The first film festival showcasing the works of young Chechen directors took place in the Pankisi Gorge from June 5 to 17. The main themes of the film screenings included migration, memory, the experience of war, and returning to one’s roots.
The organizers noted that screenings of Chechen cinema have been taking place in Georgia for several months, including in Tbilisi, where audiences often continued discussing the films after the screenings.
The program featured three films of various genres and forms, united by the themes of identity and the search for one’s place.
The festival is supported by the Roddy Scott Foundation, an educational center established in memory of the British war correspondent Roddy Scott, who covered the Second Chechen War and visited the Pankisi Gorge.
Radio Liberty reports that one of the centerpiece films was Malika Musaeva’s “Cage Is Looking for a Bird,” which premiered in the Encounters section of the Berlin International Film Festival. This is the first Chechen-language film to be included in a competition program of this level.
The film tells the story of a teenager who dreams of leaving her Chechen village to start a new life. The picture touches upon the theme of loss associated with the Second Chechen War.
Despite international recognition, access to the films shown in Pankisi is restricted within Chechnya itself. An anonymous Chechen sociologist believes that such cinema cannot be freely distributed in the region today due to the sensitivity of themes related to war, identity, and social norms.
