Georgian Director Films Fiction Inside Ongoing Anti-Government Protests for Locarno Debut

Tear Gas, a fictional drama by writer-director Uta Beria, was captured on location during continuous anti-government protests that have lasted over 600 days in Tbilisi. The story centers on 16-year-old Elene and her family as the city’s streets become a battleground for freedom, while the crew navigated daily tear-gas deployments and unpredictable crowd movements. Production received two €10,000 awards at the International Film Festival Rotterdam’s IFFR Pro section and was completed after the Georgian National Film Center withheld a second-stage payment and issued a threatening notice over the Locarno screening.

Despite these pressures, the film will open in the Filmmakers of the Present slate at the 79th Locarno Film Festival on 12-14 August. Beria describes the work as an act of resistance, emphasizing the bravery of the cast and crew who filmed amid real-time police actions. The film aims to draw global attention to Georgia’s political tension and the role of artistic expression under authoritarian pressure.