Keti Dolidze –  Artistic Director Georgian International Festival of Arts in honour of Michael Tumanishvili

This year we celebrate the 15th jubilee edition of our festival. Born in almost rundown and exhausted Georgia by war and conflicts, the GIFT Festival was a true gift from our international friends and supporters, who are luminaries of the world of arts deeply in love with Georgia, its art, theatre and cinema… Our lovely friends whose hard work made it possible for Georgia to claim its place on the earth and indeed it happened, happened with glory and splendor which was spread across the world by the journalists, commentators and broadcasters who witnessed the birth of this unusual festival and shared the joy of its success. This people are still loyal guards of our festival. The International Board of Directors of the Gift Festival is a powerful reason for any country in the world to be proud of. In 2009 the Gift Festival was banned…this brought a shock and a great bewilderment as such decision had no example so far in any other country. That was a time when our international friends backed us, cheered and pinned our hopes that this viciousness would end, and in 2013 we revived and fortified! The just has prevailed and Hop, We’re Alive!