The Lost Colony
June 1st, 2008 by sephia karta
I went to see the documentary The Lost Colony today by the Dutch film-maker Astrid Bussink. It is about the Sukhumi Primate Centre, which is the oldest in the world, which was the site of major research in the Soviet period but which has had to cease most activities since the war. The documentary covers the weeks up to the small international conference which was organised there in 2007 on the occasion of the institute’s 80th birthday. There is also a side-story of a man who goes out into the woods every two or three weeks with food for the monkeys he supposes still roam the area since they escaped/were let loose during the war.
I liked the film very much, it gave me a very good spherical impression of the place (and of Sukhumi). There was an interview with the film-maker afterwards, and one of the points that came up was that her style is more ‘filmy’ than journalistic. So if you go to see it, don’t expect a full coverage of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict for example. Go see it for the wonderful insight it provides into one place and the people that work there.
For more information: http://www.lostcolony.nl
jibs Says
Hmm. Sounds interesting — any suggestions where on the web one can see it?
Jun 1st, 2008 at 10:23 am
sephia karta Says
I’d say chances of finding it online in the foreseeable future are very slim. I think I will order the dvd (available through the production company, 20 E within the Netherlands, 25 E within Europe, Dutch/English subtitles). Alternatively you could consider asking the film-maker by email, from what I gathered from after the screening, she might send you a copy.
The documentary also had brief footage from the burial service and the burial procession for the two Abkhaz soldiers that died in the 2007 border incident, including two shots of Bagapsh.
Jun 1st, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Docster Says
Hello everybody,
You can find more info and a trailer on www.lostcolony.nl
Astrid
Jun 9th, 2008 at 12:12 pm