IDFA documentary fest to premiere 'A Tunnel' by Georgian directors
The two filmmakers' documentary is a Georgian-German co-production and will have its world premiere in Amsterdam. Photo via DineDOC-Tbilisi.
Tweet 
Share
A film bringing a "dreamy atmosphere" of a remote Georgian village undergoing major change will have its world premiere at this year's International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.
A Tunnel, directed by Nino Orjonikidze and Vano Arsenishvili and previously supported by European and Asian development platforms, has been selected to be one of a dozen films in the prestigious festival's First Appearance section.
The competitive segment is comprised of films "from engaged filmmakers with a remarkable creative vision" (IDFA), debuting at international stage or having their maiden premieres full stop.
Orjonikidze and Arsenishvili's 90-minute work is a Georgian-German co-production that takes a look at rapid transformation of a quiet village in Georgia into a transit location for a railway set to form a chain in China's global Belt and Road trade initiative.
A still from 'A Tunnel'. The film was supported by IDFA's Bertha Fund for development starting in 2018. Photo via IDFA.
The infrastructural project brings in workers and heavy machinery for digging a tunnel through a mountain, causing uncertainty among locals who use the site for pastures and also have houses nearby.
There are promises of prosperity and progress, but in the dreamy atmosphere of the fairy-tale village, the coming of the express train feels more like a nightmare" - IDFA
Rifts between Georgian and Chinese workers involved in the railway construction add to the scene unfolding as "gorgeous, disengaged shots perfectly reflect the surrealist atmosphere of a changing world order".
Produced at Artefact Production and Ventana Film, the feature involves cinematography by Arsenishvili and sound by Ana Davitashvili.
Previously known with its working title The Platform, it was shortlisted for the Hong Kong Film Financing Forum and benefited from support by IDFA's Bertha Fund over the last two years.
Orjonikidze previously worked on English Teacher (Best Documentary of Focus Caucasus section at 2013 CineDOC-Tbilisi), Altzaney and The Bridge. The filmmaker was a nominee for prizes at international festivals including DOK Leipzig and Krakow Film Festival.
Arsenishvili contributed to the three films through co-direction, cinematography and editing while also working as the director for Artefact Production.
The IDFA festival will run between November 20-December 1 in Amsterdam.
Films by three Georgian women directors are set to screen at the upcoming DOK Leipzig festival, a major documentary event in Germany that starts next Monday, with Salome Jashi, Tako Robakidze and Nino Kirtadze all involved.
A work-in progress film project by two Georgian directors has been shortlisted by the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF), an international platform for supporting film production
Two new work-in-progress film projects by Georgian directors have been picked to be supported by a fund of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), with filmmakers Nino Orjonikidze, Vano Arsenishvili and Salome Jashi set to benefit from the program.
Two Georgian documentaries still in the production phase have been selected among 11 worldwide projects to receive support from a special cinema development fund of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
Georgian director Uta Beria's feature story of juvenile offenders learning the delights of rugby in detention will have its world premiere at France's Arras Film Festival next month, followed by another screening at Rome Independent Film Festival.
A selection of some of the latest Georgian cinema is part of an upcoming screening programme at Brussels' BOZAR Centre of Fine Arts, where the third edition of the BRIDGES. East of West Film Days festival will run this month.
Film director Maka Gogaladze was unveiled among winners of ZagrebDox Pro, a pitching platform of the ZagrebDox documentary film festival, for her work Ever Since I Know Myself.
Film directors Nino Orjonikidze and Vano Arsenishvili have earned their latest acclaim for their documentary work A Tunnel after juries of the MakeDox Creative Documentary Film Festival picked the film for honours on Wednesday.
Filmmakers Nino Orjonikidze and Vano Arsenishvili have been awarded the principal prize of the Montenegrin-based UnderhillFest documentary festival for their work A Tunnel, with the two directors appearing at the ceremony via video link on Wednesday.
Georgian cinema is at the forefront of the 68th edition of Trento Film Festival, where a retrospective of films from the country are screened to viewers and the award-winning documentary A Tunnel is in main competition.
Filmmakers Nino Orjonikidze and Vano Arsenishvili have collected their second prize in two weeks for the feature documentary A Tunnel after receiving the Trento Film Festival principal award on Wednesday.
A Tunnel, directed by Georgian filmmakers Nino Orjonikidze and Vano Arsenishvili, was selected as the best film for the feature-length documentary prize at the DokuBaku International Film Festival.