Join us for the UK premiere of Stepan Polivanov's first feature film Raving Riot, followed by a discussion and Q&A. The free screening is presented as part of the November edition of Uniqlo Tate Late.
Raving Riot centres on the events of May 2018 in Tbilisi, Georgia, when police drug raids on nightclubs sparked a gathering of thousands of youth protesting for their freedom through a two-day rave on the steps of parliament. By tracing the development of Georgia's club scene – particularly how it came to serve as a hotbed for Georgian youth's increasingly open and liberal social consciousness – cutting to scenes of rural life outside the capital, and closing with a range of reflections on the rally and its effectiveness, the film crafts a uniquely layered and open-ended portrait of this moment in Georgian youth culture.
The news about the rave at the Georgian Parliament quickly became a sensation. And the energy at the Parliament square was amazing. But we decided to make a movie about what remained beyond the news and beautiful pictures and explore the generation that made that protest possible. This is a coming-of-age story of people who have become aware of themselves being a political force and having a voice, but do not yet understand what to do with it.
–Stepan Polivanov
Programme
Raving Riot, Russia / Georgia 2019, DCP, colour, sound, 61 min, Georgian and English with English subtitles
Discussion and Q&A with the artist and Tate Film curators
Biography
Stepan Polivanov (b.1994, Russia) is an artist and filmmaker based in Moscow. Following his co-direction of Flipside 2016, a mid-length film exploring the world of vinyl records in Russia, Raving Riot is Polivanov's feature debut.
Stepan Polivanov Raving Riot 2019, film still. Courtesy the artist and Stereotactic
Stepan Polivanov Raving Riot 2019, film still. Courtesy the artist and Stereotactic
Stepan Polivanov Raving Riot 2019, film still. Courtesy the artist and Stereotactic
Stepan Polivanov Raving Riot 2019, film still. Courtesy the artist and Stereotactic
Stepan Polivanov Raving Riot 2019, film still. Courtesy the artist and Stereotactic
