The DOCA Film Club has unveiled a one-of-a-kind program exploring the world of Georgian documentaries from the 1990s and early 2000s, offering a rare chance to see films that capture Georgia’s transition from Soviet republic to independent nation. Taking place at Amirani Cinema every Tuesday at 19:00 until the end of December, the program brings to light works that are almost impossible to find online, many of which have never been shown on the big screen and will be subtitled in English for the first time. Through this series, curators Lika Glurjidze and Luka Bedoshvili invite viewers into the everyday lives, challenges, and hopes of ordinary Georgians during one of the country’s most pivotal periods.
A Window into the Past
This program paints a portrait of Georgia’s struggle for stability and identity in a landscape of shifting political realities, economic hardship, and social upheaval. The selected films cover themes of emigration, cultural resilience, and the transformation of Georgian society as it confronted newfound freedom and its accompanying disillusionments. Across the documentaries, filmmakers turn a sharp and empathetic lens on issues that remain deeply relevant today, from women’s voices to national identity, from daily survival to the persistence of hope.
The films scheduled to screen through November and December include landmark works such as Zahesi 708 by Tamuna Karumidze (2001), a meditation on industrial decline; Women by Vazha Zubashvili (1990), a probing look at the lives of Georgian women; The Bridge (2005) and Altzaney (2009) by Nino Orjonikidze and Vano Arsenishvili, which explore connections and divides in a country wrestling with newfound independence; and Power trip by Paul Devlin (2003), a documentary that investigates Georgia’s privatization struggles through the lens of a controversial American utility company.
With its emphasis on films that confront everyday survival, gender roles, the effects of emigration, and economic uncertainty, this program revives an invaluable archive that reflects not only the social reality of its time but also the enduring resilience of Georgian society.
On November 4th, the program’s opening night introduced audiences to a curated set of films that delved into the 1990s, a decade marked by upheaval and scarcity. Under the theme ‘The Screen that disappeared and Visual Archive, A Window through the Past: A Portrait of life in the 90s’, the night’s lineup offered a multifaceted portrait of life in a country adapting to radical change, where questions of identity, survival, and collective memory took center stage.
Empty Shelves and Frayed Nerves: The Silent Desperation of Economic Collapse
In the 10-minute short ‘The human and the law’ (1991), directed by R. Khuntsoria, G. Rogava, and V. Begoidze, the filmmakers confront viewers with the stark reality of early 1990s economic scarcity. This brief yet impactful work turns the camera on empty grocery counters and endless lines—symbols of both material deprivation and the broader sense of loss felt across society. The human and the law captures an atmosphere of helplessness, offering glimpses of weary faces in queues and shopkeepers grappling with the “possibilities and impossibilities” of selling basic goods. This visual document reflects not just an economic crisis but the spiritual toll it took on a society that had once operated under a centrally planned, albeit constrained, system.
Philosophy and Loss: The Reflections of a Nation through the Voice of Merab Mamardashvili
Nikoloz Drozdov’s ‘The Way Home’ offers a starkly different but equally profound window into the 1990s. This 19-minute film captures the last recorded interview of Georgian philosopher Merab Mamardashvili, who shares his meditations on the identity crisis facing both individuals and the country at large. Filmed just before his death, Mamardashvili’s words transcend the immediate political turbulence to reach into universal questions about freedom, morality, and the search for meaning in tumultuous times. His reflections resonate as a kind of philosophical reckoning for the nation, as he contemplates not only the Georgian identity but the values that would define a future outside Soviet confines. In Mamardashvili’s words, viewers find a nation searching for its “way home.”
Hope on Wheels: Youth, Skateboards, and the Resilient Spirit of Georgia’s Next Generation
In Omar Gvasalia’s ‘Meet our children’, a different tone emerges—one that celebrates the indomitable spirit of youth. This 24-minute documentary captures candid conversations with teenagers, allowing them to speak freely about their dreams and concerns while scenes of them skateboarding provide moments of carefree joy amid difficult times. Unlike the other films, which frame survival as an endless challenge, Meet Our Children hints at hope and transformation, giving a face to the generation that would ultimately come of age in independent Georgia. Gvasalia’s film is a refreshing reminder that, even in the bleakest environments, creativity and joy find ways to surface.
Sport, Identity, and Independence: Georgia’s First Steps into the World Arena
In Alexander Zhgenti’s ‘Do we need the USSR championship in football?’, the familiar passion for sport becomes a lens through which national identity is explored. This 29-minute documentary examines the debate around the USSR football championship as Georgia begins its journey toward independence, showing the first steps in forging a uniquely Georgian identity. Through passionate arguments about the place of football in Georgia’s national consciousness, Zhgenti reveals how the sport can serve as a unifying force; an emblem of solidarity and identity amidst the disintegration of political ties. The film captures the complex interplay of tradition and transformation, showing how even cultural pastimes like football became battlegrounds for the heart of a nation.
An Archive of Resilience and Memory
Each documentary showcased on opening night is not only a historical record but a creative act of survival and witness, capturing the texture of life during a time when both individuals and the nation were searching for footing. Curators Glurjidze and Bedoshvili have crafted this series to be more than an academic survey; it is an immersive experience that invites viewers to connect with the stories of those who lived through Georgia’s transition. The program is based on extensive research, allowing it to function as both an archival project and an active dialogue with the past.
As viewers attend each Tuesday screening at Amirani Cinema, they step into an immersive act of remembering—a bridge between generations. These films invite not only Georgian but also international audiences to consider how socio-political transitions shape lives, challenge identities, and spark a need for expression.
DOCA Film Club’s Georgian documentaries of the 1990s and 2000s series is a profound gesture of cultural reclamation, a curated journey through two decades when filmmakers capture a nation’s struggle, resilience, and hope. Through these films, memories once at risk of fading away are brought vividly back to life, asserting their relevance and resonance for today’s Georgia and beyond.
By Ivan Nechaev
