[P2P-F] Fwd: [Newsletter] New film: The Plundering

Mon Sep 23 03:29:35 CEST 2013

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Oliver Ressler <oliver at ressler.at>
Date: Wed, Sep 11, 2013 at 5:22 AM
Subject: [Newsletter] New film: The Plundering
To: newsletter at ressler.at

**
*The Plundering*

A film by Oliver Ressler
40 min, 2013

*
Exhibitions/Screenings:*

“Liquid Assets. In the Aftermaths of the Transformation of Capital”,
Steirischer
Herbst<http://www.steirischerherbst.at/2013/english/calendar/calendar.php?eid=17>,
Graz (A), 21.09. – 01.12.2013
“Agora”, 4th Athens Biennale <http://athensbiennale.org/en/>, Athens (GR),
29.09. – 01.12.2013
Art Sheffield 2013 <http://www.artsheffield.org/>, Sheffield (UK), 03.10. –
14.12.2013
“Skills of Economy Screenings”, Finnish Academy of Fine Arts, Kaiku
Gallery<http://www.kuva.fi/en/exhibitions/kaiku-galleria/>,
Helsinki (FI), 04.10.2013

*
“We can talk about the ‘plundering’ of Georgia. Public property, which in
fact should serve the common needs of society, has become the property of
individuals. For example, if that project became successful, the citizens
now using this park would not be able to use it.”* – Mikheil Svanidze, *The
Plundering*

Extreme levels of privatization can only be carried out under conditions
where people are under severe pressure, as in the transformation of former
Soviet republics towards independence and capitalism. Since the *Rose
Revolution* in 2003, the former Soviet republic Georgia under went such a
radical transformation. President Mikheil Saakashvili implemented one of
the most extreme neoliberal projects in the world. Today, Georgia is 9th of
185 states in the World Bank ranking “Ease of Doing Business”. While the
“common good accumulated within the communist regime during 70 years of its
existence” (Rusudan Mirzikashvili, *The Plundering*) is being sold off, the
unstable situation in a radical, free-market economy and the liquidation of
most social safety nets drove most Georgian residents into un-experienced
levels of poverty.

The film *The Plundering* focuses on four cases of aggressive,
state-property privatization policies in Tbilisi. Through interviews, it
discusses the privatization of the water system in Tbilisi and of Tbilisi’s
popular market, the *Dezerter Bazaar*. A newly emerging movement prevented
the attempted sell-off of the National Scientific Library, and the
destruction and conversion of the historical Gudiashvili Square in
Tbilisi’s city center into a shopping mall.
“Objects of strategic importance were sold to the benefit of some people
close to the government”, Levan Asabashvili describes these processes of
systemic corruption in the film. Usually the purchasers are hiding behind
companies registered offshore.

Director and producer: Oliver Ressler
Camera: Niko Tarielashvili
Sound recording and film editing: Oliver Ressler
Sound design, mix and color correction: Rudolf Gottsberger
Music: Erekle Deisadze & Vinda Folio: *Agurit Khelshi*
Interviewees: Levan Asabashvili, Ani Chankotadze, Giorgi Chubinidze,
Alexandre Elisashvili, Nino Gujaraidze, Lasha Kharazi, Zurab Kukuladze,
Rusudan Mirzikashvili, Mikheil Svanidze
Translation: Soso Chauchidze
Organization and production assistance: Data Chigholashvili, Soso
Chauchidze, Nini Palavandishvili, Ana Ramazashvili, Katharina Tchelidze
Special thanks to Nini Palavandishvili, Data Chigholashvili, Katerina
Gregos, Luigi Fassi

The film was recorded in May 2013 in Tbilisi, Georgia in the framework of
the GeoAIR Residency Program <http://geoairresidency.blogspot.co.at/>,
commissioned by steirischer herbst festival, Graz and Art Sheffield 2013,
supported by Otto Mauer Fonds and BMUKK.

Further information and film excerpt:
http://www.ressler.at/the_plundering/

German project description: http://www.ressler.at/de/the_plundering/

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