The Kartli Kingdom

“Kartli” refers to the medieval kingdom of Georgia and a Tbilisi sanatorium housing refugees from Abkhazia – an initially temporary situation that has persisted for 30 years. Kartli’s life is shaped by the melancholy of a lost paradise.

Famously the building, split into two by a fault, is doomed to collapse. Yet the refugees and their descendants have recreated a “country” for themselves: they have a farm, a garden, terraces for dreaming and partying, and a tiny room that serves as their home, where they replay old VHS tapes of their youth.

As sections of Kartli crumble away, sparking fears for residents’ lives, a campaign is fought for immediate relocation, resulting in a slow rehousing process following a tragic suicide. Amid ongoing removals, we see the lives of the residents including Tamuna, experiencing love, marriage, and pregnancy, while the remaining residents grapple with the prospect of leaving the community which facilitated their shared experience.

The film won Best First Feature at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.