Directed by Tengiz Abuladze • 1976 • USSR/Georgia

This adaptation of Giorgi Leonidze’s short stories sees twenty-two episodes coalesce into one phantasmagoric narrative. Set in pre-revolutionary Georgia, it follows a young woman forced into marriage by her village elders despite her love for another man. Drifting poetically from one incident to the next, this gorgeously sustained pastorale from one of Georgia’s great auteurs creates a sense of the rich tapestry of Georgian village life, and the tragic consequences of community dispute.

THE WISHING TREE • ნატვრის ხე
Directed by Tengiz Abuladze
Written by Revaz Inanishvili, Tengiz Abuladze
Cinematography by Lomer Akhvlediani
Music by Bidzina Kvernadze, Iakob Bobokhidze
Starring: Lika Kavzharadze, Soso Jachvliani, Zaza Kolelishvili

In Georgian with English subtitles

Winner of the Special Prize at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, 1978