Berlinale 74 will sadly go into history not for its films, probably not for its winners either, but for the infamous political scandals that overshadowed it all. Cinema as we used to know it is in deep crisis, and so is Berlinale in the epoch of digital revolution, with its streaming services and videos on demand. The questionable merit of the films in the festival program certainly didn’t give it any extra credit this year.
The Georgian films in the 2024 Berlinale program were not political enough to qualify for any official jury awards, in spite of the fact that documentaries were so in this season. Sadly enough, Lana Gogoberidze’s moving and highly poetic work based on true facts and narrating the story of her mother – the first Georgian woman film-maker, brutally persecuted by the Stalinist totalitarian regime, didn’t get any bears. “Deda-Shvili an game ar aris arasodes bolomde bneli” (Mother and Daughter or the Night Is Never Complete) was screened within the Berlinale Forum Special three times. (See our review in the previous issue of GT).
In his feature Crossing, Levan Akin, the Swedish filmmaker with Georgian roots, told the story of Lia, a retired teacher who made it her mission to find out what happened to her niece Tekla, who disappeared a long time ago. She learned from Achi, a neighbor, that Tekla may have left her native Georgia and was living in Turkey. Together, they set off in search of her. Istanbul welcomed them as a beautiful city full of connections and opportunities. Nevertheless, the search for someone who doesn’t want to be found is harder than they thought. They meet Evrim, a lawyer who fights for trans rights. As the two women make their way through Istanbul’s backstreets Tekla’s presence feels as ambiguous as ever before. “Crossing” received the Teddy Award for the Ensemble Cast and was the opening film of the Panorama section. The film was second best in the Panorama Audience Award.
Greek film-maker Dimitris Athiridis’ “Exergue – on documenta 14” accompanied curator Adam Szymczyk and his team over several years during the preparation of documeta 14. In this approximately 14-hour-long gripping documentary, viewers are taken behind the scenes of the intricate and often tumultuous world of exhibition making. From the competing interests of participating artists to the challenges of ill-managed budgets and curatorial egos, the film offers a candid and emotionally charged exploration of the complexities inherent in bringing art to the public eye. Amidst the backdrop of capitalist societies, the documentary delves into the thorny issues of the value and ownership of art, shedding light on the elusive nature of artistic worth in the face of market pressures. Against this, the film chronicles the valiant efforts of curators to break free from conventional art market establishment, daring in vain to challenge the status quo in the pursuit of something off the beaten paths as long as and as far as Germany’s state cultural/documenta funding would allow for. So much for films, politics and money.
Review by Lily Fürstenow
