1920s Georgian Films

FILMS

The 1920s is one of the outstanding and important decades of Georgian cinema, both from the point of view of formal searches and findings, as well as the expression of individual themes and epochal ideology.

After Sovietization, when Soviet cinema entered a new phase in the first half of the 20s, directors from Russia were involved in the process of film production: Amo Bek-Nazarov, Ivane Perestian, Vladimir Barsky. During this period, there was a tendency to screen literary works, and films were made based on the works of both Georgian (Egnate Ninoshvili, Davit Kldiashvili, Aleksanrde Kazbegi) and foreign (Stefan Zweig, Mikhail Lermontov, Ethel Lilian Voynich) writers. This trend became especially active after Georgian directors appeared on the scene, who managed to successfully transfer the experience of Georgian theater and opera to the screen: Kote Marjanishvili ("Samanishvili's stepmother" (1926), "Amok" (1927); Aleksandre Tsutsunava ("Who is to blame" (1925), "Khanuma" (1926) and others).

The 1920s were also an active period for those interested in visual experimentation and formative explorations. These directors refused the outdated expressive traditions and created a completely "new cinema" imbued with futuristic-avant-garde pathos; Cinema, which was completely devoid of theater and literature and was looking for a new language with its own image: Mikheil Kalatozishvili ("Jim Shvante", 1929), Nikoloz Shengelaya ("Giuli", 1927; "Eliso", 1928); Kote Mikaberidze ("My Grandmother", 1929) Mikheil Chiaureli ("The Last Hour", 1929; "Saba", 1929) and others.

These directors turned the 20s into the golden age of Georgian cinema with their masterpieces.