08.02.24, 20:30, Manderinebi (2013)

Ivo makes wooden crates in his workshop to store the harvest from his neighbour Margus' tangerine grove. The two men are among the last Estonians left behind in post-Soviet Georgia during the 1992 Abkhaz-Georgian conflict. In the middle of the day before the tangerines are to be sold, a fight breaks out between a small unit of Georgian soldiers and a pair of Chechen mercenaries. One soldier from each side survives and Ivo decides to take the rivals both in and rehabilitate them. A tense recovery period ensues during which the soldiers stare at each other over cups of tea, Margus mulls over the state of his fruit while Ivo sternly urges everyone to calm down.

Mandarinebi (Georgian for tangerines) shows in a non-violent way how horrific the war is for all parties involved. It subtly demonstrates how Ivo and Margus changed the perception of the soldiers by merely showing the simplicity of their lives. Jumping between traumatic remembrance and honest compassion, the film shows a glimmer of humanity in the aftermath of a violent conflict. Questions of reconciliation and the need for a home are never far away here.

This film is introduced by doctoral researcher Gaëlle Le Pavic.