The last few years have been politically turbulent in Georgia. This April, the governing party registered the Law on Foreign Influence Transparency, which they tried to implement last year but were forced to withdraw due to mass protests. The new law would require non-profit entities receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as “organizations pursuing the interest of a foreign influence,” with tough penalties for noncompliance of up to €10,000.
In 2012, Russia adopted the first Law on Foreign Influence in the region. Following that, the law was constantly adapted and expanded, leading to the destruction of media outlets and critical civil society organizations.
Large numbers of young people have been gathering and blocking Rustaveli Avenue (where the Georgian parliament is located) for the past several weeks, protesting the draft law under the slogan “No To Russian Law, Yes to Europe!” Georgia was granted EU candidacy last December. According to Nabila Massrali, the spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, “the implementation of the Foreign Influence Transparency draft law would be inconsistent with these aspirations and with EU norms and values.”
© Mariam Nikuradze / OC Media
KineDok Georgia and DOCA film club
This month, KineDok Georgia and DOCA film club are organizing a special program: WHAT HAPPENED IN RUSSIA.
The films presented during the WHAT HAPPENED IN RUSSIA program depict developments in Russia after the law was adopted. These films show the fate of people living in authoritarian countries and how they are destroyed by the political regime—as well as the lengths the regime goes to control the country’s youth and children.
▸7 May | Of Caravan and the Dogs | Dir. Askold Kurov, Anonymous 1
▸14 May | THE DMITRIEV AFFAIR | Dir. Jessica Gorter
▸21 May | Manifesto | Dir. Angie Vinchito
▸28 May | The New Greatness Case | Dir. Anna Shishova
▸3 June| WINTER, GO AWAY! | Dir: Elena Khoreva, Denis Klebleev, Askold Kurov, Nadezhda Leonteva, Anna Moiseenko, Madina Mustafina, Zosya Rodkevich, Anton Seregin, Alexey Zhiryakov
