History of Georgian Cinema

16th November 1896. Tbilisi Nobiliary Theatre stuck playbills all over Tbilisi announcing “it will be shown the Lumier Cinematography!”

In 1904 saw the opening of the ILUZIONI, which was the first national cinema of Georgia. This was followed in Tbilisi by the opening of many more picture houses such as: APOLO, SKIFI, ERANI, KOLIZEI, CINEMA, MELENELECTRIC and so on.

Since that time companies such as: CHINEZI, AMBROZIO, GOMONI, PATE, SOFIO IVANITSKAIA and GOMONI have seen their main activities become film renting.

The production of Georgian films started as early as 1908. The pioneers of this business were Vasil Amashukeli and Alexander Digmelov. On the whole, films shot by them, which included “Coal Carrying By Camels”, “Baku Markets”, “Kutaisi Landscapes”, were a reflection of those times, that society and events.

1908 is the year of founding of Georgian cinema.

1912 in the cinema house Radiumi, Kutaisi. The premier showing of Vakhtang Amashukeli’s film “Akaki’s traveling in Racha-Lechkhumi”. It was the first Georgian full-length film. Not only did it enter in to the history of world cinematography as a film of high art performance but also it was the first documentary, which had no analogue by that time.

In 1916 the first full-length film QRISTINE was made by the director Alexander Tsutsunava.

In 1918 the first cinema studio in Tbilisi was established by the Belgian firm FILME.

In 1921, and for the following 70 years, Georgia lost its independence. Georgian cinema had been trying to show the truism in an artistic fashion. Film directors had to apply symbols and metaphors, parabolas and allegories to portray their true meaning.

In 1923 with the aforementioned constraints on cinematographers the SAKHKINMRETSVI studio was established.

In 1928 the cinochronic sector was created. By that time there had been almost 200 full-length and Chronicle films made in Georgia.

In 1930 the first animation, entitled SPRING by Director Vladimir Mudjiri, was produced.
In 1932 the first film with sound was shot.
In 1938 the SAKHKINMRETSVI was renamed as the TBILISI CINEMA STUDIO.

In 1947 the Stereo Cinema Studio was opened and, in which the first Soviet full-length stereophonic film was made.

Since 1951 the Tbilisi Cinema Studio has been providing colour films.

In 1953 the Tbilisi Cinema Studio changed its name again and was called as the GEORGIAN FILM.

In 1956, Georgian TV was founded and the herald CINEMA STUDIO was opened to service this new media sector.

In 1958 the Studio Of Scientific-Popular Films was founded.

Foreign cinematographers knew the significant style of Georgian films, that’s why they always supported their authors and not only for their high professional abilities, but for their civil courage and selfless attitude to the art. Step by step the phenomenon of Georgian cinema started to appear.
In the one hundred years existence of the Georgian cinema there have been about 800 full-length films, TV and short films, almost 600 documentaries, scientific-popular and about 300 animations and puppet films produced.
Since the foundation of Georgian cinema lots of well-known Georgian directors have been working there, such as Alexander Tsutsunava, A. Digmelovi, K. Mardjanishvili,
V. Barski, Iv. Erestian, M. Kalatozov (Kalatozishvili), N. Shengelaia,
M. Chiaureli, D. Rondeli, V. Tabliashvili, N. Sanishvili. R. Chkheidze,
O. Ioseliani, E. Shengelaia, L. Gogoberidze, S. Faradjanov, G. Sheng

Georgian cinema has enjoyed wide popularity in almost all international festivals and forums: Cannes, Berlinale, Omerhousen, Venice, Rome and so on. After the fall of The Soviet Union economic and political crisis started in Georgia and film industry was not immune from the problems. Technicians and actors were fired, cinema production companies were closed and their finances were reduced. For almost 10 years the cinema industry had not been technically developed. The result was deplorable and the Georgian cinema industry almost stopped producing new movies.
At present our country tries to support the movie industry. The fundamental reconstruction works at the main building of studio GEORGIAN FILM have been completed. The building has been reconstructed according to modern standards and requirements. Latest production and post-production apparatutus, equipment and technologies have been bought.
Today we can proudly say that that the rejuvenated GEORGIAN FILM is able to be involved in the creation and development of the world movie industry again.