Adamiani

Spain

2022

62mins

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

Georgian/ Chechen/ Polish/ Russian

Camera

Georgian/ Chechen/ Polish/ Russian

Editing

Georgian/ Chechen/ Polish/ Russian

Sound

Georgian/ Chechen/ Polish/ Russian

Script

Georgian/ Chechen/ Polish/ Russian

Producer

Georgian/ Chechen/ Polish/ Russian

About the filmmaker.

Suraj Bhattarai, 33, is from Thimphu, Bhutan. He recently earned a Master’s in Documentary Film Directing from the Doc Nomads Joint-Masters programme in Lisbon, Budapest, and Belgium. Bhattarai has directed four short documentaries as part of the degree. He also holds a graduate degree in Business from Leiden University. Bhattarai has worked as a documentary producer and attended and pitched a feature project at various documentary platforms and workshops, including Docs Port Incheon (2018) and the Japan Prize in Tokyo (2018) as a finalist. He is currently working as an Assistant Director for a feature length documentary.

 

Suraj Bhattarai

Royal Thimpu College, Ngabiphu 13,

Thimphu, Bhutan, 11001

bhattaraisrj@gmail.com