When this big screen adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet was released in movie theaters in Georgia, not many people knew the secret behind it: Georgian actor/director Giorgi Megrelishvili filmed his movie entirely using mobile phones. Megrelishvili also set the original text in modern-day Georgia, an idea the director says he had been mulling for some time but was only recently able to bring to fruition.“I refused to give up,” says Megrelishvili, “and decided to find alternative ways for my dream to come true. That is exactly why I used modern technologies and filmed my dream-movie with a mobile phone.”The action takes place in the 21st century, where, unlike in the immortal Shakespeare tragedy, the drama unfolds in an unnamed presidential administration. In the film, the story is told by Horatio (Otto Darchiashvili). The director says the reason why the story is narrated by Horatio is that he is the man who saw, with his own eyes, everything which transpired.But the main idea of the film remains as written by Shakespeare – a human being is ready to do anything in order to obtain power. “That’s what William Shakespeare wanted to say. The centuries pass, but the fight for power remains,” Megrelishvili says. The most demanding role of Hamlet is played by Megrelishvili himself, and Ophelia is portrayed by Ani Nikolashvili.

The film had its premiere in Georgia on April 23, 2018 – William Shakespeare’s birthday.