 2018 shorts program.

Premiering at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival last year, The Trader went on to claim the Best Short Documentary Award of the event.

It follows its principal protagonist Gela, traversing the Georgian countryside looking to sell second-hand clothing and everyday items from the back of his minibus. He does his trading in villages and towns where potato, not money, is the main currency of exchange.

Young and old peer into his truck, their eyes lighting up at the sight of modern conveniences like sponges and lint brushes. It’s a riddle that pits rural value against urban valuation, dirt versus gold”, said a preview of the short by Netflix.

Following its premiere at Hot Docs, Gabrichidze’s film was also screened at DOK Leipzig documentary festival and was then seen by visitors of Tbilisi International Film Festival later in 2017.

Produced by Ilia Tavberidze, the 23-minute short’s cinematography comes from Vano Andiashvili. It is the fifth work for Gabrichidze, who has directed short and documentary films starting with Ms. Nature in 2009.

Its launch on Netflix follows the selection of My Happy Family, the first work by a Georgian director to be picked for the online platform, last month.

The Trader is set to launch on Netflix on February 9.