Archive of films Corn Island / Simindis kundzuli

Georgia / Germany / France / Czech Republic / Kazakhstan
2014, 100 min

Section: Official Selection - Competition
Year: 2014

Told through captivating imagery and visuals this long-awaited movie from a renowned Georgian filmmaker is an unusual psychological drama that demonstrates just how unnecessary dialogue can be for creating maximum audience effect. An old peasant and his innocent 16-year-old granddaughter sow corn on an island in the middle of the Inguri River dividing Georgia from Abkhazia. The intense bond between nature and the two individuals is disturbed, however, by the arrival of the border police.

Synopsis

The Inguri River forms a natural border dividing Georgia from Abkhazia. One of the spring floods has created a little island in the middle of the river, as if made for the cultivation of corn. At least, this is the belief of an old peasant, whose sunburned face resembles the landscape he has trodden for dozens of years. In his long-awaited new movie, the Georgian filmmaker finds a quiet companion in the old man, who carries out his work silently and with almost ritual deliberation; Ovashvili moves fluidly around his subjects, allowing Elemer Ragalyi’s camera to perform pure magic. Betraying an eye for scenic composition and practically without the use of dialogue, the director pieces together a crystal clear drama of the bond between man and nature. The captivating imagery is complemented by the protagonists’ intense expressions, which reflect apprehension the moment a border patrol boat approaches the island. Capturing the characters’ daily toil and minimal interaction in a fashion all its own, this psychological drama achieves a symbolic timelessness.

About the director

George Ovashvili (b. 1963, Mtskheta, USSR) studied at the Georgian State Institute of Film and Theatre (1996) and at the Hollywood branch of the New York Film Academy (2006). He is involved both in documentary and feature film work, which he frequently also produces himself. He has made several remarkable short films, with Eye Level (Mzeris Doneze) winning awards at Berlin and Odense in 2005. In 2009 KVIFF’s East of the West competition section screened his feature debut The Other Bank (Gagma Napiri, 2008), which garnered around fifty awards and was nominated for the European Film Academy’s European Discovery of the Year.

Contacts

Pascale Ramonda
91 rue de Ménilmontant, 75020, Paris
France
Tel: +33 662 013 241
E-mail: [email protected]

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About the film

Color, DCP
World premiere

Section:	Official Selection - Competition

Director:	George Ovashvili
Screenplay:	Nugzar Shataidze, George Ovashvili, Roelof Jan Minneboo
Dir. of Photography:	Elemer Ragalyi
Music:	Josef Bardanashvili
Editor:	Sun-Min Kim
Producer:	Nino Devdariani
Production:	Alamdary Film
Coproduction:	42film, Arizona Productions, Axman Production, Kazakhfilm
Cast:	Ilyas Salman, Mariam Buturishvili, Irakli Samushia, Tamer levent
Contact:	Pascale Ramonda

Distributor, PR & Marketing

Arkaitz Basterra

Film Crew

Josef Bardanashvili

Music Composer

Natalia Tychinskaia

Producer