British Georgian Society

Kancheli at 'Little Georgia' 17 - 18 December 2011

Giya Kancheli is Georgia's leading composer. 

Throughout his distinguished career, Giya Kancheli has written extensively for film and theatre and collaborated with many of Georgia's leading directors including Robert Sturua, Eldar Shengelaya and Georgi Danelia. A book of the composer's themes for stage and screen was published in 2009, 'Simple Music for Piano' with drawings by Rezo Gabriadze. 

BGS is celebrating Kancheli's 75th year at London's exciting and newest Georgian Restaurant, Tinatin Tuskadze's Little Georgia. During the weekend, films with Kancheli scores will be screened and on Sunday evening the Georgian pianist Alisa Tavdidishvili will perform some of the 33 pieces from 'Simple Music for Piano' by Giya Kancheli.

Read more: Kancheli at 'Little Georgia' 17 - 18 December 2011

BGS Christmas Party and Kancheli Book Launch 18/12/2011

Go to Kancheli at 'Little Georgia' 17 - 18 December 2011 for full details. View summary of timings (as pdf).

Confidence-building efforts in the Caucasus: the NGO dimension 19th January 2012

A joint BGS/King's College briefing/seminar

War Studies Meeting Room, 6th Floor, King's Building, Strand Campus, King's College London. 6 - 8 pm.

Read more: Confidence-building efforts in the Caucasus: the NGO dimension 19th January 2012

BGS Georgian Film Festival 2010

The 2nd BGS Georgian Film Festival - Life Through Cinema - took place at London's Riverside Studios in September 2010 and successfully combined old and new films with the help of the Georgian National Film Centre.

You can view detail of the Film Festival 2010 (opens a new window).

BGS Georgian Film Festival 2005

In 2005 the BGS and the ICA hosted a fortnight of the best new feature and documentary films to have come out of Georgia. You can view the ICA press release and a The Independent's preview.

BGS Film Screenings at the Embassy

BGS film screenings at the Embassy will resume February 2011.

The screenings usually include the most up-to-date prints in Georgian with English subtitles and start at 7pm. BGS is grateful to Nino Andjaparidze, director of the Tbilisi International Film Festival, for her expert help and advice. 

Georgian Embassy
4 Russell Gardens
London W14 8EZ
020 7603 7799

My English Grandfather (1986) anu chemi ingliseli Papa

Director Nana Djordjadze made the only Georgian film to be nominated for an oscar, A Chef in Love (1996). Her 1986 comedy, My English Grandfather also called Robinson Crusoe in Georgia hence Robinsoniada, was entered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival and won the prestigious Caméra d'Or as a first feature. Djordjadze (born in 1948) graduated in architecture but started acting and then in 1974 enrolled in the film classes of Tengiz Abuladze and Irakli Kvririkadze in the Faculty of Film Direction at the Rustaveli State Theatre Institute, Tbilisi. Like other leading Georgian filmmakers of the time, Djordjadze left Georgia in the early 1990s and has made her home in Berlin. 

Read more: My English Grandfather (1986) anu chemi ingliseli Papa

Keto and Kote introduced by Gela Charkviani

The earliest full-scale Georgian cinematic musical Keto and Kote (1948), based on the comic opera by Viktor Dolidze, was screened at the Georgian Embassy in April 2011, with the first showing of a newly restored print. Directed by Vakhtang Tabliashvili and Shalva Gedevanishvili, starring leading actors of different generations, such as Medea Japaridze, Veriko Andjaparidze, Vaso Godziashvili and Akaki Kvantaliani, the film features splendid music, choreography and humour.

In a wonderfully entertaining and fascinating introduction Gela Charkviani, the distinguished diplomat, TV personality and former Ambassador to the UK and Ireland, described how the Chattanooga Choo Choo did more for American diplomacy than the CIA ever could.

Read more: Keto and Kote introduced by Gela Charkviani

A Trip to Karabakh (Gaseirneba Kharabakhshi)

Winner of the 'Golden Vine' - Grand Prize at the CIS and Baltic States Festival. A collaboration between director Levan Tutberidze and writer Aka Morchiladze. It follows the journey of two young men from Tbilisi to Azerbaijanin search of drugs, who accidentally end up in war-torn Karabakh. This is a poignant and entertaining film about the futility of war and the contradictions and complexities of the South Caucasus. The film is being shown with English sub-titles. 105 minutes. Please email info@britishgeorgian society.org if you wish to attend.

Georgian Embassy 7.00pm Wednesday 12th October

4 Russell Gardens
London W14 8EZ
020 7603 7799

Botanical Introduction to Georgia

This fascinating talk by two speakers from the Botanical Gardens at Kew - Clare Trivedi and Guy Moore - was given at the Georgian Embassy on 12 July 2011.