Citizen Saint

On the main square of a mining town stands a cross depicting a saint, regarded by the local miners as their protector. One day, the cross is taken down for repair and the statue of the saint suddenly vanishes. When a mysterious stranger appears, the superstitious residents believe the saint is now among them, their very own municipal Messiah. Shortly after celebrating his presence, a series of miracles create more chaos than good, and they lose hope; ordinary man can’t protect them from misfortunes.

In this satirical parable by Tinatin Kajrishvili, she wonders what it is exactly that people want to believe in. Do saints have greater significance as inanimate symbols, or do they have the right to exist as living human beings? Krum Rodriguez’s exceptional black and white lensing brings dystopian grandeur to the remote Georgian countryside, underscoring the oppression of life in the mining town and also the absurdity of the emerging situation. Citizen Saint was Georgia’s submission to the 2024 Academy Awards.