PÖFF Honors Georgian film legend Lana Gogoberidze for Lifetime Achievement Award

The second lifetime achievement award of this year’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) will be given to one of Georgia’s most renowned directors, Lana Gogoberidze.  The 96-year-old legend will be presenting two of her films at this year's festival.

Photo: Lana Gogoberidze

Recently celebrating her 96th birthday, Gogoberidze is known for her films that predominantly depict strong women who fight against fate and dare to defy societal norms to maintain their independence.
Her mother, Nutsa Gogoberidze, was the first female film director in Georgia and one of the first in the Soviet Union. Nutsa's life mirrored the great upheavals of the 20th century: her films were banned immediately after their release, her husband was executed during the Great Terror, and she herself was sent to Siberia for ten years in 1937 as the wife of a "public enemy". After returning from the labor camp, she never spoke of her films, which her daughter discovered only half a century after her death.

Her most recent film, the documentary Mother and Daughter, or Darkness Never Ends, completed just last year, tells the tragic story of Nutsa Gogoberidze. Film will have a special gala screening on November 21 at 6 PM at Apollo Cinema Coca-Cola Plaza. Additionally, PÖFF will honor Gogoberidze’s legacy with a screening of Some Interviews on Personal Matters on November 22 at 6 PM at the same venue. The film explores the lives of Georgian women of her time, free from Soviet stereotypes. It has been called one of the first truly feminist films in the Soviet Union. Both screenings will be introduced by Lana Gogoberidze herself.

“I probably started making films about women because of my mother, who has always been in my thoughts,” Gogoberidze has reflected.

According to PÖFF director Tiina Lokk, Lana Gogoberidze is a unique figure, focusing her artistic work on women’s stories even during times when it was difficult for female directors to establish themselves.

Lana Gogoberidze has made over ten feature films. Her notable works include I See the Sun (1965), When Almonds Blossomed (1972), A Day Is Longer Than Night (1984), Full Circle (1986), and Waltz on the Pechora (1992). Her films have been showcased at major festivals such as Venice, Cannes, and Berlin, and she has received numerous awards.

In 1988, she was elected president of the International Association of Women Directors. She has also served as a member of the Georgian Parliament and as Georgia’s ambassador to France. Throughout her career, Gogoberidze has advocated for the independence of Georgian cinema, a free society, and democratic values.

The lifetime achievement award will be presented to her during PÖFF’s closing ceremony.

Traditionally, PÖFF grants two lifetime achievement awards each year: one to an international filmmaker and the other to an Estonian filmmaker. This year’s Estonian recipient was director Peeter Simm.

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival with Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event and with the two sub-festivals, Just Film and PÖFF Shorts, has grown into one of the biggest film festivals in Northern Europe and the busiest regional industry platforms. The award ceremony will be held on the 23rd of November and will be broadcasted at poff.elisastage.ee

Mother and Daughter, or the Night is Never Complete. Photo: film still

Some Interviews on Personal Matters. Photo: film still