Prompted by the recent arrests of protesters in Georgia – including students, doctors, journalists, and filmmakers – this edition turns its attention to both structural and informal networks that support filmmakers resisting constraints on freedom of expression. This evening features National Exams (2025) by Giorgi Mrevlishvili, a film resonating strongly with concerns about limited freedom of expression in Georgia. Through the figure of teacher Nana Mgaloblishvili, the film explores how support, guidance, and the cultivation of critical thinking can empower young people to challenge authority and find their own voice.

Mrevlishvili was arrested in October 2025 for his participation in the protests and was later released following local and international pressure, including appeals by the Amsterdam-based International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR).

Introduced by Nadica Denić, the screening is followed by a conversation between Giorgi Mrevlishvili and ICFR’s representative Sara Ishaq.

About the speakers

Giorgi Mrevlishvili is a documentary filmmaker and the director of Reflection (2010, Berlinale Today Award finalist) and Twelve Lessons (2019, Best Documentary, Mediawave). He is currently developing the experimental documentary series The Sands of Silence.

Sara Ishaq is a Yemeni-Scottish filmmaker and trainer, currently managing the International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR). Her films include Karama Has No Walls (2012), The Mulberry House (2013), and the upcoming fiction feature The Station (2026).

Nadica Denić is a film scholar and curator focused on the entanglement of film and contemporary political developments, with an interest in migration, conflict, and risk. She is a Lecturer in Media and Culture at the University of Amsterdam.