Georgia keeps smiling in the international competition

Ten Georgian mothers fighting for $25, 000 and an apartment, try to please the jury with their beauty, wisdom and talent as much as they can. However, nothing is worth the human feelings and emotions. However, they have to keep smiling.

Georgian film director Rusudan Chkonia is the author of the script of her film. Her Georgian-French-Luxemburg co-production was premiered at the Venice Film Festival, in parallel with Venice Days, and won the Jury Special Prize at the Antalya IFF.

Keep Smiling is participating in the international competition of the 13th Tbilisi International Film Festival (TIFF) and will compete for the golden or silver Prometheus awards for Best Film and Best Director with Spanish, Swiss, Italian and other European directors.

Tamri Bziava performs one of the mothers. She felt very excited for the film’s success on the international level and hoped the Georgian audience would also “keep smiling.”

“We really received a lot of awards– Istvan Sabo gave us the jury award recently and I am very happy,” Bziava told the Messenger. She also saw the film for the first time at TIFF.

Emphasizing the importance of the Tbilisi International Film Festival, she said she loves cinematography most of all. “Nothing better can happen in the country,” she said.

The Director of the Georgian National Film Centre, Tamar Tatishvili, stressed the importance of developing local films and encouraged everyone to see as many Georgian films during the TIFF as possible.

The jury of the international competition is chaired by Iranian film director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. The Makhmalbaf family is the special guest of the festival. On the second day of TIFF on December 4, Mohsen Makhmalbaf provided a master class for young film directors after his film Hello Cinema (1995).

The Iranian director shared pieces of advice for future film-makers. He said it is always better to practice knowledge than deepen theoretical your background.

Makhmalbaf thinks that those who just read are better critiques rather than creators.

TIFF continues at the Amirani and Rustaveli cinemas and offers a variety of films from all over the world including short and long-feature films, as well as animations and documentaries.

*For a full list of the festival's films, times and dates, please click on the link below:

http://www.tbilisifilmfestival.ge/uploads/program_2012/Programa_2012_Eng_optimized.indd-2.pdf