A film about Georgia’s Kist women by director Nona Giunashvili has been named the best Central and Eastern European documentary at the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival in the Czech Republic. The film, Holy Songs, received the Opus Bonum award in the feature documentary competition.
In its citation, the jury noted that the film is distinguished by deep visual thinking and nuanced observation.
“The film we selected creates an elevated and unexpected portrait of a community and artistic practice caught between the currents of tradition and modernity.”
In presenting the award to Nona Giunashvili, the jury highlighted the work’s “layered, resonant vocal harmonies and dynamic dance rhythms of Sufi devotional chants” performed by Kist women in Georgia.
The documentary focuses on the female residents of the Pankisi Gorge, who pass down their verses and chants from generation to generation in an effort to preserve a slowly fading Sufi tradition. Filmed over the course of 11 years, the documentary explores the unique musical heritage of Pankisi.
Nona Giunashvili is a film directing graduate of the Georgian Technical University. Early in her career, she directed several fiction films while also working in various crew roles across the Georgian and international film industries. In 2021, she released her first feature-length documentary.
The screenwriter and producer of Holy Songs is filmmaker Mariam Bitsadze, who lives and works in Tbilisi and Geneva, actively working in both fiction and documentary cinema.
“I am glad that during these very challenging times, our film can serve as a reminder of a beautiful and special place in our country, of its people and ancient traditions. Amid so many hardships, we seem to forget the small sparks of light we still have left,” Mariam Bitsadze said following the festival.
The Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival (Ji.hlava IDFF) is Central and Eastern Europe’s largest festival for auteur documentary and experimental cinema. Founded in 1997, it takes place annually in late October and early November in the Czech town of Jihlava.
The festival emphasizes visionary authorship, experimental forms, social activism, and political engagement. Its organizers view documentary film as an art form that encourages critical reflection on reality.