American Cinematographer - February 2012 - 72

Filmmakers’ Forum
Left: An architecturally impressive clock tower graces the town center of Batumi, Georgia, site of the 2011 Golden Eye Festival. Right: One of the festival’s founders, Zurab Gegenava (center), takes the stage with the awards ceremony’s hostess (left) and a local official.

Firsthand Impressions of the Golden Eye Festival By Hiro Narita, ASC

Batumi, Georgia, which is nestled on the southeastern corner of the Black Sea, with Russia to the north and Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey to the south, boasts a long history; thus, the town is a marvelous architectural mosaic of spires, towers and courtyards, some earthy and medieval, some vibrantly modern. There empires and crossroads have bumped into one another, traded with one another, conquered one another and influenced one another — not just for centuries, but for millennia. This makes Batumi an especially fitting place for almost any kind of international gathering. I was delighted to be invited to attend the International Festival of Cameramen: Golden Eye, because Georgia is a country I associate with great filmmaking thanks to such directors as Sergei Parajanov (Color of Pomegranates, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, the latter filmed in Ukraine), Lana Gogoberidze ( Day is Longer Than Night, Turnover) and Otar Iosseliani (Falling Leaves, Pastorale). They and many other Georgian artists left strong impressions on me and many other filmmakers who came of age in the 1960s. Founded in 2009, the Golden Eye Festival aims to support the development of film and TV camerafolk. The first festival was held in
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Tbilisi and was scheduled to coincide with the 125th anniversary of the birth of Georgia’s first cameraman, Aleksadre Dighmelashvili. There are records of his work dating back to 1910, with more than 30 feature and documentary films known from both the silent and sound eras. Golden Eye is a unique event — a gathering of camerapeople, an exhibition of their work, and a showcase for the improved and refined gear we all love to see. Since last year the festival has operated under Georgia’s International Foundation for Innovative Technologies, an organization committed to implementing the most modern technologies in Georgia and its region, and to seeing its professional broadcasters and filmmakers working at and contributing to international standards of excellence. Festival founder Zurab Gegenava and festival director Eka Ioseliani are especially passionate about high quality in the film and television industries. Along with films from the Caucasus region, works from Western Europe, South America, India, Africa and the United States were shown. More than 100 films were submitted, and judges from five countries, led by director Otar Litanishvili, screened them over several days. At the same time, the elegant Sheraton Hotel hosted three days of seminars and exhibits. Participants included Avid, Canon, Fujifilm, Panasonic, Sony, Riedel and others.

American Cinematographer

Photos courtesy of Hiro Narita.

American Cinematographer - February 2012

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