Don’t miss our co-presentation at Hot Docs 2013. Read our guest blogger Diana Kluge's review from Amsterdam's IDFA here:
When I saw THE MACHINE WHICH MAKES EVERYTHING DISAPPEAR for the first time at the
International Documentary Film Festival (IDFA) Amsterdam last year, I was impressed. The documentary clearly demonstrates what filmmaking is all about: telling strong stories you won't forget. The debut by Tinatin Gurchiani takes us on a special journey through her home country of Georgia. She presents us with stories and images of its past and present that will stay with you long after the film has ended.
In 2011, the filmmaker launched a casting call looking for 15-23 year old youths for a film. The documentary is built from those auditions and around those who came to share their stories. The most promising ones she even followed out of the audition rooms and into their homes. The young people standing in front of the camera remain shy and curious as they share their stories and dreams with us.
The process of filmmaking becomes a welcome vehicle for them to escape their realities for a moment. We will meet for instance a bride on her wedding day, the young mayor of a small village where only elderly people are living now, and a young girl who wants to escape from her life before it has even started.
The concept is not new or particularly original and seems a little predictable at times, but what strikes you most is the ability and skill of the filmmaker to get these young protagonists to open up in front of the camera. It results in a personal and touching view into Georgian society and a new generation, full of both despair and hope. People are still haunted by the remains of the Soviet era while struggling to keep up with new, rapidly changing times where only the fittest will survive.
Tinatin Gurchiani’s film depicts these daily struggles with a lot of admiration for her protagonists and creates an inspiring piece about survival, and life itself.
Diana Kluge is a Berlin-based professional film enthusiast who has been working as a programmer, coordinator and press agent for international and national film festivals for several years.
