"NAMME“

Filmscreening and Discussion

Sunday, October 6, 19:00h
ACUDkino, Veteranenstr. 21 * 10119 Berlin

Namme
Zaza Khalvashi/ Georgia 2017 OMEU 91 min

The work of Zaza Khalvashi (b. 1957) holds a unique place in Georgian cinema. As a filmmaker from Batumi, Adjara, Khalvashi focuses on the country's periphery in the Caucasus, bringing to light stories often overlooked by contemporary Georgian film. His 2017 film "Namme," which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, is set in a culturally and religiously diverse Muslim mountain village in Adjara. The film follows the coming-of-age journey of Namme, the only daughter among four siblings, who must protect a sacred spring her family has guarded for generations.

However, Namme is more than just a guardian. Khalvashi masterfully weaves a poetic narrative that explores the tension between modernity and tradition, while also criticizing the relentless exploitation of nature. As a hydroelectric plant is constructed in the village, water—the film's central element—becomes a powerful symbol around which all actions revolve. In "Namme," the late director creates a world that, while seemingly mythical, is gradually stripped of its enchantment through the conflicts of culture, identity, ecology, technology, and myth.

Introduction: Susanne Strätling

The film will be followed by a discussion with the historians Manana Nikabadze and Tamar Qeburia.

Moderation: Irine Beridze, Literature and cultural scientist

Organized by DGO and the Institute for Eastern European Studies of Freie Universität Berlin.

Admission by tickets available soon at www.acudkino.de