Private Project

Border Games

Synopsis
“Border Games”

It is a strange morning in Tbali town; An old man is walking in the streets, drawing new borders with white paint. There is no sound of shooting, no wounded people – but the territory of the town is being divided. Locals are to change their flag, hymn, traditions, cuisine … The new border turns their everyday lives upside down.

You may wonder what is happening? Well, no more wars are fought in neighbouring countries, as it is too expensive and time consuming, But the three presidents are still greedy, they want more territories and more power. So they made up an easy entertaining solution, why not play with their borders on cards? Of course every game has a loser and winner. Therefore, Tbali, located in the middle of these three countries has to face the direct consequences of their game.

The town is in a fuss, getting ready for the wedding. NUTSA (25) – the bride, is excitingly preparing for the wedding, while the groom GIORGI (25) is nervous.

TV announces change of border and division of the town in two parts.This new border is now effective. Tbali inhabitants are informed, that travel or any contact with the other side of the border is no longer permitted.

Nutsa is shocked, her fiancé lives on the other side of the border. There will be no wedding. Nutsa’s grandmother NONA (70) reassures her and decides to go to the church in order to talk to the priest (50), who always has solutions to any kind of problems, unfortunately he is overwhelmed by the events and has no answer, no wedding has ever being cancelled in his church.
We can already notice the changes appearing in the town. Confused priest goes to the tavern, to drink himself and accept the new reality, together with the winemaker (55) of the town and the bartender (45), they drink and discuss how they can save at least Nutsa’s wedding. It is decided to get the groom to their side of Tbali with tricky and risky plan. Can they overcome the Institutional obstacles set by their presidents?..

  • Elene Mikaberidze
    Writer
    Otto
  • Nikoloz Mdivani
    Writer
    Watermelon; Granny
  • Julien Danero Iglesias
    Writer
    N/A
  • Ketie Danelia
    Producer
    Partisan; Hostages; Dede; Akra; Halo of Stars
  • Tekla Machavariani
    Producer
    Three Steps; Before father is Back;
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Sasazgvro Tamashebi
  • Project Type:
    Treatment
  • Number of Pages:
    8
  • Country of Origin:
    Georgia
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Tbilisi International Film Festival Industry Days
    Tbilisi
    December 1, 2016
    Best Pitch Award
Writer Biography - Elene Mikaberidze , Nikoloz Mdivani , Julien Danero Iglesias

Elene Mikaberidze born in Georgia in 1988, spent most of her Life in Brussels, Belgium.
She studied politics and owns master’s degree in Eastern Europe and Caucasian studies. Elene learned film critic’s courses at the royal Cinematek of Brussels and film trainings at Atelier Alfred. She worked multiple jobs on the set of films starting from script assistant to production management assistant.

Last year, she decided to mix her studies and her passion for the films and made different researches about how can a film be an instrument of peace.
She moved to Georgia, in order to make an ethnographic research about war borders and films and follow her favorite occupation, film directing. She just finished the editing of her two first short films: “Douraka” (5min) And “Otto” (13 min) that she made this year. And at the same time she is working on different screenplays and on the development of her first feature film “Border Games”

Add Writer Biography
Writer Statement

After travelling in Georgia during 3 months, making an ethnographic research on borders there. I could understand the daily life of people living close to the border. Georgia is a country with multiple identities and landscapes. After this research I had a more biased overview of the situation but I am also subjective as my family lives in Abkhazia and it is impossible for me to get there because of my Georgian passport. My personal story pushed me into action. Why a film? I honestly believe in the power of the film, because of its visual role, the idea of the “Border Game’s” came naturally to me.
“Border Games” is first of all a comedy but the essence of it is tragic. Indeed, this story is based on real facts, real stories and real people. Playful aspect of the movie is an efficient approach to describe a conflict. The urgency to show that borders are imaginary is bigger than ever. With “Border Games” I want to use the power and magic of cinema to create a tool for peace. How I want to show it? This story has no time and no concrete location. As a fairy tale, this story takes place in imaginary countries and covers wide range of topics. Frozen and quiet conflicts have no specific colors or the sound of war; it is essential to create an atmosphere with hidden tension, filled with ambient sound, like sound of bangers, of ambulances and police cars. That is why close-shots will be used during conversations within the characters but they will be taken from behind because I don’t want to have the role of a journalist seeking hardly for some information but more as an ethnographer looking with distance and decency to the protagonists. It is for me a delicate manner to get into the intimate environment of the people.
Wide shots and the depth of the field will be used in order to show that the borders are only imaginary and that it is nature that defines the landscape.
I chose to tell the story through a narrator. He brings a playful touch to this film. He takes us from the simple vision reflection to finally think about the border as a universal issue. Since the film has a lot of characters and actions, the narrator will have the role of a guide during the film