Adamiani
Japan/ Netherlands
2021
120 min
The Kists are Georgian Chechens who live in the Pankisi Gorge. The local men are known for their bravery but are also infamous for being seen as terrorists. The valley is going through a period of change, led by Leila, who lost her two sons in Syria. After the sorrow of their deaths, Leila starts a guesthouse with her daughter, believing that revitalizing the region through tourism could help remove the stigma and terrorist label attached to the valley. Her cousin Abo, too, has the soul of a fighter. But while many of his friends have went to Syria, he chooses a different path, starting a tour company with a Polish woman. The valley receives guests from Europe, women of different religions and cultures. But just when things are poised to improve, an incident occurs.
Original Language
Georgian/ Chechen/ Polish/ Russian
Direction
Hirotoshi Takeoka
Camera
Hirotoshi Takeoka
Editing
Herbert Hunger
Sound
NA
Script
NA
Producer
Hirotoshi Takeoka
About the filmmaker.
Takeoka Hiroshi was born in Osaka, Japan and studied Japanese literature at the University of Kinki before joining the Image Forum Institute of the Moving Image to study filmmaking. Since 2010, he has worked on TV documentaries about people trying to cope with the Chechen conflict in Georgia’s Pankisi Valley. Chechenʼs Heart of Life won Japanʼs Best New Director Award (2014) and Mothers of Change (2019) won the ATP Best Documentary Award. His debut film, Adamiani, won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2022 Krakow Film Festival.