The Other Bank

Together with his young mother Keto twelve-year-old Tedo flees violence in Abkhazia, which just as South Ossetia strives for independence from Georgia. They descend on the Georgian capital Tbilisi, finding shelter in a dull basement. Touching, cross-eyed Tedo gets a job in a garage and slowly slips into the world of crime. His mother makes a living as a secretary and prostitute. Unable to settle in in Tbilisi, Tedo decides to return to his sick father in Abkhazia. A lonely ‘coming of age’ experience ensues, in which Tedo has to somehow survive in a desolate and war-ridden country.
For his first film, director Ovashvili won no less than six prizes at the Wiesbaden, Paris and Seattle film festivals.