Georgian International Festival of Arts GIFT to Begin on October 19th
The GIFT Festival is an annual celebration bringing the best of the visiting arts in Tbilisi, as well as leading our country’s unique cultural profile internationally.
Since its inception the Gift Festival hosted more than 300 international visiting groups and companies and yet remains as one of the major platform in Caucasus for international exchange and cooperation.
Georgian International Festival of Arts GIFT in Tbilisi in honor of Mikhail Tumanishvili will celebrate its 22nd edition from October 19 till November 16/ 2019 to deliver to the Georgian theatergoers and the art-lover audience the range of artistic endeavor which will promote European understanding through excellent culture.
The Gift festival is boasting several grand openings, running over a month and celebrating two decades of the festival which, according to the British press “like all great festivals –including Edinburgh, at its magnificent best – is about these mutual acts of giving; allowing the great tradition of Georgian theatre to give itself to the world, and demonstrating to this great and beautiful city that the world does not always arrive to invade and conquer, but sometimes comes to sing, laugh, weep and celebrate, to heal the wounds of history, and to face the future together.” Joyce McMillan, Chief Theatre Critic. Scotsman, UK
With the great past of the Gift Festival, founded in 1997 by the International Board of Directors of Edinburgh, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth International Arts Festivals and up to date being supported by Peter Brook, Sasha Waltz, Vanessa Redrgave, Michael kahn, Andron Konchalowski, and many other thespians and luminaries of the world drama, it was banned due to political repression towards opposition point of view of its actual organizer, founder and Artistic Director Keti Dolidze in 2007, wich revived only 5 years later in 2013 after contra-revolution in power, but yet prevailing over power politics in development process of the culture policy in Georgia. Therefore openness, selection of the Festival Program and cooperation with the Georgian Arts Institutions is fundamental, as by advancing capacity to be equally skilled for European partnership in legal or in other specific aspects is crucial, which will also support the Georgian culture to communicate and share its voice Globally.