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Completed - GEORGIAN - Drama, Historical, Biography - 100 minutes

Log Line

Out of all of the former Soviet countries, Georgia was the first to elect a President, but he was
also the sole one to be found dead. This film follows him during his last days.

Previous markets

  • Toronto 2010 (Debut)
  • PUSAN 2010 (Line up)
  • Cannes 2011 (Line up)
  • Cannes 2012 (Line up)
Full history

Year of production : 2017

Director(s) : George OVASHVILI
Producer(s) : George OVASHVILI (Alamdary), Eike GORECZKA (42films)

Synopsis

The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and Georgians were able to elect their first president; Zviad
Gamsakhurdia. His presidency turned out to be rather brief. In 1991 his opponents succeeded in
overthrowing him and as a result Gamsakhurdia was forced into exile. The political chaos that
followed the coup d’etat pushed Georgia into a civil war followed by a war in Abkhazia.
In 1992, Gamsakhurdia and his supporters reappeared in western Georgia and he continued to
promote himself as the legitimate President of Georgia. He was still recognized as such by many.
Clashes between pro & anti Gamsakhurdia forces continued throughout 1992 to 1993 and
Gamsakhurdia’s supporters managed some progress but were rapidly driven out by the
governmental forces. These events forced him into his second exile.
Our story begins here. Accompanied by a prime minister and a handful of security guards, he
finds shelter in the mountains though he is often forced to change the place of his location. The
main reason for this is the news about the phantom chasers that allegedly were sent on a mission
to annihilate him. The invisible threat is a big psychological burden on the ex-president. It looks
as if these men on his trail are deliberately pushing him either to commit a suicide or to be killed
by one of his associates. In addition, they also manage to manipulate him into believing that an
armed group of his supporters are still waiting for his reappearance to make a new effort and
restore his presidency.
Winter in the Georgian mountains is severe. After exhausting themselves wandering from place to
place and a number of spectacular adventures, the ex-president and his supporters manage to
find the alleged location of the armed group of his supporters, but it turns out that they are
already gone. Gamsakhurdia’s last hope now perishes. He understands that this is the trap and the end of his wandering. From now on, he is the one who has to make decision about what to do next···.
Zviad Gamsakhurdia died in circumstances that are still unclear. His body was found with a single
bullet wound in the head. A variety of reasons have been given for his death, which is still

Production

Country(ies) : GEORGIA, GERMANY, FRANCE

Financing plan : NGFC, MDM, ACM, MDM, Eurimages

Start of shooting : March 2016

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Festivals and Awards

Karlovy Vary 2017 (Competition)
Golden Apricot - Yerevan IFF 2017
Oostende 2017
Vlissingen 2017
Haifa 2017
Cottbus 2017
Sao Paulo IFF 2017


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