Georgia’s Nato Vachnadze Basis is launching an annual movie awards ceremony to have a good time the nation’s filmmaking output.
Based by Natalia Jugheli, a London-based Georgian actress, the Nato Vachnadze Basis is called after early Georgian movie icon Nato Vachnadze. Jugheli is Vachnadze’s great-granddaughter.
The inaugural Eliso awards will happen on June 14 – the 120th anniversary of Vachnadze’s start – on the Nato Vachnadze Home Museum in Gurjaani, Georgia. The awards have been backed by company sponsors together with the TBC Financial institution, drinks model Sarajishvili and petrol agency Gulf, plus the Gurjaani municipality.
The Eliso awards goals to work to assist heal the continued division in Georgia’s movie business that has seen filmmakers and business professionals protest towards authorities interference, censorship and intimidation.
They launched the unbiased Georgian Movie Institute (GFI) in 2019, turning their backs on state physique, the Georgian Nationwide Movie Centre (GNFC).
The Elisos are open to movies backed by the GNFC, in addition to these made by GFI members.
Classes
The awards are named after Eliso, a 1928 Georgian silent function movie about villagers resisting the resettlement efforts of the Russian authorities. The title character was performed by Vachnadze’s sister, Kira Andronikashvili; whereas the movie was directed by Vachnadze’s husband Nikoloz Shengelaia.
It’ll give awards in three classes: greatest appearing (a gender-neutral award), greatest directing, and greatest cinematography. Winners in every class will obtain small monetary awards, with the purpose of empowering their careers.
Jugheli stated the purpose is that future editions of the ceremony will embrace extra classes.
“As a filmmaker working in Georgia, I do know what a battle it may be,” stated Jugheli. “So my main thought was that the Eliso awards shouldn’t be only a recognition for the work nevertheless it must also help artists’ future steps each financially or conceptually. That’s why the primary 12 months has restricted nominations; however I strongly consider that from the following 12 months the expansion of nominees is inevitable.”
The awards will probably be open to function movies – together with documentaries – produced or co-produced by Georgian corporations, launched between January 1 and December 31, 2023.
The muse is deciding on 5 jury members, comprised of worldwide and Georgian filmmakers.
A separate honorary prize can even be given annually to a lady who has made a major contribution to her area within the display screen business.
Eldar Shengelaia, the son of Vachnadze and Shengelaia, grew to become one in every of Georgia’s most distinguished administrators, making movies together with 1985’s Blue Mountains, or Unbelievable Story – a Cannes choice, though Shengelaia was unable to attend the pageant because of Soviet Union legal guidelines. His movies most just lately appeared in Cannes Classics in 2014 and 2019. Now 91 years outdated, his most up-to-date function was 2017 comedy The Chair.
“My mother and father cared deeply concerning the improvement of cinema, they usually have been famend for supporting individuals round them,” stated Shengelaia. “I couldn’t consider a greater strategy to honour their legacy than by creating an award that empowers filmmakers right this moment.”
