© Alva Film, Takes Film
Etero, a 48-year-old woman living in a small village in Georgia, never wanted a husband. She cherishes her freedom as much as her cakes. But her choice to live alone is the cause of much gossip among her fellow villagers. Unexpectedly, she finds herself passionately falling for a man, and is suddenly faced with the decision to pursue a relationship or continue a life of independence. Etero must grapple with her feelings and decide how to find her own path to happiness. After its premiere in 2023 at Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes, Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry was screened in many international film festivals including Karlovy Vary, Sarajevo, where it won Best Feature Film and Best Actress awards, and Thessaloniki.
“The novel is written in the first person singular. The reader can follow Etero’s everyday life and have access to her mind. I wanted to keep this intimacy with the character in my adaptation, because Etero’s humble life carries a truly universal dimension. Etero embodies the voice in every one of us, whatever our gender, that wishes to emancipate from a sexist society and culture. She strives for her own freedom and has to fight against social construct from within herself as well as from people around her. This universality is also echoed in other characters like Etero’s lover, who is himself trapped within the social construct of patriarchy, where he needs to perform his role but at the same time suffers from it.” (E. Naveriani)
Sceneggiatura / Screenplay: Nikoloz Mdivani, Elene Naveriani,
tratta dal romanzo omonimo di / based on novel of the same title by Tamta Melashvili
Fotografia / Photography: Agnesh Pakozdi
Montaggio / Editing: Aurora Franco Vögeli
Suono / Sound: Philippe Ciompi, Marc von Stürler
Scenografia / Art Director: Teo Baramidze
Costumi / Costume Designer: Nino Injia
Interpreti / Cast: Eka Chavleishvili, Temiko Chinchinadze, Pikria Nikabadze, Anka Khurtsidze, Tamar Mdinaradze, Lia Abuladze
Produzione / Produced by: Alva Film, Takes Film
Produttore associato / Associate Produced by: Heimatfilm
Con il sostegno di / Supported by: SRF Swiss Radio and Television, Office Fédéral de la Culture, Cinéforom, Loterie Romande, Procinema Berne, Suissimage, SSA, Swiss Films, Film in Georgia Cash Rebate Program, Georgian Public Broadcaster, Hubert Bals Funds
Distribuzione internazionale / World Sales: Totem Films
Elene Naveriani
Film director and writer, Elene Naveriani was born in 1985 in Tbilisi. After studying at Tbilisi’s State Academy of Art, in 2008 Elene moved to Geneva and graduated in cinema from the School of Art and Design (HEAD) in 2014. Elene lives and works between Tbilisi and Geneva. Their first feature I Am Truly a Drop of Sun on Earth (2017) premiered in Rotterdam and was awarded numerous prizes. Their second feature film Wet Sand after its world premiere in Locarno, where it earned the Best Actor’s Prize, was also screened at the Trieste FF 2022 in the ‘Wild Roses: Women Filmmakers in Europe – Focus on Georgia’ section.
2013 Father Bless Us cm / sf 2014 Les évangiles d’Anasyrma (Gospel of Anasyrma) cm / sf 2017 Me mzis skivi var dedamicaze (I Am Truly a Drop of Sun on Earth) 2018 Lantsky Papa’s Stolen Ox cm / sf doc. 2019 Red Ants Bite cm / sf 2021 Wet Sand; Premi / Awards: Locarno IFF – Migliore attore / Best Actor 2023 Shashvi shashvi maq’vali (Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry); Premi / Awards: Sarajevo FF – Miglior film, Migliore attrice / Best Feature Film, Best Actress; New Horizons IFF – Premio del pubblico / Audience Award.
