World-renowned opera singer Paata Burchuladze leaves the grand stages to join the protests in his homeland, Georgia. His journey from global fame to imprisonment unfolds through the eyes of his creative partner, for whom his voice has always been a form of magic.

Paata Burchuladze, a world-renowned opera singer who has performed on the stagesof Covent Garden, La Scala, and the Metropolitan Opera, steps away from global acclaim and joins the fight for Georgia’s freedom on the streets, alongside a new generation of activists.

He becomes one of the leaders of the protest movement. On Rustaveli Avenue, nearthe Memorial of Georgian Heroes, he takes an oath not to surrender the independence and freedom earned by his ancestors with their blood. The government responds with retaliation. An artist with a brilliant 53-year career is denied the right to celebrate his 70th birthday on the stage of the Tbilisi Opera House.

On February 12, 2025, the public celebrates Paata Burchuladze’s birthday instead through a massive demonstration. In front of the Opera House, a makeshift stage mounted on a truck becomes the center of the celebration, where young singers perform operatic arias.

The following day, police arrive at Paata’s home and issue a 5,000 GEL fine. The intimidation escalates: he is fined 139 more times and taken to court. Despite such pressure, he refused to leave his country and remain silent. For 300 consecutive days, he does not miss a single protest.

On October 5, Paata Burchuladze was arrested. His journey from global fame to imprisonment is told through the eyes of his creative partner, for whom Paata’s voice has always been a form of magic. Why would a great artist abandon comfort and a peaceful life and, at the age of 70, knowingly risk imprisonment? What compels a man to make such a sacrifice and what does freedom demand from those who truly believe in it?

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Teona Jorbenadze.

I was a child when I first believed in miracles. Music entered my life before words, my father played the piano, and his sound became my first language of love. When he died suddenly, I lost not only him, but the harmony of my world. One year later, I met Paata Burchuladze, my father’s friend and one of the most celebrated opera singers of our time. When he recorded a song written by my father, a deeply personal connection turned into a long creative journey. Paata was the first Georgian opera singer to build a full international career - singing alongside Pavarotti, performing under Karajan, and conquering the world’s greatest stages. Yet fame was never the end point for him. As a UNICEF and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, he transformed his visibility into responsibility. For more than twenty years, our paths have intertwined through major charity projects that I created - spaces where art met humanity, and where help became action. Together, we witnessed how culture can protect dignity and how a single voice can change lives.

As Georgia entered a period of crisis, he made a radical choice. At the age of seventy, he left safety and recognition behind and stood with Georgian people on the streets of Tbilisi for more than three hundred days. On October 5, he was arrested and now faces up to nine years in prison. ”On Another Stage” is not a biography. This story lives in my family, my memory, and unfolding before our eyes. Of course, my main task is to help him by telling this story and I hope that people will unite to save this kind and great man. I believe that without solidarity, neither life nor cinema has meaning. - Director's Satement, Teona Jorbenadze

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director.