Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry (15) 14th July 2025

7:30pm 14th July 2025

Set in rural Georgia, Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry follows the tenacious 48 year old Etero (Eka Chavelishvilli) as she navigates her first love in what is essentially a coming of age story for the middle-aged. Etero lives humbly and contentedly in a pastoral village, running a local beauty supply store and dreaming of a quiet retirement where she can make blackberry jam and eat mille-feuille in peace and solitude. Yet a near death experience whilst picking blackberries triggers an existential and sexual awakening in Etero. What follows is an extraordinary exploration of the nuances of tradition and modernity, femininity and the relationships we form with nature.

Although a winner at the Sarajevo and Swiss Film Festivals, Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry was largely overlooked by the larger award ceremonies. I saw a screening at the 2023 Bath Film Festival, and it was my favourite film of 2023.