13 Tzameti

Black and white, 35 mm
France, 2005, 93 min
Section: Another View

Synopsis

The hero of this story, reminiscent of the early works of Bresson and Wenders, is young Sebastien (played by Georges Babluani). Prompted by the vision that he will make lots of money, he enters a strange world behind closed doors which has something of a nightmarish quality about it, where he is required to play a bizarre game of survival. “Memories of my childhood keep coming back to me,” says the director. “The fixed images I have are like rays of light cutting through the darkness. They are always vaguely present, but when I try to re-discover their virginal quality, I no longer sense that childhood innocence.” This original black-and-white film in the style of film noir is a remarkable testimony of people, their arrogance, malice and fear.

About the director

Gela Babluani (b. 1980, Tbilisi, Georgia) is the son of director Temur Babluani, who made such films as La migration des Moineaux (screened in Cannes in 1988) or The Sun of the Wakeful (awarded a Silver Bear at the Berlin IFF in 1993). When he was seventeen, his father sent him and three other siblings to study in Paris, where Gela became involved in film. His first short film A fleur de peau appeared in 2002; 13 Tzameti is his feature debut. He is currently on the set of his second film The Lost Soul (L’âme perdue du sommet), which he is creating together with his father and brother.