Self-portrait along the borderline

Georgian 2023 50 minutes
  • Director: Anna Dziapshipa
  • Producer: Anna Dziapshipa
  • Cinematography: Anna Dziapshipa
  • Editing: Eka Tsotsoria
  • Sound: Anna Dziapshipa

An abandoned house opens the door to revisit the past by bringing to life a unique, nearly destroyed image archive from the unrecognised territory on the border of the Black Sea: Abkhazia. A place normally inaccessible for Georgians because of the ethnic conflict that happened between Georgia and Abkhazia back in 1993.

Combining voice, archive and recent footage, the film examines a lost and split identity stuck between the margins. The audio-visual fragments of this archive are intricately woven together to create a personal and political biography that recalls the complicated and controversial historical past of Georgian-Abkhaz relationships.

The highly personal narration delves into the complexities of nationalism and identity in times of war and global displacement. Ultimately, these reflections on recent history become a potential manual for what can come next, once the wars are over.