When 22-year-old Georgian filmmaker Tiku Kobiashvili took to the streets of Tbilisi in 2024, she did not yet know that the protests against the controversial “Foreign Agents” law would not only change her own life, but also place her among the filmmakers selected for the prestigious 75th Berlin International Film Festival. Her 43-minute documentary ‘Inner Blooming Springs’ (Shinagani gazapkhulebis q’vaviloba)—a deeply personal account of the youth-driven resistance—has been selected for the Forum program, a section dedicated to politically and socially engaged cinema.
In the Georgian context, the connection between film and politics is deep-rooted. The Soviet-era censorship of cinema shaped an entire generation of directors who learned to encode political dissent into poetic allegories. Directors like Otar Iosseliani and Tengiz Abuladze navigated these constraints, producing films that spoke in whispers yet carried seismic cultural weight. Today, Kobiashvili follows in their footsteps, albeit in a digital age, where immediacy, rawness, and direct confrontation define protest cinema.
Berlinale: A Platform for Socially Engaged Cinema
Unlike Cannes, which leans toward the glamorous and auteur-driven, or Venice, which balances art-house and Hollywood, the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) has positioned itself as the most politically conscious festival of the “Big Three.”
Films awarded at Berlinale frequently reflect urgent social themes. The 2023 Golden Bear winner, Nicolas Philibert’s On the Adamant, was an intimate portrayal of mental health care in France. In previous years, Gianfranco Rosi’s Fire at Sea exposed the European migrant crisis, while Jafar Panahi’s Taxi was an act of defiance against Iran’s censorship regime.
Georgia has made an impact at Berlinale before. In 2021, Alexandre Koberidze’s ‘What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?’ won the FIPRESCI Prize. In 2024, Levan Akin’s ‘Crossroads’ (Perestroika) won the Teddy Award and the Audience Award, signaling a growing international recognition of Georgia’s film industry. Kobiashvili’s ‘Inner Blooming Springs’ continues this trajectory, proving that Georgian cinema remains a crucial voice on the world stage.
The “Foreign Agents” Law and the Role of Film in Protest
The protests that Inner Blooming Springs documents were sparked by the “Foreign Agents” law, a piece of legislation requiring organizations receiving foreign funding to register as “foreign agents.” Critics condemned it as a Kremlin-style measure to silence independent media and NGOs. Georgia is not alone in this struggle. Similar laws in Russia and Hungary have curtailed civil society, while the Hong Kong protests of 2019-2020 saw government crackdowns on freedom of expression. Documentaries like ‘Do Not Split’ (2020) and ‘Winter on Fire’ (2015) chronicled those movements, just as Kobiashvili’s film now captures the Georgian fight for democracy.
The role of documentary film in protest movements is profound. According to sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, media representation shapes public perception of social struggles. By documenting unrest, filmmakers create counter-narratives to state-controlled messaging. Film thus becomes both a historical record and an act of resistance. Anthropologists argue that collective memory is central to national identity. Historian Benedict Anderson described nations as “imagined communities,” constructed through shared symbols and stories. If history books are written by the victors, documentary film provides an alternative history—one told from the streets, not the halls of power.
In Georgia, this practice of counter-history is crucial. The Rose Revolution of 2003 and the 2008 Russia-Georgia War have been depicted in films, shaping how younger generations understand their past. Kobiashvili’s work continues this tradition, ensuring that the 2024 protests are documented not as abstract political events, but as lived experiences of resistance.
A Blooming Revolution in Georgian Film
With a new generation of filmmakers like Kobiashvili emerging, Georgian cinema stands at a crossroads. Will it continue to serve as a tool of political expression, or will it shift toward commercial viability? The success of Inner Blooming Springs at Berlinale suggests that global audiences are eager for films that blend personal storytelling with social urgency. Historically, national cinemas have evolved in response to political climates. The Iranian New Wave, for instance, flourished under censorship, producing deeply allegorical works. Similarly, Polish cinema during the Cold War used symbolism to challenge state narratives. Georgia’s filmmakers now face a similar challenge: to navigate political pressures while maintaining their artistic and ethical integrity.
The selection of Inner Blooming Springs at Berlinale is more than just a milestone for its young director; it is a testament to the power of film as a cultural force. It reflects the urgency of Georgian youth, the resilience of its artistic community, and the ability of cinema to serve as both a mirror and a megaphone for social change. In an age where information is weaponized, documentaries like Inner Blooming Springs become acts of defiance, resisting erasure and preserving memory. Through Kobiashvili’s lens, we do not just witness a protest—we experience its hopes, its fears, and its unyielding spirit. And that, perhaps, is the greatest power of cinema: to turn moments into movements, and stories into revolutions.
By Ivan Nechaev
