Protest(s) Continues. Georgian Documentary Cinema Against the Authoritarian Regime
Description
The Georgian film industry has been marked by protest for three years, with more than 450 members of the sector, including directors, cinematographers, producers, actors, and others. All of the country’s central cultural institutions are being placed under the control of the authoritarian government of Bidzina Ivanishvili, including the National Film Center in Tbilisi. However, the Georgian film sector, with its renowned filmmakers, is making a significant contribution to strengthening the resistance movement and actively supports the uninterrupted protest on Rustaveli Avenue, which by September has surpassed its 300th day.
The Georgian film program “Protest(s) continues – Georgian documentary cinema against the authoritarian regime” brings together short films from the series “Stories of Political Prisoners in the Films of Georgian Filmmakers,” which assembles leading voices of Georgian documentary cinema such as Salomé Jashi, Anna Dziapshipa, Tiku Kobiashvili, and others. Here, individual film portraits capture the political prisoners, the so-called “სინდისის პატიმრები/Sindisis Patimrebi” (en.: prisoners of conscience), and their dramatic fates.
The program concludes with the documentary “CHASE” (დევნა/Dewna, 2025, Chai Docs) by Niniko Lekishvili. In it, the director follows the star of contemporary Georgian cinema through his crisis-ridden everyday life between activism, protest, and private life.
The program is rounded off by a conversation between cultural studies scholar and curator Irine Beridze and an anthropologist Dato Laghidze.Curator: Irine BeridzeGuest: Anthropologist Dato Laghidze
Georgian Filmmakers for Prisoners of Conscience
Films in this programme
• Tiku Kobiashvili about Zviad Tsetskhladze
Georgia · 2025 · 5.04'
Zviad Tsetskhladze, a 20-year-old student, was an active member and one of the leaders of the youth protest movements. He was arrested during the 2024 protest demonstrations and charged with co-organizing group violence. The court sentenced him to 4.5 years in prison.
• Vajiko Chachkhiani about Giorgi Akhobadze
Georgia · 2025 · 4.30''
Giorgi Akhobadze, a doctor and active participant in the anti-government protests, was also arrested during the demonstrations. He was accused of illegal possession of narcotic substances, a charge that carries a sentence of 8 to 20 years or life imprisonment. At the time of his arrest, Giorgi Akhobadze declared that the drugs had been planted on him by the police. His guilt could not be proven, and the judge released him directly from the courtroom.
• Anna Dziapshipa about Temur Katamadze
Georgia · 2025 · 4.33'
Temur Katamadze had lived in Georgia for 13 years and was fighting to obtain Georgian citizenship. He was arrested in Batumi during a protest. The investigation claimed he had no legal right to reside in Georgia. On June 11, 2025, Temur Katamadze was deported from Georgia to Turkey.
• Salome Jashi about Mzia Amaghlobeli
Georgia · 2025 · 5.55'
Mzia Amaghlobeli, a journalist and founder of two media platforms, was charged with slapping a police officer, a crime punishable by up to 9 years in prison. Her case attracted wide international attention and protest. The judge was eventually forced to reduce the charge, sentencing her to 2 years in prison.
• Elene Naveriani about Irakli Kerashvili
Georgia · 2025 · 5.45'
A doctor and participant in the anti-government protests in Tbilisi in 2024, Irakli Kerashvili was arrested and charged with group violence. The court sentenced him to 2 years in prison.
• Giorgi Varsimashvili about Insaf Aliev
Georgia · 2025 · 4.32'
Insaf Aliev, a Georgian of Azerbaijani descent, is being punished for caring about the fate of Georgia. There is no evidence against him, yet he remains in detention.
• CHASE (დევნა)
Niniko Lekishvili · Georgia · 2025 · 27'
40-year-old Kakha Kintsurashvili is a displaced person from Abkhazia. He emerged on the frontlines of the protests in 2023, when the country adopted the so-called “foreign agents law” [the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence]. Shortly after, one of his colleagues and close friends was arrested and criminally prosecuted for participating in pro-European protests. In response, a group of artists united to form hubs of ongoing resistance. Court hearings and protests on the city’s main avenue have become part of the actor’s daily routine. In this radically changed reality, he struggles to balance family responsibilities, personal life, and civic activism. <i>CHASE</i> tells the story of a man who has already been forced from his home once—and is now doing everything he can to ensure it never happens again.
Screenings
Fri, 24 Oct 2025 · 19:00 · Followed by Q&A
Hasenheide 54/5th, 10967 Berlin