‘Little Georgia’ a film about a Georgian cafe in Hackney

Little Georgia (Manal Wicki, Laura Haapio-Kirk and Daria Prokhorova, 2010)

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Little Georgia explores notions of home, belonging, nostalgia and change told through the stories of people working in a Georgian cafe in Hackney. The film was inspired by the unique character of the cafe and the intimacy of staff and customers. The film makers were interested in exploring how working at a place like Little Georgia may ease the some of the stresses of migration by providing a home away from home. They also wanted to know how the aesthetics of the cafe (its Georgian themed objects and kitsch decor) played a part in transporting Georgian culture.

The film was created at the UCL Urban Documentary Film Workshop, .

Background on the film makers:

Manal Wicki – holds a Master’s in Social Anthropology from SOAS. Her most recent film “Layers” premiered at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival. “Layers is a short documentary exploring the abaya – the national dress of Emirati women – through inter-generational dialogue” (http://www.abudhabifilmfestival.ae/en/program/films/2011/detail?f=7336)

Laura Haapio-Kirk – hold a Master’s in Visual Anthropology from Oxford University and is currently working as a freelance researcher for SoundCloud and Oxford University. She is interested in anthropological approaches to the senses and is exploring innovative research methodologies. Laura is currently working on a film about the hidden residents of Soho, London.

Daria Prokhorova – is currently working on Russian TV – directing a show about restaurants in Moscow. Daria has a BA in Sociology of Film (Moscow State University) and a Digital Filmmaking diploma (SAE London).

Sign up for the UCL Urban Migration Film Festival here