Lake Travis FF 2021 Interview: I HAVE NO WINGS’ Nino Memanishvili and Ketevan Nozadze talk about their approach to the film about a boy and his bird in the poorest community in Georgia

Nino Memanishvili’s I HAVE NO WINGS, which screened at the Lake Travis Film Festival, focuses on Makho, whose life revolves around the birds he catches and cares for just as he has been taught by his grandfather and the practice of which has been a traditional pursuit for generations where he lives in Georgia. He balances that with the very modest home life shared with his mother and his autistic little brother. After his most beloved bird, Emily, is confiscated, Makho struggles to get his life back as he faces major financial and emotional loss for not just himself, but his mother and brother, as well.

We create bonds with other people and some of us create stronger bonds with our pets or animals. The film shows us someone who is happiest when in the company of one of his birds beyond anyone else – family, opposite sex, whatever. However, that dedication and love for the birds is at odds with the local environmental protection authorities – and we watch as Makho is faced with a reality he not only is not happy with, but one he might not have an answer for.

In the interview, which also includes producer Ketevan Nozadze, we talk about the approach to the film and in this case a particular person chosen as the film’s subject to build a film around. We also discuss the conflict of emotions as a filmmaker to resist the urge to “assist” the subject when they are struggling with money or aid or other kinds of help, as that could damage the integrity of the film itself. We also talk about the parallels between that conflict and the dynamic between producer and director, in terms of knowing when and when not to “intervene”.