Everything will fall into place for a person who dedicates their whole effort to their pursuits." - Tinatin Nikuradze

Tinatin, let's start from the early period of your life - from childhood, school years, etc. in many cases, the people around us and environment as usual, determine our future life.

I always remember my childhood with pleasure, and I believe that many good things have stayed me from there, aiding me throughout life. I was born and have grown up in one of the old, colorful areas - on Plekhanov, today Agmashenebeli Avenue. Many famous artists lived here. I associate my special love for art with that period. After graduating from high school, in 2003, I became a student of TV and Cinema Directing faculty, where I especially enjoyed working with the camera. However, looking back at my works from that time, which I was proud of at the time, I realize how much I didn't know at that moment.

Tell me some more information from your life, how has your career started?

In 2005, I have heard about the students’ internship program. I applied, went through two stages, and the final stage was a meeting with the employer, one of the famous and successful advertising company, “TBC TV Studio”. In this final stage, I had an interview with the director of the company. Despite feeling nervous, I remember writing a small script for the commercial at the interview. They liked this script, so they offered me an internship. At first, I was an assistant director, but as an intern, I was assigned various tasks, attending filming process, assisting screenwriters and doing many other things. One time, when I was working on an advertising project, I had to use computer editing software such as “Adobe Premiere” and “Final Cut”. At that time, I did not even think about the profession of an editor, but the editing program was so amazing with all its different and interesting features and I decided to study it thoroughly. I finally understood that editing was my passion. That's how I entered the world of video editing.

You had been working and communicate with different directors, screenwriters, producers. It's a great experience for a young person. Tell us about it.

I worked at “TBC TV Studio” for six years, gaining practical experience while working with many talented directors. Each of them had their own unique working style. I watched them and learned a lot from them. After a while, I filmed a short documentary about the Screening Center, on the order of the First Lady of Georgia, Sandra Roelofs (Mikheil Saakashvili’s wife). That was my first independent film as a director, can you imagine, how worried I was? I was able to make a good film with the help of professional people standing by my side. After that, I directed several documentaries and commercials and I was also editing my own projects with the help of experienced video editors from the studio. That's when I realized that I was more interested in editing than shooting, that I felt more comfortable in the editing room than on the set, and finally decided to become an Editor. In 2009, I began editing for the TV series "Time of Flowering". This was a challenging but enriching experience, especially during the editing phase where we often worked through the night. It was difficult at the time, but I believe it was during those long hours that I gained a significant amount of experience in editing. Several years later, the series caught the attention of one of Azerbaijan's TV channel and they invited us to create a version tailored to their audience. In 2011 series "Detectives" was another exciting project that I had the opportunity to work on. It featured a compelling independent investigative real-life stories.       

We know that you've worked on many interesting projects. Several Documentary have even achieved success at international festivals.

Tina: Yes, indeed. In 2012 I moved to the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB), in the studio of Documentary Films. Since then, I have edited more than 40 documentaries and several TV projects. I have had the opportunity to work on several award-winning films. In 2014, "Lost in Vine," won two prizes at festivals in China and France: The Best Director's prize and also garnered significant admiration from the jury. Among the jury members was the famous American director Oliver Stone. In 2018, I had the privilege of working with the remarkable Georgian director, Tamara Mshvenieradze. Together, we collaborated on a documentary film named “A Life of her Own”. The film was so sensitive and sincere, that it was admired at different festivals in foreign countries and received well-deserved prizes. The film “Transfer to Georgia” was presented at the New York international film festival in 2024.

Tinatin, I know that you've been working for years in the studio "Epoqa" in the GPB. The head of which is famous Georgian journalist Keto Sadghobelashvili, the director of studio is Giorgi Ebralidze and the author of the project is famous Georgian writer Aka Morchiladze, who by the way is a candidate  for the Nobel prize award in Sweden, this year. How did you get on their team, and do you think it's easy to achieve?

Keto and I worked together in a Documentary Film Studio in GPB, where I had the opportunity to edit many of her documentary films. She knew me very well, and when she opened her own studio, offered me the opportunity to join her. Since then, we have collaborated on numerous projects within the studio, including the TV program "Lost Books," hosted by Aka Morchiladze. We've produced almost 120 series of the show since 2016. Additionally, one of my most significant projects was the Musical, "Magic New Year, the Story of One Kiss," directed by Giorgi Ebralidze and Jaba Melkadze. It was my first time working on a feature film, and it provided me with unique and special experience. Since 2019, I have been collaborating with Studio “Nova” on various top-rated projects, such as "Voice," "Police Files," and "Treatment". I must say that the top-rated culinary show "MasterChef" holds a special place in my heart. While I didn't learn anything about cooking itself, the professional growth I experienced while working on the show was immense. One of the most challenging aspects was putting together a short and interesting story from a lot of material, making something captivating from the mess, with music and various visual tricks. All of this was not easy. "MasterChef" was a lengthy show and needed multiple editors. I was very proud when one of the project author told me: “Tina, I always know which part of the show is edited by you”.

Any profession has both positive and negative sides. What are your thoughts on this regarding the editing profession?

Sometimes I find myself in a difficult situation, because I have to compromise with the author or director and do as they prefer rather than what I believe is best, despite how I feel about it personally. However, I always remind myself that it's their movie, and I'm there to help them make it. During my nearly twenty years of continuous experience, I can tell you that if you enjoy what you do, and therefore get the most out of it, it becomes more than just a job – it becomes your life, your hobby, your everything and you are 100% invested in it. During the editing of the documentary film, you have to pay attention to every nuance, feel the main character of the movie, you have to organize each step, look, word or breath in advance. You never know what will come out, and it is a very interesting process. I want to say one more thing about my profession. I do not attend shooting on the set for the most part, and accordingly, the characters of the films don't know me. However, I watch them in the editing room for days and months, listen to them, love them, and they become part of my life. When anywhere, even on the street, if I meet one of them, I have a natural reaction that I want to go and hug them and greet like a close person, but they typically walk past me indifferently, not even recognizing who I am.

Tina, what are your plans for future? Do you intend to further develop and achieve more in your professional activity?

I prefer not to plan too far ahead, but I do have many exciting projects lined up. In the future, I aim to continue learning and expanding my knowledge and experience in the field of editing. I believe that with dedication and effort, anything is possible.