The script written by Rati Tsiteladze and Nino Varsimashvili follows 12-year-old Nino, who is growing up in post-Soviet Georgia during the civil war in the early 90s. She is a sensitive girl and her poetic inspiration began with her deep longing for her father. After seven years of absence, her father, an influential figure in the criminal world, returns from prison and finally her family is complete. But soon things turn out to be different from what she had expected. Confronted with a reality beyond her imagination, Nino leaves her childhood behind.

“The Empty House is first and foremost a film about love and expectations, about how love can integrate the two abstract notions of good and evil into one undivided whole, and about how it can sometimes make people act in dangerous ways. The story spirals around a family of three generations, which for me is an intimate portrait of Georgia”, Rati Tsiteladze told FNE.

The film will be a three-country coproduction with Georgia as the majority producer. Negotiations with potential partners are already underway. The film is produced by Rati Tsiteladze and Nino Varsimashvili through ArtWay Film with a budget of 725,000 EUR. Production funding from the Georgian National Film Center is expected.

The film will be shot entirely in Georgia for 40 shooting days.

The Empty House was shortlisted for Sundance Screenwriters Lab and participated in the ScripTeast. The project won the Eurimages Coproduction Development Award for Best Project at the Transilvania IFF (TIFF), the Special Mention at Locarno Festival's Open Doors. With this project Rati Tsiteladze was selected among six directors for Cannes Cinéfondation Residence in 2017.

Production Information:

ArtWay Film
www.artwayfilm.com
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Credits:

Director: Rati Tsiteladze
Scriptwriters: Rati Tsiteladze, Nino Varsimashvili
Producers: Rati Tsiteladze, Nino Varsimashvili