The three films selected as editor’s choice this year explore spaces and environments that hold deep meaning for people. However, individuals in these films are forced to leave these places or accept their destruction for various reasons, making peaceful coexistence with their home impossible. Whether it’s due to war or the influence of corporate powers, each film delves into the challenges of being uprooted, metaphorically or physically, from one’s familiar surroundings.

- Nino Orjonikidze, Film Commissioning Editor, Chai Khana

The beautiful Balda Canyon in Samegrelo, Georgia has been leased to a private company for a development project. Today, as locals actively work to stop the development, the film “Gveleshapi, the water dragon” by Eka Tsotsoria illustrates how the community has organized to fight back against this enemy — an entity that acts like the water dragon of fairy tales, cutting people off from their water source.

The fairy tale passed from grandmother to granddaughter becomes a metaphor for the bond between humans and nature. Through two protagonists embodying the past and future, filmmaker Atanur Nabiyeva in “Moon without a House” explores the intertwining power of this connection, revealing how the erosion of a mountain can also erode personal memories.

Note: Since “Moon without a House” is competing at international film festivals, it is not available online. Chai Khana intends to re-release the film as soon as possible.

If you thought you might never come back, what things would you take from your home? Thousands faced this question after Azerbaijan's sudden attack on Nagorno Karabakh, which unfolded into a brief but impactful war. The film "A chronicle of chaos" by Arpi Bekaryan depicts how lives were uprooted by three years of violence and tragedy, culminating in a once-deserted road becoming a conduit for those seeking refuge from the chaos.