Section: EcoEast

Ujmuri

Cheerless

Nutsa Gogoberidze
GE, 1934, 58 Min

In the land of the Colchis, in western Georgia, people have eternally been plagued by malaria, and yet their superstitious belief in “Ujmuri”, the deity of the swamp, stands in the way of a Soviet modernisation project; namely the draining of the swampland. This silent film, long considered lost in the Soviet archives, was only rediscovered and restored in 2018.

Nutsa Gogoberidze’s silent film “Ujmuri” not only marked the beginning of female filmmaking in Georgia, but also the first attempt of a female filmmaker to promote awareness of environmental issues. The region on the Black Sea coast, once known as the land of the Golden Fleece and the Kingdom of Colchis, is today nothing more than a decrepit swampland. The water quite literally stands in the way of all human endeavours aimed at progress. Yet can a Soviet modernisation project initiate the necessary changes? Can myth and the cycle of nature give way to the idea of ​​progress? An alternating cinematic narrative comes into being that, with its formidable characters, presented via means of contrast montage, brings forth impressive imagery whilst taking on a tradition-forming function.

Text: Irine Beridze
English: Peter Rickerby

Glad-House,: original version with English subtitles + German simultaneous translation

Event information:

SlowTalk on ECOEAST
Thu Nov 10, 7∶30 pm | Slow, Glad House.

This new section at FFC discusses ecological issues and the impact of encroachment on nature and the landscape on social interaction. This year, ten films show how Georgian director*s between1934 and today deal with the issue. In "Slow" the filmmakers and experts talk about the interactions between ecology and society, industrialization and protest culture, and the role of film as a medium in the sustainability debate.

 

Drehbuch
Nutsa Gogoberidze
Kamera
Shalva Apaqidze
Ton
Mikheil Gotsiridze
Produktion
Georgian Film

Nutsa Gogoberidze -

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