Last week, we had the pleasure of attending the 17th edition of Movies that Matter. It’s a festival that has a truly supportive and energising sense of community, not only in the way it presents its films, but in the way that it supports its filmmakers.
As part of the Take on Film and Impact Industry Days, we teamed up with our friends at The Storyboard Collective to select one project to win a 2-hour strategy lab with us and also to receive a 5,000 CHF grant to kickstart the strategy process.
We were delighted to award the prize to the beautiful and daring film A Song Without Home (Rati Tsiteladze, 2025). After 11 years of confinement due to fear of society, Adelina, a transgender woman from a Georgian village, escapes to Europe. Her mother remains behind, facing societal rejection for supporting her child. As Adelina navigates an unfamiliar world, the weight of past psychological scars lingers, complicating her ability to integrate into her new life.
Impact Statement from the Director Rati Tsiteladze and Producer Olga Slusareva:
“This film, like many lives, is illegal in Georgia, where simply being trans is criminalised. A Song Without Home highlights the urgent struggles and the emotional toll of societal rejection faced by transgender individuals and their family members in repressive societies. We seek partnerships that can help ensure the film reaches diverse global audiences and catalyses lasting change. Through strategic screenings, discussions, and outreach, we hope to foster deeper understanding, spark policy reforms, and mobilise both local and international support for LGBTQ+ communities facing persecution, particularly in regions where their existence is criminalised.”
“We’re so excited to present this joint award with our friends at The Storyboard Collective to A Song Without Home. The rights and freedoms of trans people across the globe are being stripped away more and more each day, with governments denying their right to exist and live in peace. Rati Tsiteladze presented a beautifully gentle, bold, and deeply moving film and we’re so eager to get started working with him and producer Olga Slusareva to begin shaping and developing the impact campaign, which is needed now more than ever.” – Thea Berry, Impact Strategy & Partnerships Manager & Georgia Murray, Impact Strategy Manager – Together Films
“It’s a true pleasure to collaborate with the team of Movies That Matter and Together Films, who bring invaluable expertise and a fresh take on impact distribution. Joining forces to amplify the voices of storytellers is at the core of our mission but it is especially urgent when those belong to marginalized communities whose very existence and safety are under threat. With this joint award, we hope to equip the team of A Song Without Home with the tools needed to launch a critical campaign to advocate for transgender rights – one that will not only challenge injustice in Georgia but that will also resonate far beyond with values of equity, dignity and collective care.” – Emilien Schenker, Impact Fund Manager – The Storyboard Collective
