„Khidi – The Bridge“ by Thomas Dworzak | Book Presentation

On May 30, at 19:00, Tbilisi Photography and Multimedia Museum will host the presentation of the book "Khidi - The Bridge" by Magnum photographer Thomas Dworzak.

The book is based on the first-hand experiences of Thomas Dworzak, who was embedded with the Georgian troops in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2004-2013. Dworzak’s 268 photographs are combined with a film script based on his memories and stories and written by Jeroen Stout & Ineke Smits.

The book mixes photography, film, fiction, and documentary.

The book presentation will be accompanied by a conversation with Thomas Dworzak and Ineke Smith and will be moderated by Giorgi Lomsadze.

From WRITER’S NOTE:
“At first sight, soldiers, tanks, and deserts all lookalike; men in similar army uniforms, at anonymous military bases, against the backdrop of desolated and war-ridden landscapes. Only the context of personal stories, adventures, absurdities, and human emotions make them specific and bring them to life. Our good friend Thomas Dworzak had already told us many of his stories and memories from his stay with the Georgian troops in Iraq and Afghanistan before he showed us his vast archive of photographs. When we actually saw the pictures the stories became very real. In search of the most suitable way to tell this story, we invented the fictional Captain Dato Shervashidze and his soldiers. Stationed in an un-named Middle Eastern desert, they have to defend a strategically located bridge against anonymous insurgents. Based on our recordings of Thomas's experiences and stories, we developed Dato's story into the text for his book. It is a film script, but one that is not meant to be turned into a real film. As we finalize this book, the implosion of the Afghan government and the swift takeover of the Taliban is unfolding. The departure of the last foreign troops from Afghanistan casts a dark shadow on these international missions; where Western allies contribute with money and expensive war machines, countries without financial means have little to offer but men as cannon
fodder. “ - Jeroen Stout & Ineke Smits, Garikula, Georgia, August 2021

Dworzak became a Magnum nominee in 2000 and a full member in 2004. He was President of Magnum from 2017 to 2020. With an unflinching eye and depth of vision, Thomas Dworzak has documented many of this century’s most important news stories since the 1990s. Dworzak started traveling aged 16 to photograph conflicts in Northern Ireland, Israel/Palestine and the disintegrating Yugoslavia. Since then, he has gone on to photograph wars in Afghanistan and Iraq post 9/11, and the revolutions in the former Soviet republics of Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine.

During the Nineties, Dworzak lived in Georgia, exploring the people, culture, and conflicts in the Caucasus, which resulted in the book, Kavkaz in 2010.