P’EP’LEBIS IDZULEBITI MIGRATSIA

Kosta, Nina, Mischa, Mura and Nata have been friends since their youth. They create music, paintings, stage sets – and yet they can't stay afloat as artists. Every day they meet in Kosta's large but run-down apartment, discuss, argue, stick together and remember old times. They were once young and hopeful. Then, with the war in Abkhazia, came an awareness of their mortality. After an American art collector expresses interest in their works, there’s something in the air for the clique. The signs point to farewell – and departure to other countries. In her bittersweet, humorous drama, the renowned director Nana Djordjadze incorporates Georgia's historical conflicts into the biographies of her heroes – one regularly sees black and white documentary footage of destruction and protests. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, there’s a spirit of optimism, followed by disillusionment and financial hardship. But in their hearts, the friends still celebrate being artists, overcoming spatial distances and refusing to be taken over by outsiders.

Text: Kira Taszman