Leaving CinéDOC Summer Film School in Gori
Istanbul airport, gosh it is big. Lot of walking from gate to gate. And the two times I have been going to/from Tbilisi via Istanbul, gates have been changed – and flights delayed. But this has given me the time to think about the week in Gori at the Summer Film School and the film projects and rough cuts, which were presented there – from Georgia, Armenia, Aserbadjan, and Germany, the five students from the Konrad Wolf Film School in Babelsberg. I have in a previous post on FB praised their contribution, a 15 mins. docu short on Gori. Well done, entertaining, with atmosphere and you could see that they enjoyed making this one-day excercise.
Monday was the day where the rough cut participants presented the results
after consultations first of all with editing consultants Albert Elings and Dana Bunescu, and with colleagues and Merle Jothe, the German camerawoman, who came with the students mentioned above and was a tutor like me.
Very promising. Good films are coming and good film projects could end up as good films. Let’s see. The summer school gave several of the filmmakers more confidence and ideas on how to proceed. Like Nikoloz Bezhanishvili ‘s film on Stalinists in Gori, the dictator’s birthplace. He came with hundred of hours of material, he left with an edited scene that for me had the right focus and rythm and could constitute the opening of a film that i think will have a big potential. The same goes for Giorgi Parkosadze, who for years has followed a mother and her son, who live far away in the mountains, strongly connected to each other as a magical moment scene from the beginning of the film demonstrates beautifully. Reminded me a bit of this year’s documentary super hit « Honeyland ». Another mother and son scene is in the upcoming work by Armenian Nairi Hakhverdi, «Sweeping Yerevan », where she wants to portray a mother who with a blind man and some children need to have more than a one job to make ends meet. Is it going to be a social documentary, I asked her. No, of course with a social angle but a positive film with life and humour and showed, having gone back to her rushes, a magnificent scene, where the mother is sewing with her son helping her – close up of both, lovely, a whole story is silently being presented here. Poetry ! And f… all the talk about dramaturgical archs.
Have these coming films in mind, dear festival people.
Totally different is « About Revolution » by Vahan Khachatryan, also from Armenia, apparently « just » a recording af what happened, when Armenia got its revolution, recordings, much better word is observations from the streets of Yerevan, from policemen being lined up, from the Parliament and scenes with the director and his pals before the revolution. Thematically it reminded me of Juris Podnieks films from the Latvian fight for independence in the beginning of the 1990’es but without the passion and enthusiasm in Podnieks films. Still impressive, hope it will travel, the film of a film buff and festival organiser Khachatryan, who was one of many interesting personalities at the Summer School. And I will forgive him that he did not bring a bottle of Ararat brandy to Gori !
I mention that, as a Summer School of course also includes gatherings, where toasts are being delivered – and toasting is a disciplin where Georgians are masters. Tributes to each other, to Life, to Love, to the future of the film projects and rough cuts, to Peace in the world, to Peace between Armenia and Aserbadjan… – it was all done with heart and passion.
