Falling Leaves(Giorgobistve)

Playful, humorous and subversive all at once, Iosseliani’s feature-length debut bursts with youthful energy. Featuring an idealist technician who starts out at a state-run wine collective and runs into Soviet ineptitude and corruption, this witty and moral tale offers poignant observations on the generational clash and bureaucracy. Layered in a fresh, unabashedly New Wave-like vibe, its images and sounds feel more like a celebration of romance, conscience, and an individual’s resistance to oppression. The absurdity of the Soviet machine was ironically echoed in real life, as the film was criticised for ‘some stupid symbolism’ and banned in its home country.

Cannes Film Festival: FIPRESCI Prize