The Pipeline Next Door
Nino Kirtadzé
2005 - 90 min - Vidéo - Couleur - France

Hidden away at the bottom of the Borjomi valley, home to Georgia's most beautiful landscapes and a mineral water spring that is well known throughout the region, the little village of Sakiré is witnessing the most feverish days it has ever seen.
A giant pipeline built by British Petroleum, like a fire-spitting dragon, will soon cut right through this haven of peace, this oasis of clean air, this Caucasian paradise...
Since the news spread through the valley, everything has been in an uproar. BP promised to pay compensation to the villagers if the working site cross over their land. But in this former Soviet Republic, it is almost impossible to determine exactly who owns what! Both lured by the potential tidy compensation in US dollars and terrified by this immense tube that will cut their village in two parts, Kako, Leïla and the other villagers argue over and over and try every possible manoeuvre. Tension gets higher and higher...
Will the pipeline be a monster destroying the valley’s beauty, or some glorious saviour that leads the region to prosperity?