CPH:DOX guests from Georgia issued a statement March 31 in response to the recent dismissal of Gaga Chkeidze, director of Georgian National Film Center (GNFC).
The statement is signed by Anna Khazaradze (1991 Productions), Elene Margvelashvili (Parachute Films) and director Elene Mikaberidze (also a programmer at the Tbilisi International Film Festival [TiFF]), currently attending CPH:DOX as part of EAVE CHANGE, who “view the developments in the Georgian culture sector as attempts to establish censorship and control over creative expression that could lead to detrimental results for the industry.”
The March 31 statement reads in full:
“In recent years Georgian cinema has seen growing success on the international film scene. A new wave of Georgian films such as Taming The Garden (Sundance 2021), What Do We See When We Look At The Sky (Berlinale 2021) and Beginning (San Sebastian 2020) are just a few among the many recent Georgian films getting critical acclaim and commercial success despite limited local funding, underscoring the importance of the role of the Georgian National Film Center (GNFC), the only state-run agency in charge of promoting national filmmaking.
“Since the appointment of minister Thea Tsulukiani, Georgia’s Ministry of Culture has been critiqued widely for its attempts of gross interference in the work of GNFC. After months of tensions, Gaga Chkeidze, director of GNFC, was prematurely dismissed under the pretence of “misuse of funds’ and “potential cases of nepotism” based on the findings of the Ministry’s internal audit department. Chkeidze has been replaced by an incumbent deputy minister, with no previous experience in cinema.
“A letter signed by hundreds of film industry workers and artists viewed the dismissal of Chkheidze as “unfounded”. It is worth noting that Chkeidze’s sacking coincided with his open letter demanding the suspension of the process of bringing back restored Georgian cinema classics from Russian state archives – due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“In addition, the Ministry of Culture suspended the funding of the major international film festivals in Georgia running for up to 20 years including the Tbilisi International Film Festival (TiFF). ‘The damage is immense and immediate” says Giorgi Getiashvili, film critic and staff member at TiFF “as Georgian filmmakers and industry professionals had already been struggling and the annual festival funding was anyway just enough to keep the processes alive.’
“Founded also by Chkeidze, TiFF is the largest film festival in Georgia, promoting Georgian films and industry development. State funding has traditionally come from three sources: GNFC, the Ministry of Culture, and the Tbilisi City Hall. Since 2007 The Ministry of Culture has been continuously financing TIFF. ‘Without this core funding, it will be very difficult to meet the standards that the festival has achieved in recent years. The Minister of Culture does not understand the importance of the festival,’ says Chkeidze.”
Statement signed by: Anna Khazaradze (1991 Productions), Elene Margvelashvili (Parachute Films) and director Elene Mikaberidze (also a programmer at the Tbilisi International Film Festival)
