ავტოპორტრეტი ზღვარზე
Anna Dziapshipa
Georgia | 2023 | 50 min
World premiere
Languages : Georgian, Russian
Subtitles : French, English
Anna Dziapshipa was born of the union between an Abkhazian man and a Georgian woman. In Self-Portrait Along the Borderline, she skilfully weaves together unique archives and fragments to offer a personal and political biography of Georgia-Abkhazia relations. This vibrant exploration foregrounds a divided identity caught between the margins.
Anna Dziapshipa was born in Tbilisi to an Abkhazian father and a Georgian mother. As a child, her Abkhazian surname was initially associated with her grandfather’s footballing success, but has since become closely linked to the conflict that has opposed the two nations since 1992. This situation had a profound effect on her childhood and identity, caught in the middle of two warring countries. In Self-Portrait Along the Borderline, the filmmaker returns to the Abkhazian family home built by her grandfather, located in a country that is off-limits to Georgian citizens and still not recognised by Georgia. Combining unique fragments and archives from her family collection, and from television footage and radio recordings of the time, she offers a rare personal and political biography of the relations between Georgia and Abkhazia. Anna Dziapshipa has created a vibrant and beautifully woven autobiography: she is a new filmmaking voice to look out for.
Alice Riva
On Being Dziapshipa, 2018