The Brighter We Burn: The Story of Tbilisi Punk (working title)
The Brighter We Burn tells the story of the Georgian punk scene in Tbilisi, centered around Secret Place, a venue opened in the heart of Tbilisi by a group of Russians after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
After the outbreak of the war, thousands of Russians flooded into Georgia because of the visa free regime. For many Georgians, this triggered memories of the 2008 Russian invasion. Rents began to go up, prices started to rise and fears of Russian influence grew. Graffiti saying “Russians go home” appeared all over the city of Tbilisi.
Among all this, a group of Russian punks from St. Petersburg moved to Tbilisi and opened a venue in the heart of the city, with the same ideology as the one they ran in St. Petersburg. Low prices, accessible to everyone, a vegan kitchen, a place for extreme music and film screenings, and a safe and inclusive community.
For many Georgian kids who just lived through two years of Covid, Secret Place became a safe place to express themselves, to work through their pent up emotions through music and dancing and to belong. And so a community of Georgians, Russians, Ukrainian and Belorussians started to form and co-create something that did not exist in the rest of the country. While outside tensions grew, in this community people came together, started bands, built friendships, attended protests and found a way to bridge their divides.
Our film follows different characters in the scene with an observational and immersive style. We talk to people in their spaces, we see how they interact, we hear the music and see people dancing and immerse ourselves in the energy and flow.
We meet Ksusha, a Russian punk who is heartbroken that here she can protest freely, but in Russia she would be arrested on the spot. We meet Gio, the young Georgian punk who has been stabbed by local Neo-Nazis, struggles with depression and is the lead singer of the first Russian/Georgian local band. And we meet many more, all coming together to build up this community
After the outbreak of the war, thousands of Russians flooded into Georgia because of the visa free regime. For many Georgians, this triggered memories of the 2008 Russian invasion. Rents began to go up, prices started to rise and fears of Russian influence grew. Graffiti saying “Russians go home” appeared all over the city of Tbilisi.
Among all this, a group of Russian punks from St. Petersburg moved to Tbilisi and opened a venue in the heart of the city, with the same ideology as the one they ran in St. Petersburg. Low prices, accessible to everyone, a vegan kitchen, a place for extreme music and film screenings, and a safe and inclusive community.
For many Georgian kids who just lived through two years of Covid, Secret Place became a safe place to express themselves, to work through their pent up emotions through music and dancing and to belong. And so a community of Georgians, Russians, Ukrainian and Belorussians started to form and co-create something that did not exist in the rest of the country. While outside tensions grew, in this community people came together, started bands, built friendships, attended protests and found a way to bridge their divides.
Our film follows different characters in the scene with an observational and immersive style. We talk to people in their spaces, we see how they interact, we hear the music and see people dancing and immerse ourselves in the energy and flow.
We meet Ksusha, a Russian punk who is heartbroken that here she can protest freely, but in Russia she would be arrested on the spot. We meet Gio, the young Georgian punk who has been stabbed by local Neo-Nazis, struggles with depression and is the lead singer of the first Russian/Georgian local band. And we meet many more, all coming together to build up this community