IFFI: Georgia ambassador invites Indian filmmakers for co-productions

GOA: Zurab Katchkatchishvili, the ambassador of Georgia to India has invited Indian filmmakers for engaging in co-productions with Georgian film industry.

Present at Goa to represent his country and its Cinema at IFFI 2010 where Georgia is one of the Countries in Focus, Mr. Katchkatchishvili while interacting with press here at the Media Centre said that Georgian government will provide incentives to the film makers, especially to Indian film makers, who opt for co-productions or shoot in Georgia.

He said, the government is working on some of the tax incentives and would do all possible to facilitate the film makers coming to Georgia. He also informed the press that representatives of Indian film industry will be visiting Georgia before the end of this year to see the picturesque locales and to explore possibilities of co-productions. Pitching for his country, he said that it is a small country with diversified and beautiful landscapes which offer a huge variety to any film maker.

“We would like to get more Indian film makers to Georgia making it more appealing than Switzerland,” he said.

Talking about the long and rich tradition of cinema in Georgia, director and script writer Nana Janelidze shared with the press the under-currents of cinema of her country. She also invited Indian film makers to her country and described lack of funding as one of the main impediment for lesser number of films being produced there. Since its independence from the Soviet Union some 20 years back, Georgia has only produced 20 movies. The country has been through turbulent times witnessing 3 civil wars and financial crisis. On an average, 3 movies are produced every year now. Most of the films produced are co-productions.

In the Country Focus on Georgia at IFFI 2010, 5 films will be screened. The opening day saw the screening of Ms. Nana Janelidze’s film Repentance (1984). The other films which will be screened here include Pirosmani (1969), The Legend of Suram Fortress (1984), The Sun of the Sleepless (1992) and A Trip to Karabakh (2005).