Uta Beria Debuts Georgian Protest Film Tear Gas at Locarno

Georgian filmmaker Uta Beria has introduced his narrative feature, Tear Gas, at the Locarno Film Festival, presenting a cinematic project captured directly inside ongoing anti-government demonstrations in Georgia.

According to reports from The Hollywood Reporter, the writer-director staged dramatic scenes amidst active street demonstrations occurring across the country. Beria characterized the perilous production method and the final movie as an intentional act of resistance against political pressure.

Filming within live protest environments presented severe logistical and physical hazards for the production team, who had to navigate unpredictable crowd dynamics and security forces. Despite these obstacles, Beria stressed that filmmakers must champion freedom of expression regardless of personal or professional repercussions.

The project's debut at Locarno highlights a growing push within international independent cinema to confront real-time political crises directly on screen.