Georgian director Nona Giunashvili's film Sacred Songs received the Opus Bonum award at the International Documentary Film Festival in the Czech city of Jihlava. The film about Kist women was recognized as the best feature-length documentary of Central and Eastern Europe.
The jury noted that the film is distinguished by profound visual thinking and subtle observation. According to the judges, the picture creates a "sublime and unexpected portrait of a community and an artistic practice caught between the currents of tradition and modernity." They also singled out the vocal harmonies and dance rhythms of the Sufi chants performed by the film's heroines.
The film, which took eleven years to shoot, follows women from the Pankisi Gorge. From generation to generation, they pass on their poems and songs, striving to preserve a fading tradition.
The film's screenwriter and producer is Mariam Bitsadze. After the festival, she said she would be glad if, in difficult times, their film could remind people of a beautiful place in Georgia, its people and its ancient traditions.
Against the backdrop of so many disasters, we seem to forget about the small lights we still have.
— Mariam Bitsadze, film producer
The Jihlava festival, founded in 1997, is considered the largest showcase of author documentary cinema in Central and Eastern Europe.
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