Sacred Songs

Nona Giunashvili / France, Georgia / 2026 / World Premiere / 65 min.

synopsis

The Pankisi Valley in north-eastern Georgia, a mountainous region along the course of the River Alazani, is home to the Kists, an ethnic community with Chechen roots and their own religious tradition. For generations, the women here have been singing Sufi spiritual songs – meditative compositions expressing love for God and accompanying the journey towards a deeper spiritual experience. The songs are sung in the mosque, but the singers also perform them in European concert halls. The audience’s interest contrasts with the uncertain future of the tradition, which the younger generation of women is refusing to take up. Melancholic views of the rugged agricultural landscape accompany the captivating songs, the protagonists’ life stories and everyday conversations about animals, plants and work. Through the female experience, the film thus explores the relationship between tradition, religion and society, as well as their gradual transformations. Here, Sufi songs represent not only an endangered cultural heritage, but also an intimate expression of faith that comes into conflict with emerging, more radical interpretations of Islam.

“When those women hear applause, they know it’s time to come on stage.”

biography

Nona Giunashvili is a Georgian director, a graduate in film directing from Tbilisi, and the director of several short films. Mariam Bitsadze is a Georgian filmmaker based between Tbilisi and Geneva, where she is currently studying. She founded the production company 17/07 Productions and works in both fictional and documentary film.

film details

director:	Nona Giunashvili
cast:	Raisa Margoshvili, Taisa Margoshvili, Markha Machalikashvili, Rita Fareulidze
producer:	Mariam Bitsadze
script:	Mariam Bitsadze, Nona Giunashvili
photography:	Goga Devdariani, Nika Oqitashvili