The Dazzling Light of Sunset

synopsis

On dilapidated theater stages, the secular rituals of contemporary Georgian society play out: weddings, fashion shows, beauty pageants, political elections. The static camera, which captures this emotionless choreography of ceremonies in wide-angle shots, contrasts with the dynamic pans of the small camera held by a television reporter whose energetic activities keep a local television station going. A series of carefully framed scenes from the events that Dariko chooses to present to her viewers is juxtaposed with images from inside the run-down television studio, which survives thanks to fees earned from reading obituaries.

“It fascinated me how small stories from small towns were so much more important than the big politics. And I wondered what these small stories were.” Salomé Jashi

biography

Salomé Jashi (1981) is a Georgian documentary filmmaker and cinematographer and the co-founder of the Sakdoc Film production company. She lives in Berlin. Her short film Speechless (2009, Jihlava IDFF 2009) is a silent commentary on the Russo-Georgian war. Bakhmaro (2011) was named best documentary from Central and Eastern Europe at Jihlava. The Dazzling Light of Sunset premiered at Visions du Réel, where it won the Regard Neuf Award for first and second films.

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