HOTEL METALURG
Documentary 72', 2023
Director : Jeanne Nouchi et George Varsimashvili
Writing : Jeanne Nouchi
Production : Jeanne Nouchi, George Varsimashvili
Editing : Claudio Hugues et George Varsimashvili
Music : Elias Benamra
Funds : Script writing CNC, Script writing Région Ile De France, Georgian Film Center, Medimed Anti-pitch, East silver market
Festivals : Sheffield DocFest Compétition internationale / Pillusion Film Festival / Edoc - Festival International de cine documental / SIFF - Svaneti International Film Festival / BIAFF- Batumi International Film Festival / Cinedoc Tbilissi Festival / Kutaisi International Film Festival / Traces de Vies / BIDF - Budapest International Documentary
Screenings : Bertha Doc house, London
Critic of the film by The Guardian magazine : https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/oct/02/hotel-metalurg-review-documentary-refugees-georgia
Survivors of the Abkhaz-Georgian war find themselves under pressure to leave the disused luxury hotel where they have lived for more than 30 years.
The little-known conflict between Georgians and the Abkhaz people in Abkhazia, a partially recognised republic, began following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Many civilians were forced to flee the region, with thousands relocating to Tskaltubo, an abandoned tourist resort known for its Soviet-era luxury sanatoriums. Over the last three decades, most of the community’s men have gone, leaving behind a large population of women and children. The buildings they live in have fallen into a state of disrepair, but these residents remain, living with the hope of one day returning to Abkhazia. The film poetically captures life in this world, giving voice to previously unheard stories, just as the war in Ukraine raises spectres of the past for so many.
