Georgia
Country Focus: Georgian Cinema
In recent years Georgian cinema has been witnessing a period of rebirth and revival. Yet another generation of filmmakers emerged, and the directors who stopped making films in the 1990s returned to the country. Financial support from the state and private industry has helped. Georgian cinema has appeared on the international arena and continues to attract the interest of the international film market. Georgia enjoys a long an proud cinema history and looking back can help to put today's Georgian cinema in focus In November 1896, just months after appearing in Paris, cinema arrived in Georgia. The Georgian audience became familiar with the Lumiere Brothers Cinematographe back in 1896. Soon cinemas such as the Odeon, Apollo and Moulin Electric appeared throughout Tbilisi. 1908 is officially considered the year cinema was born in Georgia. In 1912 Vasil Amashukeli made his first full-length documentary "Akaki Tsereteli's trip to Racha-Lechkhumi", which captured that prominent Georgian poet's tour of the north-central Georgian region. In 1916-1918, producer Germane Golitidze facilitated the production of the first Georgian feature film, "Christine", by the theatrical director Alexandre Tsutsunava. With the arrival of the Soviets in 1921, cinema became a chief method of propaganda, although Georgia continued to produce films based on national literary classics. Georgia used to produce 20 - 25 feature films on the average per year. The number of moviegoers was 20 million per year. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Georgian cinema sector faced 10-12 years of stagnation during which period no films were produced at all. This was due to general economic problems: the transition from planned economy to market economy, skills shortage, and an outdated infrastructure were key issues. National Film Support System
The key document providing the framework of state support to filmmaking is the Georgian Law on State support to Georgian National Cinematography (dated December 5th, 2000). The central body for funding Georgian films is the Georgian National Film Center (GNFC), which is a legal entity of public law under the Ministry of Culture and Monuments protection of Georgia supporting the film industry with a total of 4,100,000 GEL annually. The goal of the GNFC is to secure and coordinate state support for the development of the Georgian Cinema.
The objectives of the GNFC are:
Since its establishment the GNFC has supported the number of feature, short, documentaries and animated films. It has also represented the country at international film festivals and markets. The GNFC has issued numerous important publications about cinema. It has participated in the financing of projects aimed at the promotion and preservation the cinema in Georgia. In 2009 a new strategy for the film industry development was approved by the Ministry of Culture and Monuments Protection of Georgia, leading to double the state budget for film industry support in the country.
GNFC's budget and allocation for film production
International Success of Georgian Filmmakers
Georgian filmmakers have a long history of international success. Most recently we have "Street Days", by Levan Koguashvili, released in 2010, was nominated for the best feature film competition program at the Rotterdam International Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival (2010). The film was awarded the Grand Prize ("Golden Lily") at the Central and East European Film Festival "Go East" in Wiesbaden (Germany) and Tolorance Award and Special Mention of the Critics Jury Prize of the European Film Festival Palic in Subotica, Serbia.
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