Georgian producer Tekla Machavariani attended the Locarno Film Festival this week for the world premiere of “Holy Electricity,” directed by Tato Kotetishvili. This film, featured in the Filmmakers of the Present section, highlights Machavariani’s burgeoning slate of projects under her Tbilisi-based production company, Nushi Film.
Her upcoming projects include the first Georgian-Japanese co-production, a film drawing inspiration from the brutal Georgian Civil War of the early 1990s, and another set in the hip-hop culture of 2000s Tbilisi.
Machavariani, who launched Nushi Film in 2015, emphasized her commitment to working with directors who inspire her, starting with short films and gradually progressing to more substantial projects.
“The Dog is Barking,” an ambitious feature by Georgian artist Vajiko Chachkhiani, is the first co-production between Georgia and Japan. The project involves Japanese scriptwriter Sakichi Sato and cinematographer Kôichi Furuya, with Japanese producer Tomo Suzuki and German production company Color of May also on board.
The film is intended as the first in a “labor horror” trilogy, combining social drama, suspense, and horror elements. Production is set to begin in 2025, with filming primarily in Georgia and some scenes in Japan.
Machavariani believes that the collaboration between Georgian and Japanese cultures, despite their differences, is a natural one due to their shared appreciation for traditions. Another feature, “Vika,” follows a basketball player’s escape from a war-torn town. Additionally, Machavariani is developing “Milk & Honey,” a Georgian-French co-production about a teenager’s life in early 2000s Tbilisi.