Georgian films return from Russia

Nikolai Borodachyov, the director general of the Russian State Film Fund, and Mikhail Giorgadze, the Georgian minister for culture and monument protection, have signed a memorandum to return about 700 feature, animated and documentary films made at the Georgia-Film Studio.

Many notable Georgian film directors ignored the ceremony of signing the memorandum for some reason. Maybe they did not fully understand the historic importance of the event. Film director Lana Gogoberidze told journalists that when films were stored in the Russia, she was less worried about their safety.

The case concerns original films. There are copies in Georgia but, according to Soviet laws, originals were sent to special archives of the USSR State Film Fund. After the fall of the Soviet Union, some cultural figures, especially "national-oriented" functionaries of a related ministry, started persistent demands for the return of the films. The problem has been discussed for 20 years. Fortunately, Moscow has never made advances. Otherwise, if Yeltsin's administration returned the originals in 1991-1993, it is frightful to think what could have happened with them during the civil war, the war in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, hunger and cold, power shortages.

In the 1990s, there was lack of money for even the simplest things. Storing artwork in proper conditions is a very costly mission. Georgia had no such conditions during the rule of President Shevardnadze, financing of the Georgian Culture Ministry increased later but it seems political factors and hostilities between the two countries and their leaders were hindering settlement of the issue.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin and the Georgian PM's Special Envoy Zurab Abashidze have achieved progress. Their periodic meetings in Prague have already helped resume exports of Georgian food, wine and Borjomi mineral water to the Russian market, start regular flights, release convicts sentenced for espionage and now transfer films by Georgian directors made in 1916-1980s.

Mikhail Giorgadze said that Georgia had received the full list of films from Russia. The list is the first step towards their return. The Georgian minister promised that preparation of the films for transfer will start in January 2015.

Nikolai Borodachyov warned that it may take 5 years. "Our archive has 381 feature films, about 200 animated and up to 100 documentary films," said the head of the State Film Fund. He emphasized that copyrights for all films belonged to Georgia and the films could only be handled with Georgian permission. Borodachyov reminded about the numerous times European organizations had addressed the Russian State Film Fund.

It is still unknown how the films will be transported or where they will be stored in Georgia. It is clear that the Georgian authorities and the true head of the government, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, will spend any money necessary on the protection and safety of the original films. Nino Tsandava, deputy director of the Central Archive of Cinema and Photographic Documents, calls the National Cinema Archive the best place to store the films. A climate control system will be installed and other conditions made to keep the films safe.