DEVFEST
This is a festival for those interested in Google technologies, FinTech, best practices of software development and technology commercialization.
DevFest is an annual developer festival of the GDG program. The event will take place on September 8, at TechPark, Okrokhana, Tbilisi.
During the one-day event, attendees will have an opportunity to attend tech talks, participate in practical CodeLabs, get engaged in discussions and network in a pleasant environment on a nice September Sunday.
DevFest in Georgia is a joint project of GDG Tbilisi, with the general sponsorship from Google and Fintech.ge
The working languages will be Georgian and English.
Full program and speaker list are yet to be announced. Additionally, there will be separate registration for the CodeLabs.
Attendance to DevFest is FREE of charge. The interested can register online. The deadline for registration is August 30.
TBILISI PHOTO FESTIVAL
With the upcoming 10th edition, Tbilisi Photo Festival aims to firmly establish Tbilisi as the capital of photography in the Caucasus.
This year Tbilisi Photo Festival is scheduled from September 12 to 21. While the Festival combines a lot of interesting exhibitions from promising, emerging and already established artists, the biggest event will inarguably be the Night of Photography on September 14.
The 10th edition of The Night of Photography will take place in one of the oldest parts of Tbilisi - Mushtaidi Park. The beautiful place established in 1830 by Mir-Fatah-Agha will be a perfect host for the Night of Photography, open to public on September 14, from 20:00 to 03:00.
The Night of Photography, created in 2010 in partnership with Les Rencontres d’Arles as a Caucasian version of La Nuit de l’Annee of the Arles Photo Festival, remains the highlight of the program.
The opening ceremony of the annual Tbilisi Photo Festival will be held in the Stamba Amphitheater, (Stamba Hotel. 14, M. Kostava str.) at 19:30 on September 12. An hour after the opening ceremony, guests will be presented a fascinating exhibition by NAN GOLDIN, titled ‘The Ballad of Sexual Dependency’.
For more information about the Tbilisi Photo Festival 2019, visit their Facebook Page and website.
Tbilisi Photo Festival is the first international annual photography festival that is co-founded by French photographer Lionel Charrier (currently Photo Editor-in-chief at the French daily newspaper Liberation) and Georgian photo curator and journalist Nestan Nijaradze. It was first launched in 2010, in partnership with Les Rencontres d’Arles. Since its creation, the festival has become not only the most important photo festival in the region but one of the major annual cultural events in the Caucasus.
Photo copyright: NAN GOLDIN.
By Nini Dakhundaridze
BATUMI BLACK SEA MUSIC & ART FESTIVAL (BBSMAF) 2019
The BBSMAF, launched under the Patronage of UNESCO, is an original event where great artists and young talents of classical music come together to place music at the heart of culture. It was established by Elisso Bolkvadze, the prominent Georgian pianist, UNESCO Artist of Peace and founder of the Charitable Foundation “Lyra,” in 2013, and has been offering beautiful shows to classical music enthusiasts since then.
“There has been a major change in the name of our festival this year, that now it is entitled ‘Batumi Black Sea Music and Art Festival’, which means that the format of the project has been broadened, enabling us to enhance cultural relations with the Black Sea countries and launch multiple international forums and conferences within the scope of the festival, for musicians, as well as the representatives of various cultural branches,” Elisso tells us.
She highlights as one example the exhibition of French-based painter and illustrator Anri Matchavariani set to be held in the frames of the event, with emigration being one of the major themes of the festival. Georgian artists who live far from their homeland and may not be well-known in Georgia, will also be introduced.
“In addition, Emerging Europe, a large-scale international forum, has become a partner of the BBSMAF 2019 and along with promoting Georgia abroad, it is to serve as another wonderful source for attracting major investments and thus contribute to the improvement of our country’s economy. What’s more, we plan to enhance our cooperation with Emerging Europe in future,” she stated.
It is also interesting to compare the first year of the festival with 2019 and learn about the dynamics of engaging youngsters in the initiative.
“There is huge interest and engagement from youth. We offer individual care and support to each of them. A number of young talents have been discovered over the years, who were later sent abroad to continue their studies. Unfortunately, there are some major issues with regards to the level of professionalism and infrastructure in Georgia, which hinder the representatives of the younger generation from acquiring the appropriate education in the field. We spare no effort to help them blaze their path into a better future, and engagement in the festival augments each year,” Bolkvadze tells us, noting that in general the project is able to assist minors aged 14-15.
The focus on youngsters, and the chance for novices to perform along with the experts, is the most distinctive feature of the festival, which has much contributed to its strength and its finding its own niche.
“Foreigners are also actively engaged in the project,” she says. “Maestro Michel Sogny is to give masterclasses for the third time this year. We also plan to invite other professionals in future.”