May 2016

 

Georgian Film Series: "Keep Smiling" (Gaigimet) by Rusudan Chkonia

Thursday 19.05.2016 8:00 PM | Saal

Admission: 5€

Organizer: Werkstatt der Kulturen/ Dr. Lily Fürstenow-Khositashvili

Co-Operation

Georgian Film Series
 

"Keep Smiling" (Gaigimet) by Rusudan Chkonia

Fiction, Georgia / France / Luxemburg 2012, 90 min.

The film recounts the dramatic events that take place at a beauty contest involving ten mothers, five of whom belong to the poorest sections of society, and their many children. The mothers are desperately trying to win a beauty contest which main prize is an apartment and $25,000. Dreams are quick to vanish as realization dawns that the competition is a complete farce.

The media and organizers of the show are exploiting the misfortunes of the participants: Georgian women, the Abkhazian war and patriotism are all themes constituting a ploy to create entertainment for the audience, ending up causing a massive fight among participants.

Awards & Nominations

Won: Best Film, Napoli Film Festival 2013
Won: Don Quixote Award, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2012
Nominated for Black Pearl Award, New Horizons Competition, Abu Dhabi Film Festival 2012

 

 

Rusudan Chkonia was born in 1978 in Tbilisi, Georgia. In 2001 she graduated from Georgian Shota Rustaveli State University of Theatre & Film, with a degree in directing. She has written and directed two short films and two documentaries, which have been screened at many international film festivals. Her graduation film, CHILDREN WITHOUT A NAME, has won several international awards. With her project KEEP SMILING, she has participated in the project - training program AVANTI, implemented by FOCAL - Foundation for professional training in cinema and audiovisual media and funded by SDC - Swiss Development Agency and won a grant. This project also won the award at TALENT HIGLIGHT PITCH at the BERLINALE CO-PRODUCTON MARKET.

 


 

Invite Friends

TRAILER:


Interview with director Rusudan Chkonia at Venice Days during the International Film Festival of Venice:

Foyer: Videos by Ariel Reichmann

Electric Fence by Ariel Reichmann
Born in South Africa in 1979, Ariel Reichman lives and works in Berlin/ Tel Aviv. In 2006, Reichman studied at the University of Arts in Berlin, and in 2012 pursued his MFA at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, in Jerusalem. Prizes, residences and lectures include IBB Preis for photography, Karl Hofer Gesellschaft; AIR Centre for Contemporary Art ,Ujazdowski Castle; University of the arts, Murcia, Spain. (Invited by Manifesta 8); Warsaw University of the arts; Bezalel Academy of art and design; Talpiot Academy for art and education.

Under the generous support of the Vilém Flusser Archivs at the Universität der Künste Berlin.

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