Panopticon to receive world premiere at Karlovy Vary Film Fest
George Sikharulidze's feature debut Panopticon (Panoptikoni) has been invited to the 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival where the film will compete in the Crystal Globe Main Competition.
Sikharulidze will be joined in Karlovy Vary by Data Chachua (actor), Vakhtang “Vakho” Kedeladze (actor), Giorgia Villa (Editor), Alexandru Dumitru (sound design), Anamaria Antoci (co-producer), Luca Cabriolu (co-producer), Archil Gelovani (co-producer) and Andrea Di Blasio (co-producer)
Short synopsis: After his father abandons him, Sandro struggles to reconcile his religion and his sexual awakening. This leads him to questionable behaviour.
Extended synopsis: Abandoned by his father and with a distant mother, Sandro faces a spiritual crisis. As he grapples with sexual awakening, he suppresses desires for his high-school sweetheart, Tina. Yet, his frustration manifests in inappropriate behaviour. When he develops an erotic fixation on his slightly older football teammate Lasha’s mother, Sandro becomes entangled in a rising Christian Fascist movement. Amid conflicting forces, he seeks meaning in faith, love, and manhood — a transformative journey that reveals his humanity.
About the director: George Sikharulidze is a Georgian-American filmmaker. He holds a B.S. in Media Communications from New York University and a M.F.A. in Film Directing from Columbia University.His short films include The Fish that Drowned (2014), which premiered at Clermont Ferrand, Red Apples(2016) and A New Year (2018), both selected for Toronto (TIFF), and Fatherland, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019.
His first feature film Panopticon (2024) was developed at the Residence of Cannes Film Festival, as well as the Torino Script Lab 2019 and Torino Feature Lab 2020.George has taught screenwriting and directing at New York University and Columbia University. He is currently an Associate Professor of Film at the University of Notre Dame, USA.
About the producer: Vladimer Katcharava graduated from Tbilisi State Film and Theater University in 2001. He is an alumnus of the 2010 Berlin Talent Campus and has attended the 2015 Sundance Script Lab, was selected for European Film Promotion’s EFP Producers on the Move at Cannes 2012, the 2011 EAVE Producers Workshop and the 2010 East European Film Alliance.
In 2010, he created 20 Steps Productions in 2010, aiming to contribute to Georgia’s film industry by developing and (co-) producing independent feature and animated films for both domestic and international audiences. His company, 20Steps, is known for creating high-quality content across film, television, animation, and digital media.
Katcharava produced both Mariam Khatchvani award-winning shorts Dinola (2013) and Dede (2017). He got selected, from well over 100 submissions, as a recipient of the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund. In 2018 he co-produced Girls of the Sun which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival where it competed for the Palme d’Or.
WATCH TRAILER
V_Panopticon EPK-2.pdf
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Christian De Schutter
