13/08/2024 - The Georgian cinematographer-turned-director talks about his feature directorial debut, a production for which he wears multiple hats, serving as director, screenwriter, producer and DoP

(© Tymur Yashchenko)

Holy Electricity [+see also:
film review
interview: Tato Kotetishvili
film profile] follows two cousins, Gonga (Nika Gongadze) and Bart (Nikolo Ghviniashvili), who embark on a door-to-door journey, selling LED crosses they discovered in a scrapyard. The duo encounters a wide array of eccentric characters, collectively creating a vibrant collage of contemporary Tbilisi. After the film's premiere in the Cineasti del presente competition of the Locarno Film Festival, Cineuropa sat down with director Tato Kotetishvili to discuss his peculiar characters and neon crosses.

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Cineuropa: The film, although fictional, has a documentary feel. How did you blend the elements of fiction and documentary?
Tato Kotetishvili: The cast consists of non-professional actors and the dialogues are improvised. I arrange the scene and ensure the actors feel comfortable. They know the guidelines but they can freely improvise. I believe this contributes to the film’s documentary-like feel. Also, as we were shooting outside a lot, people approached us and wondered whether they could participate in the film. Many of them appear on the screen.

Why did you choose to cast non-professional actors?
For all my short films, I've consistently worked with a non-professional cast rather than professionals. The experience was good so I chose to work the same way on my first feature.

The film displays a diverse and peculiar variety of characters. How did you assemble this eclectic group?
Over the years, I've encountered many of these individuals while observing and photographing Tbilisi. Additionally, other crew members were proposing interesting characters. Some came from the casting process. I also placed some job advertisements and that attracted quite unusual people seeking work. Many of them are in the film.

How do you perceive your main characters, the cousins? Are they simply naïve and pragmatic or is it more about taking advantage of the opportunities that arise?
I really love them and all my characters in general. Even if they make mistakes, their intentions are not bad. They try to find their identity and move on. Nevertheless, their forgiving nature is crucial.

The ones buying the LED crosses can be perceived as gullible. Did you intentionally or implicitly convey any commentary on Georgian society?
Some things are unintentional, some intentional. It's about our society and everyone in the film is a real member of it.

Can you delve into the reasons behind the significance of the crosses and the religious aspect of your film?
In Georgia, the cross is an important symbol. Even our flag has five crosses. Crosses are everywhere and almost everyone has them. It doesn’t matter if you are religious or not, religion is part of your life. LED crosses have become more prevalent in recent years, and I thought it would be logical for my characters to discover them and see a business opportunity.

What motivated the decision to take on multiple roles in the film? How did you juggle all these positions?
We were three screenwriters [Tato Kotetishvili, Irine Jordania, Nutsa Tsikaridze] thus the responsibility was shared. As my background is in cinematography, it was hard to let someone else shoot it. I adapted the process accordingly. When we were shooting static scenes, I could focus on the actors. Also, we didn't use so much lighting. Therefore I didn't have to communicate with the light technicians or electricians which would normally take all my attention as a cinematographer.

Coming from a small country with a small film industry, I've noticed that whenever a local film achieves international recognition, it brings a sense of pride and uplifts the entire industry. Is it similar in Georgia and for you given your film’s international breakthrough?
When this kind of thing happens, the filmmaker’s community is very happy. We take great pride in each other's achievements, learning and supporting one another along the way. This exchange and any Georgian film’s success inspires me and gives me a stimulus. I'm here because other colleagues were here before me.