Palm Springs Film Fest to screen ‘Namme’ by filmmaker Zaza Khalvashi

Filmmaker Zaza Khalvashi’s new feature Namme — selected earlier this year as Georgia’s bid at the next Academy Awards — will be screened at an anniversary Palm Springs International Film Festival opening in California next week. Dubbed “the premier presenter of world cinema on the North American continent” by FilmFreeway, the Festival will bring the Georgian-Lithuanian co-production to its approximately 130,000 viewers between January 3-14.

Premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival and seen by audiences of the Tbilisi International Film Festival and Göteborg Film Festival, Namme will now bring its roster of Georgian actors to the American Festival.  Khalvashi’s work follows a girl guardian of a healing spring (played by Mariska Diasamidze) in a mountainous Georgian village, entrusted with overseeing the healing waters by her father.

By taking up the task Namme continues the family role, however a hydro power station constructed nearby heralds environmental changes for the area. An unexpected development sees the spring water disappear one day, with Namme’s father remembering an old custom that says it will only return if sacrifice is made for the cause.

The film was shortlisted among six works shot by Georgian directors before being selected as Georgia’s submission to the next Academy Awards. The Palm Springs Festival is noted for selecting the highest number of foreign-language Academy Awards nominees among North American festivals. This year organisers will celebrate the 30th edition of the event.