City of the Sun plot
Nearly 50 percent of all the world's manganese, an essential metal used around the world, is mined in Chiatura, in western Georgia. Today it resembles an apocalyptic ghost town. The documentary 'Mzis qalaqi' portrays some of the remaining inhabitants. Music teacher Zurab dismantles dilapidated concrete buildings and sells the iron beams to earn some extra money. Archil still works in the mine, but his real passion is the local amateur theater group. Despite being malnourished, two young female athletes are still training stoically for the upcoming Olympics. Director Rati Oneli provides fascinating insights into a residential setting whose bleak industrial ruins rise like a colossal film set.