My Grandmother (Chemi bebia), 1929 Konstantin (oder Kote) Mikaberidze (1896–1973), Film, black/white, no sound, 65 min (1929) / 73 min (1970)
A fired bureaucrat tries to avoid his wife’s anger by turning to a so-called «Grandmother» to help him find a new job. Instead, his «Grandmother» provides him with a false recommendation letter that warns potential employers not to hire him. My Grandmother uses stop-motion, pup- petry, exaggerated camera angles, anima- tion and constructivist sets designed by the Georgian artist Irakli Gamrekeli, who created many sets for the Rustaveli theater. This irreverent comedy satirizing the Soviet State system was banned by authorities and rediscovered only in 1967.
Konstantin Mikaberidze was a stage actor, known on the stage in Batumi and Tbilisi. In 1921 he started acting in films as well. He went on to become a film direc- tor himself, realizing such films as Chemi Bebia (1929), Hassani (1932), Qadjeti (1937), Forpost (1941), and Albanian Delegation in Georgia (1952).