MY Grandmother Chemi bebia 1929 Kote Mikaberidze
Mikaberidze (1896-1973) started as an actor at the reknowned Kutaisi and Batumi theatres before moving to Tbilisi drama studio in the 1920s. He acted in various films and started scriptwriting before his masterpiece My Grandmother was made. In 1957 he was imprisoned for anti-Soviet statements and after 2 years in a labour camp finished his career working as a dubbing director.
My Grandmother at Ciné Lumière Intro by Lasha Bakradze Live Piano from John Sweeney
My Grandmother Chemi bebia | 61mins | Georgia-USSR | Georgian intertitles with EN subs
Restored version 2 October
A hopelessly lazy paper-pusher tries to get his job back by looking for a ‘grandmother’ – an influential bureaucrat who can provide a recommendation letter. His quest turns into a labyrinthine excursion through the thickest red tape, while his wife is addicted to a frenzy of bourgeois living.
One of the high points of Georgian and Soviet avant-garde whose anti-bureaucratic themes are just as relevant today.
Preceding the film will be a special tribute to the Georgian-Polish and French writer, artist and publisher Ilia Zdanevich, known as Iliazd, who died 50 years ago. Film expert and restorer Daniel Bird will present an illustrated talk about this multi-talented 20th century personality at the forefront of the avant-garde movement. This will include a live performance of Iliazd’s DADA poetry by Georgian actors here in the UK on global talent visas.
Kote Mikaberidze
Unmissable visual creativity and experimentation
The visual style of My Grandmother is a unique blend of avant-garde techniques, experimental filmmaking, and social satire, all within the context of early Soviet cinema. It features animated sequences, stop-motion, and classic animation, alongside bold satire and absurdist set designs. The film's experimental nature and its critique of bureaucracy led to its banning for nearly 50 years. It remains one of the most delightfully irreverent and peculiar comedies of the silent era.
