Presentation of the Documentary Film Series – “The Adventures of Georgian Currency - 30 Stories”

On May 20, a presentation of the short scientific-popular documentary film series “The Adventures of Georgian Currency - 30 Stories” was held in the panoramic space of Caucasus International University.

The event was attended by Natia Turnava, President of the National Bank, Executive Director, members of the Board and representatives of departments. Among the guests were the General Director and Chairperson of the Supervisory Board of “Cartu Bank”, the General Director of the Georgian Public Broadcaster, as well as representatives of academic circles, the Ministry of Culture, Education, Science and Youth, the administration and professors of Caucasus International University (CIU).

The presentation was opened by the Rector of Caucasus International University, Kakhaber Kordzaia. The project was presented to the audience by the Advisor to CIU Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Head of the Multimedia Center, Nino Chalaganidze. Sulkhan Meladze, Deputy Director of the Multimedia Center, spoke about the inspiration and creative aspects of the idea for the documentary film series.

During the meeting, the audience watched a video summary of the project and a series dedicated to the introduction of the Bonn by the Democratic Republic of Georgia.

After the video presentation, the President of the National Bank, Natia Turnava, and the Chancellor of Caucasus International University, Vakhtang Tsivtsivadze, addressed the audience. Academician Vladimir Papava and Professor Merab Kakulia, Head of the Bachelor’s Educational Program in Economics at the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA), who actively participated in the process of introducing the national currency in 1993-1995 as the Minister of Economy of Georgia and Vice-President of the National Bank, shared their impressions with the audience.

The media project was implemented in close collaboration with the National Bank of Georgia and Caucasus International University. The series was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the national currency (lari) in Georgia.

The media project, implemented on the basis of Caucasus International University Multimedia Center, will tell the audience in detail about the twenty-six-century history of Georgian currency - from the ancient era to the present day, from the Colchian tetri to the lari.

The series of popular science documentary films consists of 30 parts. The duration of each part varies from 5 to 15 minutes. Each part is an independent film with content and audiovisual characteristics, which reflects a specific section of the centuries-old history of Georgian currency.

The media project includes information about the emission of Georgian currency and the circulation of foreign currency in Georgia, the numismatic heritage of the kings, trade and economic relations of Georgia, the development of Georgian numismatics as a scientific field, the formation of financial institutions in Georgia, the monetary and credit history of Georgia, and historical processes and challenges in the world and in Georgia.

“The Adventure of Georgian Currency - 30 Stories” is one of the first large-scale attempts to systematize and visually represent reliable, documented materials on the monetary and credit history of Georgia, banking and financial development, and the transformation of the national currency. While working on the media project, about 30 scientific sources and periodicals were processed. The films use archival materials, artifacts and numismatic heritage preserved in the antiquities repositories of Georgia.

“The Adventures of Georgian Currency - 30 Stories” was fully funded by Caucasus International University, within the framework of the grant competition for the popularization of science.