Nestled along the Black Sea, Abkhazia stands as a land suspended in time – a de facto state recognized by few but rich in both beauty and contradiction. This forgotten corner of the Caucasus, once the crown jewel of Soviet tourism, now writes a new chapter in its complex history.

Here, subtropical shores meet pristine mountain ranges, creating a paradise that belies the region’s turbulent past. After emerging from a devastating war of independence, Abkhazia exists in a unique state of isolation, preserving traditions and ways of life largely untouched by globalization. Yet within this seclusion, a remarkable transformation is taking place as Abkhazia forges its identity as an aspiring nation.

“Nation Abkhazia” delves deep into this misunderstood land, weaving together intimate portraits of local life with broader questions of sovereignty, identity, and resilience. Through conversations with residents, community leaders, and experts, our documentary explores how this isolated society might offer surprising insights for an increasingly interconnected world.

Our team has already completed initial filming, conducting extensive ground research and establishing relationships with key participants. The footage captured thus far reveals a story that challenges conventional narratives about statehood, belonging, and the human capacity to rebuild. We have laid the groundwork for a comprehensive exploration of Abkhazia’s past, present, and possible futures.

We are currently seeking co-production partners and funding to proceed with the project’s main production phase. This documentary promises to shed light on a region that has remained in the shadows of international attention, while examining universal themes of community, survival, and the quest for recognition.

For decades Abkhazia, has lived an isolated life, yet its recent history and the slow opening of the borders has brought this de-facto nation unprecedentedly close to the international community. Abkhazia had lived long years with the label of the Soviet Socialist Republic being part of Georgian SSR (Abkhazia got integrated within Georgia by Stalin, himself Georgian), then the Soviet Union collapsed and in 1993 the Abkhazian declared their independence following a bloody Georgian-Abkhaz war. The outcome of the war left this country and its people in the pending condition. Unrecognized by the outside world and deprived of any productive communication with it, the Abkhazian continued to live and to build their model of a country, groping for it in the relative ignorance. Ignorance that turned out to be somehow beneficial.

For Abkhazia everything has been in a way new. After years of dependency and underestimation it is now witnessing a moment of splendor and change. Abkhazia can perfectly fulfill the role of patient zero in the new era to come, it is a blank slate where the lack of experience is an advantage. New solutions to the problems of the contemporary world could grow from here.

In Abkhazia is still carrying its scars of the past, but it is possible to find beauty everywhere. In the nature, in the weather, in people and their stories, in their voices and in their way and desire to share, talk and open their reality to you. Being relatively uncontaminated by the international policies, Abkhazia seems pure. As we like to say: everything seems to be possible there.

As recently as in 2008, the things got moving. The Russian recognition ended the period of complete isolation that the region suffered since the end of the war. We are witnessing a unique example of the community that lived its secluded life for more than 20 years, trying to build its own model of an independent country, following nothing but its own intuition. We believe that the opening of the geographical borders will also promote the process of globalization in Abkhazia and bring irreversible changes to its peculiar reality. We believe it is incredibly important to grasp this moment of transition, the adjustment from the self-focused closed community to the one much more fully involved in the international policies.