Tbilisi International Film Festival closes with ‘God of Happiness’
By Salome Modebadze
Tuesday, December 8
Giorgi, an unemployed actor, is a typical ne'er-do-well who has not seen his daughter for 10 years. When 15-year-old Tina finally arrives in Georgia to visit her father from Canada, Giorgi pretends that he is a rich director living in a luxurious villa with a new wife. But Tina is a clever girl and she sees through his deception; the only thing she really wants from her father is love and understanding.
Dito Tsintsadze’s ‘God of Happiness’ premiered at Amirani Cinema on December 5, and was the closing film of the Tbilisi International Film Festival (TIFF). The festival has become a traditional cultural event in Georgia, uniting cinema-goers from different parts of the world to watch art house films in Tbilisi.
Traditionally, during the closing ceremony the festival’s jury revealed their favourite films. The Golden Prometheus award for the best feature film went to Senem Tuzen’s ‘Motherland’; the Silver Prometheus for the best director went to Jonas Caprignano’s ‘Mediterranea’. In the national competition, Tornike Bziava’s ‘Wake Man’ received a Prometheus for the best short film; Zaza Khalvashi’s ‘Solomon’ received a Prometheus for the best motion picture, while Salome Machaidze, Tamuna Karumidze and David Meskhi’s ‘When the Earth Seems to be Light’ received a Prometheus for best documentary. This year’s first honorary Prometheus for the contribution to the world cinema went to Harutyun Khachatryan and Lana Ghoghoberidze.
Running within the 16-Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, TIFF 2015 was dedicated to women’s rights and the development of gender democracy in Georgia.
