Private Project

THE PORT THAT NEVER WAS

A deep sea port on its Black sea coast seems the big hope for Georgia to boost its economy and Western ambitions, but an American co-financed port in the region is not in the interest of Putin's Russia.

As part of the Chinese "One Belt. One Road” initiative, Georgia’s top banker Mamuka Khazaradze develops with American and European partners the long awaited deep sea port of Anaklia. But he finds himself suddenly accused of money laundering and gets caught in the tough battle between Russia, China and the West for dominance in world-politics and trade.

In this documentary, which was filmed over a period of 5 years, a non-built seaport becomes the symbol for the dreams and hopes not only of Georgians, but of many people from the countries of the post-Soviet space who are longing for freedom and economic development.

With the background of the ongoing war in Ukraine, THE PORT THAT NEVER WAS shows how Russia already for long has been using ‘soft power’ to secure its interests and restore its former empire.

"A documentary thriller.” Guenther Baechler, former Swiss ambassador and OSCE envoy to Georgia

  • Stefan Tolz
    Director
    Full Speed Westwards (2013), Traders Dreams (2006), On the Edge of Time (2002), Golden Wedding (1996)
  • Stefan Tolz
    Writer
  • Stefan Tolz
    Producer
    Leaning Into the Wind - Andy Goldsworthy (2017), Cahier Africain (2016), Traders' Dreams (2006), The Search for Happiness (2005)
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    PORTI, ROMELIC AR ASHENDA - პორტი, რომელიც არ აშენდა
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 51 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    December 8, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    220,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    Georgia
  • Language:
    English, Georgian, Japanese
  • Shooting Format:
    DCP 5.0 / 5.1.
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Tbilisi International Film Festival
    Tbilisi
    Georgia
    December 10, 2022
    National Team Premiere / Special Screening out of competition
Director Biography - Stefan Tolz

Stefan Tolz, born 1966, is a multi-award winning filmmaker and experienced producer with more than 30 documentaries he directed or produced in the past 25 years. German by origin, he took on Georgian nationality and lives in Tbilisi, where he also runs the ADAMI Media Prize for Cultural Diversity in Eastern Europe.

Selection of feature length documentaries:
2013 Full Speed Westward - Georgia in search for its future
2006 Traders' Dreams
2002 On the Edge of Time - Male Domains in the Caucasus
1996 Golden Wedding
1993 Caucasian Banquet

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

When starting this documentary more than five years ago in 2017, I wanted to follow the development of the deep seaport of Anaklia as an example of the many projects all over Asia and Europe connected to the New Silk Road idea initiated by China.

Living and making films in Georgia for more than 30 years, for me it was also an important question to find out, how a poor country and former Soviet republic can use the chance to develop economically from a state, which mainly depends on tourism and agriculture, into a trade hub with economic benefits for the broad population.

Following the country’s biggest banker, Mamuka Khazaradze, who is considered to be one of the key businessmen with Western ties in Georgia, then suddenly became a political, investigative task as he was attacked by Georgia’s richest man, Bidzina Ivanishvili. Ivanishvili’s party controls the government and parliament and he himself is behind all big decisions for the country’s economy and court system.

Accusing Khazaradze of money laundering one week before important port agreements were to be signed was one of the biggest sabotage actions, followed by many other obstacles which were thrown in the way of the port consortium to find the international finance needed to build the project.

When Georgia’s government strengthened ties with Russia again, despite Russia occupying 20% of Georgia’s territory, tens of thousands of European-oriented Georgians flocked to the streets in protest. Among them Mamuka Khazaradze, who decided to take revenge on Ivanishvili in entering politics. He starts a new party with many young professionals with the goal to ensure Georgia’s future within the West. Though billionaire Ivanishvili, who made his money in Russia earning himself the nickname “Anaconda” for slowly strangling his opponents, used all means to stay in power.

Telling this “battle” to a foreign audience not aware of the depth of the situation in the region and the connections among the political and economic players in the former Soviet republics – which are often linked to each other – proved to be the biggest task in this documentary, as, at the same time, I didn’t want to lose the tension of the story.

As the outcome of the war in Ukraine will be of big importance of where also the countries of Moldova, Georgia and Armenia are heading – I wanted to also make the international audiences aware of the struggle of the people, who are afraid that their European choice (80% of Georgians want their country to be linked to the West) will be buried by Putin’s imperialistic dream to rebuild the Soviet empire.

The film doesn’t have a happy end. I long fought with myself on how to offer more hope at the end. But unfortunately, that’s how many Georgians feel at the moment.