FILM: Georgia’s female filmmakers shine at Korean film festival (agenda.ge)

(agenda.ge) The work of some of Georgia’s leading female filmmakers will reach an international audience when it goes on show at one of Korea’s top film festivals this month.

"A Story of Mountainous Racha",
1930 by first female film director Nutsa Gogoberidze

Twelve films with Georgian female directors will be showcased at the 19th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in South Korea.

This year the BIFF established a special program devoted to Georgia in order to introduce newly emerged female directors and highlight their significance in Georgian cinema history. The work of male Georgian filmmakers will also be presented at BIFF.

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"The Power of Georgian Women Filmmakers is not only significant for showing films directed by women but this is an opportunity to show social issues, contradiction, discrimination and conflict seen in Georgia through 12 films by female directors. Regardless of gender, the new cinematic aesthetics of Georgian films will be delivered to audiences,” stated the BIFF website."

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This year’s special program will feature 12 films including A Story of Mountainous Racha directed in 1930 by Georgia’s first female film director Nutsa Gogoberidze.

As well as holding this impressive title, Gogoberidze was the start of a three generational line of female film directors. Her daughter Lana Gogoberidze directed Day is Longer than Night, which was introduced at the Cannes International Film Festival in 1984, and her granddaughter Salome Alexi currently worked as a film producer and director.

The BIFF will create an opportunity for viewers to watch works from all three women in the Gogoberidze family, as well as works from other Georgian female directors.

While the work of female Georgian filmmakers will be honoured, other Georgian movies by male filmmakers will also be presented at BIFF.

In the World Cinema section of the festival, 55 films from 33 countries will take part, including Georgian film Corn Island, directed by George Ovashvili. The film wowed critics at July's 49th Karlovy Vary Film Festival where it won the $25,000 Crystal Globe top prize.

The focus of the BIFF was to introduce new films and first-time directors, especially those from Asian countries. Another notable feature was the event’s appeal to young people, in terms of the youthful audience it attracted and through its efforts to develop and promote young talent.

The work of Georgian female filmmakers at BIFF is:

• A Story of Mountainous Racha directed by Nutsa Gogoberidze.

• Day is Longer than Night directed by Lana Gogoberidze.

• Felicita directed by Salome Alexi.

• The Lullaby directed by Nana Janelidze.

• Salt White directed by Keti Machavariani.

• Susa directed by Rusudan Pirveli.

• Keep Smiling directed by Rusudan Chkonia.

• Bakhmaro directed by Salome Jashi.

• The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear directed by Tinatin Gurchiani.

• Brother directed by Teona Mghvdeladze, Thierry Grenade.

• Brides directed by Tinatin Kajrishvili.

• In Bloom directed by Nana Ekvtimishvili, Simon Gross.

FILM: Review: “Keep Smiling” A Film by Rusudan Chkonia (variety.com)

(variety.com) Black comedy collides with overwrought melodrama in this patchy but interesting Tbilisi-set drama.
Leslie Felperin

 

Black comedy collides with overwrought melodrama in the patchy but interesting Tbilisi-set drama “Keep Smiling.” Georgian writer-helmer Rusudan Chkonia’s feature debut tracks 10 disparate femmes, most of them in dire financial straits, competing in a beauty contest for moms to win a substantial prize. Chkonia lays on the indictment of reality-TV culture a bit thick, and the plotting is somewhat contrived, but she coaxes gutsy perfs from her game cast and explores a side of war-torn, contempo Georgia not often seen offshore. That freshness may put a smile on fest programmers’ faces after the pic’s Venice preem.

The film opens with the 10 costumed contestants onstage, dancing to the strains of Lou Bega’s “Baby Keep Smiling,” a tune heard again over the end credits and several times throughout, suggesting the production’s clearance-rights budget didn’t stretch far. The next scene shows everyone crowding into a backstage room to gasp at something unseen that horrifies them, suggesting things are going to end badly for someone.

The action then rolls back several weeks to show the women arriving at a TV studio, where they’re informed they made the cut to appear on a new show, “Georgian Mother.” Slimy series producer Otar (Gia Roinishvili) has set the women various challenges in order to win the crown and, more importantly, the prize:$25,000 and a four-bedroom apartment. They will be judged on how well they cook and have raised their children, their talent and their popularity with the judges and TV auds.



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Only about half the women are properly drawn characters, and they’re just rough sketches at that. Former child violin prodigy Gvantsa (charismatic Iamze Sukhitashvili, “Garpastum”) is the defiant one, but also a neurotic mess. She just so happens to live next door to fellow contestant Inga (Nana Shonia), a zaftig widow who disapproves of Gvantsa’s promiscuity and slack parenting. Abkhazian refugee Elene (Olga Babluani) is perhaps the most in need, as she shares a room at a charity hospital with her husband and four kids, although likable Irina (Tamuna Bukhnikashvili) isn’t much better off, either. Wealthy trophy wife Baya (Shorena Begashvili) looks most likely to win, especially since her politician husband is one of the show’s sponsors.

As the weeks pass, the women bicker and then eventually bond, especially when rebellion brews after the show’s producers insist they must all parade themselves in bikinis. Helmer Chkonia clearly has no time for any kind of post-feminist guff that sees beauty contests as empowering; the whole thing is merely an exercise in prurience and humiliation that has to be endured, so the main driving force of the drama lies in seeing how low each of them will go to win, or whether they’ll find strength in numbers. In a way, it’s a bit like “The Hunger Games” with high heels and swimwear.

Editing briskly maintains forward momentum, and if the rest of the tech credits look painfully low-budget, that fits the schlock-TV setting. With a bit of script tweaking, the pic could easily be remade in other territories.

Keep Smiling

Georgia-France-Luxembourg

Production

A Nike Studio, Ex Nihilo production in association with Samsa Films, Alvy production, with the support of the Georgian National Film Center, Georgian Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection. (International sales: Doc & Film, Paris.) Produced by Rusudan Chkonia, Nicolas Blanc. Executive producers, Vladimir Kacharaya. Co-producers, Marc Bordure, Jani Thiltges, Arnaud Bertrand, Dominique Boutonnat, Hubert Caillard. Directed, written by Rusudan Chkonia.

Crew

Camera (color, HD), Konstantine Mindia Esadze; editors, Chkonia, Jean-Pierre Bloc, Levan Kukhashvili; art directors, Sopo Baghadze, Mamuka Esadze, Dima Arsanis, Giga Iakobashvili; costume designer, George Nadiradze; sound (Dolby Digital), Paata Godziashvili; re-recording mixer, Nika Paniashvili; casting, Leli Miminoshvili. Reviewed at Venice Film Festival (Venice Days), Sept. 1, 2012. Running time: 91 MIN.

With

Iamze Sukhitashvili, Gia Roinishvili, Olga Babluani, Tamuna Bukhnikashvili, Nana Shonia, Shorena Begashvili, Maka Chichua, Lela Metreveli, Ia Ninidze, Eka Kartvelishvili, Beka Elbakidze, Tamar Bziava, Tornike Bziava, Avtandil Gogeshvili. (Georgian, Russian dialogue)