Interview: Tinatin Kajrishvili & Lasha Khalvashi – Citizen Saint

Premiering in competition at this year’s Karlovy Film Festival, Tinatin Karishvili‘s third feature Citizen Saint is set in a small mining town, where a crucified saint has mysteriously come to life, upsetting the community’s entrenched belief system. I spoke with the filmmaker and her producer Lasha Khlavashi to converse about the film, which is Georgia’s official submission in the category of Best International Feature for the 96th Academy Awards. Together, they discuss narrative and visual influences on their long-gestating project and the Georgian film industry in general.