Program
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*Registration will be open everyday from 10:00 AM at the main stage
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When their skillset wasn’t quite enough to tell the story, their talents came to the rescue.
Andrew North, war reporter turned artist, and Molly Crabapple, artist turned journalist, in conversation with Marisa Mazria Katz.
AI tips and life hacks from Aaron Rasmussen.
Through a series of interviews, archival footage, and personal testimonies, this poignant documentary reveals the chilling reality of media persecution in Russia, Turkey and Belarus, and the fight of journalists who risk their lives to uphold the truth. Screening followed by Q&A with the director, Barış Altıntaş.
In this practical workshop organized by Voxeurop and the S.Fischer Stiftung, journalists are invited to explore how to tell stories that cross borders, political divides, overcome barriers and shape common European narratives. The workshop will offer practical tips on collaboration, translation and syndication and explore opportunities within Europe. Led by Gian Paolo Accardo.
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One of South Asia’s best known educators joins tech and education entrepreneurs for a brainstorm on what we gain and lose with the advances of AI.
Aaron Rasmussen and Ziauddin Yousafzai in conversation with Eliza Anyangwe.
The foreign agents law has become one of the Kremlin's most successful exports. It is best known for crushing dissent and media, but its effects on any society are far wider.
Natalia Antelava in conversation with Daria Apakhonchich, Giorgi Kandelaki and Irakli Vetsko.
From longform films to Instagram reels, everything is “content” and everything is changing. Joe Sabia and Fran Shea brainstorm how and why.
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Learn how deploying a queer lens can help you forge a new perspective, with Killian Poolmans.
Authoritarian regimes are leveraging AI to analyze and manipulate public opinion at an unprecedented scale, using advanced machine-learning techniques to model the spread of ideas and optimize propaganda. This session explains how AI is enabling new forms of persuasion but also how it can be used to defend open societies. Shirish Kulkarni in conversation with Alexandre Amirejibi and Masho Lomashvili.
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Technology has profoundly changed the way our societies do gatekeeping. Now, everyone has a platform, a camera and the same Instagram filters. Does this make curation the future of creativity?
Britain’s most celebrated curator, Ekow Eshun, in conversation with Nadia Beard.
Decimated culture, labor camps, forced re-education, stolen children and the competing narratives between China and its most oppressed minority.
Abduweli Ayup in conversation with Kira Brunner Don and Avi Ackermann.
For many years, Western news agencies have been shaping the image of Africa. As new actors such as Russia and China are increasing their influence in the African media space, the continent becomes a new frontline. Can local storytelling be a solution to counter disinformation and regain agency over the narratives?
Anna Reismann in conversation with Abaas Mpindi.
Insights and tips on food writing from Julia Watson, led by Rachel Corp.
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A conversation with Malala’s parents, Ziauddin Yousafzai and Toor Pekai. Led by Sara Lomax.
Is there a scenario in which legacy media thrives again? And at what cost? Nishita Jha in conversation with Rachel Corp, Shazna Nessa and Claudia Milne.
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He first appeared as a mysterious benefactor on the hill. Now, he may have done what Russian tanks failed to achieve in 2008. Who is Georgia’s all-controlling Godfather and what’s his endgame?
Hans Gutbrod in conversation with Natasha Lomouri and Salome Jashi.
Connecting the dots: community and investigations at Bellingcat, with Logan Williams.
Take a free shot for courage and tell your story in 5-15 minutes (open to everyone)
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Join some of the industry’s best global thinkers to find out what’s in store for the entertainment business.
Joe Sabia, Adam Pincus, Fran Shea and Ekow Eshun
Photographers Justyna Mielnikiewicz and Rena Effendi on the struggles and joys of their unlikely journeys to the top of the traditionally Western, male-dominated, uber competitive world of photojournalism. Led by Shazna Nessa.
Filmed during the first year of the Russian invasion, Wira's War follows Wira Primakova, an anesthesiologist, mother of three and wife of a frontline soldier, as war breaks out in Ukraine and life changes forever. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director, Carl Gierstorfer.
Senior vice president of CBS News, Claudia Milne, lays bare the hidden banter and blunders of a life in breaking news. Led by Rachel Corp.
Natalia Antelava in conversation with Bill Browder (online) and Tornike Gordadze.
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Take a free shot for courage and tell your story in 5-15 minutes (open to everyone)
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What’s the story?
ZEG 2024 speakers in conversation with Natalia Antelava.
GEORGIA’S GEN Z REVOLUTION & PERFORMANCE
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We have partnered up with the team of historians at SovLab, an organization studying Georgia’s Soviet totalitarian past to offer ZEG festival participants an unforgettable tour through the key moments of the country’s 20th century history. It’s the history that Vladimir Putin doesn’t want you to learn: in 2021, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs designated SovLab as Georgia’s #1 organization “faking history and spreading disinformation.” Join historian Irakli Khvadagiani and former MP Giorgi Kandelaki on this tour of the past that still haunts the present.
In collaboration with SovLab
Meeting point: 9:00am, Tbilisi Marriott
Spaces are limited. Sign up here.
Join Georgian philosopher and activist Levan Ghambashidze on this tour of Georgia’s turbulent political transition from totalitarianism to democracy. Tracing the modern political history of Georgia, this tour will help guests understand the last hundred years of Georgian political history, and therefore, its present.
Meeting point: 9:00am, National Youth Palace
Spaces are limited. Sign up here.
A city tour inspired by Nino Haratischwili's "The Eighth Life" offers an in-depth exploration of Tbilisi, Georgia's fascinating capital, showcasing the rich historical and cultural layers illustrated in the novel. This tour takes visitors through key locations relevant to the Jashi family narrative, spanning from the early 20th century to contemporary times. By participating in this tour, visitors can truly immerse themselves in the Tbilisi that Haratischvili portrays in "The Eighth Life," experiencing firsthand the intersections of history, culture, and personal experiences that characterize the city.
Meeting point: 9:00am, 4 Liberty Square (in front of old city hall)
Spaces are limited. Sign up here.
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Tbilisi Gallery and Artists Studio Guided Tour by Giorgi Miminoshvili
Meeting point: 9:30am, TBC concept
Spaces are limited. Sign up here.
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The tech-powered rise of authoritarianism worldwide has created unprecedented challenges for public interest journalism. Can it survive it? How?
Nishant Lalwani and Steven Capus in conversation with Julie Posetti.
Surviving, and reversing, the climate crisis requires more than scientists. What can artists, philosophers and entrepreneurs do to save the planet?
Genia Mineeva, Galen Hooks and Matthew Pye in conversation with Inga Thordar.
Wars, conflict, elections, climate. Does fiction help or hinder how we navigate our world? Ahsan Akbar in conversation with Kira Brunner Don, Salar Abdoh and Gary Shteyngart.
A guided tour of the exhibition with Irena Popiashvili.
A workshop with CNN's Eliza Anyangwe.
Filmed during the first year of the Russian invasion, Wira's War follows Wira Primakova, an anesthesiologist, mother of three and wife of a frontline soldier, as war breaks out in Ukraine and life changes forever. Join director Carl Gierstorfer for a Q&A about the film.
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From India to the EU, the US to South Africa and, of course, right here in Georgia, nearly 4 billion people are voting in history’s biggest election year. What do these elections have in common and what sets them apart?
Julia Ioffe in conversation with Siddharth Varadarajan, Stevie Valles, Tornike Gordadze and Branko Brkic.
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Colonialism takes many shapes and forms. Food is one of them. Behind Georgia’s incredible food is an amazing journey of resilience and resistance. Chefs Tekuna Gachechiladze and Meriko Gubeladze in conversation with Julia Watson.
How the foreign agent law in Georgia is affecting journalists. Mariam Nikuradze, Tazo Kupreishvili and Nino Japiashvili in conversation with Andrew North.
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The value, struggles and triumphs of writing your personal story, with Monique Maddy and Shazna Nessa.
Patrick Walsh is the agent behind some of Britain’s most successful titles. In this workshop, he shares his top tips on how to make your book idea a reality. With Nishita Jha.
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What’s the role of philosophy in the age of AI? Journalist Aman Sethi sits down with philosophers Erica Benner, Volodymyr Yermolenko and Matthew Pye to find out.
Today, we need solidarity more than ever, and yet, where is it? Can we reinvent it? How?
Kira Brunner Don in conversation with Stevie Valles, Monique Maddy and Alice Zhuravel.
Aggression, conflict, war crimes, assassinations. The list of Moscow’s crimes is long and well documented, and yet, Russia continues to capture the imagination of a certain type of European. Why? And at what price?
Yoeri Albrecht, Nataliya Gumenyuk and Hans Gutbrod.
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Fashion entrepreneur Genia Mineeva on creating from waste. In conversation with Inga Thordar.
Tips for investigations with Lighthouse Reports’ Tessa Pang.
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Armando Iannucci, the creative genius behind the Veep and The Death of Stalin, is back at ZEG and ready to confess what has been keeping him up at night. In conversation with Razia Iqbal.
Journalist Aman Sethi in conversation with Ukrainian philosopher Volodymyr Yermolenko.
Tips and lifehacks from the frontlines, with Shelley Thakral, Alice Zhuravel, Quentin Sommerville and Matthew Pye.
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What does history teach us about the moment we're living through? Harvard historian Serhii Plokhii (online) in conversation with the FT's Polina Ivanova.
PUTIN’S CHILDHOOD
Join Puck founding partner and Washington correspondent, Julia Ioffe, discuss her podcast on the forces that shaped Vladimir Putin's childhood, with creative executive Adam Pincus..
Take a free shot for courage and tell your story in 5-15 minutes (open to everyone)
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From a crazed transatlantic mission to rescue burnt dollars from a house fire, to how one photo led a mother and daughter to find each other in a remote Ethiopian village, to a quest to find a butterfly in a warzone and a bonkers journey into the world of Chinese drop-shipping. Get ready to go on a multisensory storytelling adventure like no other!
With Monique Maddy and Betelihem Melkamu, Giorgi Lomsadze, Ryan Broderick and Rena Effendi. Hosted by Isobel Cockerell.
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How is the job of a foreign correspondent changing? And where is it headed?
Matthew Pye in conversation with Quentin Sommerville, Yaroslav Trofimov and Nataliya Gumenyuk
A BBC documentary, directed by Fay Nurse, on the story of Amy and Ano, Georgian identical twins sold at birth and reunited by TikTok.
The New Yorker’s Jon Lee Anderson spills the beans about the stories behind his stories, in conversation with Nadia Beard.
Take a free shot for courage and tell your story in 5-15 minutes (open to everyone)
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What does the future hold for Ukraine?
Alice Zhuravel, Nataliya Gumenyuk and Peter Pomeranzev (online) in conversation with Jon Lee Anderson.
A deep dive into Shazna Nessa’s work in progress, Beneath the Same Stars, a literary memoir about her escape from child marriage. Led by Claudia Milne.
Pushing the boundaries of traditional journalism, with Marisa Mazria Katz.
Grab a drink and get to know the reporters working on the frontlines, with Andrew North, Salar Abdoh and others.
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We have partnered up with the team of historians at SovLab, an organization studying Georgia’s Soviet totalitarian past to offer ZEG festival participants an unforgettable tour through the key moments of the country’s 20th century history. It’s the history that Vladimir Putin doesn’t want you to learn: in 2021, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs designated SovLab as Georgia’s #1 organization “faking history and spreading disinformation.” Join historian Irakli Khvadagiani and former MP Giorgi Kandelaki on this tour of the past that still haunts the present.
In collaboration with SovLab
Meeting point: 9:00am, Tbilisi Marriott
Spaces are limited. Sign up here.
Have you ever heard of "Petkhain", or the Jewish quarter of Tbilisi? Did you know that Shota Rustaveli's "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" was first published in Yiddish and a few decades later in Hebrew? The story of Jews of Georgia is a story of a nation, as people of letters and languages, who flourished in their surrogate land. A people seen as valiant soldiers, scholars and statesmen. ZEG Fest has partnered with Lasha Shakulashvili, Georgian scholar of Jewish Studies and the only lecturer of Yiddish in the region to host a walking tour of Jewish Tbilisi. The tour will delve into linguistic, religious and cultural heritage of eight different Jewish communities residing in Georgia. While walking down the Jewish quarter, attendees will embrace the legacy of various Georgian, Middle Eastern and European rabbis or chachams, their relations with other Abrahamic religions, shared values or customs. Each and every story will be told on behalf of specific families and persons, through visiting their courtyards, sharing their photographs or any other piece of information, which makes their story alive and personal.
Meeting point: 9:00 am, Royal District Theatre
Spaces are limited, Sign up
A city tour inspired by Nino Haratischvili's "The Eighth Life" offers an in-depth exploration of Tbilisi, Georgia's fascinating capital, showcasing the rich historical and cultural layers illustrated in the novel. This tour takes visitors through key locations relevant to the Jashi family narrative, spanning from the early 20th century to contemporary times. By participating in this tour, visitors can truly immerse themselves in the Tbilisi that Haratischvili portrays in "The Eighth Life," experiencing firsthand the intersections of history, culture, and personal experiences that characterize the city.
Meeting point: 9:00am, 4 Liberty Square (in front of old city hall)
Spaces are limited. Sign up here.
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How leading international editors are responding to information pollution in a pivotal year for democracy. Maria Ressa, Natalia Antelava, Branko Brkic in conversation with Julie Posetti.
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Yaroslav Trofimov's book is a "riveting, vivid, and first-hand account of the Ukrainian refusal to surrender".
Join the author in conversation with Nishita Jha.
First they came for the media. But now, culture seems to be under increasing attack from autocrats around the world. Why? And can it withstand the pressure? Natasha Lomouri, Nikoloz Rachveli and Ahsan Akbar in conversation with Nadia Beard.
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In the wake of India’s parliamentary elections, one of the country’s leading editors, Siddharth Varadarajan, shares his thoughts on where India is headed. Led by Polina Ivanova
Creative entrepreneur Jake Friedman shares his best tips for surviving and thriving in the changing creative landscape
A conversation between filmmaker Fay Nurse and the Georgian identical twins – Amy and Ano – sold at birth and reunited by TikTok. Moderated by Liz Gibbons.
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Wikipedia is a household name, but does it have a place in the Wild West of the new AI-powered internet? Anusha Alikhan in conversation with Aman Sethi.
Will Trump's potential second term be different, and how?
Siddharth Varadarajan in conversation with Claudia Milne and Julia Ioffe.
The Reckoning Project is a new way of documenting war crimes. How does it work?
Nataliya Gumenyuk in conversation with Nabeelah Shabbir.
Oliver Müser and Giorgi Lomsadze discuss culinary (and other) minefields of the South Caucasus region.
Two leading international magazine editors share tips, tricks and best practices of pitching longform journalism.
With Jonathan Beckman and Kira Brunner Don.
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Galen Hooks is among the world’s most accomplished choreographers. In this conversation with Jake Friedman, she talks about what the rest of us can learn from dance.
Trapped in an Afghan jail in early 2022, journalist Andrew North had several questions. Why had he been taken? Would he be released unharmed? And how had the West spent 20 years in Afghanistan replacing the Taliban...with the Taliban? Join the author in conversation with Razia Iqbal.
As authoritarianism gains momentum across the globe, more and more people are living in exile. But digital technology has profoundly changed the experience of exile and the way it shapes local communities.
Nabeelah Shabbir in conversation with Barış Altıntaş, Polina Ivanova and Abduweli Ayup.
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A guided tour of the exhibition with Irena Popiashvili.
A conversation between Pekka Kallioniemi (online), the man exposing Russian propagandists around the world and Anna Reismann.
The story of Georgia’s relationship with Europe is a lot older, deeper, and more surprising than most people realize, even in Georgia.
Hans Gutbrod in conversation with Nino Kupatadze and Lasha Bakradze.
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We are constantly told that AI is going to change everything. But how? Journalist Julia Ioffe, novelist Gary Shteyngart and artist Molly Crabapple will try to figure it out with the help of data scientist Christopher Wylie.
In this storytelling workshop, journalist and filmmaker Johnny Harris talks about how he came up with his unique way of storytelling that landed him with 5 million (and counting) followers on YouTube.
Around the world, authoritarianism is on the rise. How do activists keep up the fight?
Erica Benner in conversation with Stevie Valles, Alice Zhuravel and Tamara Arveladze.
Ukraine is fighting a difficult but essential battle for the hearts and minds of billions of people in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Are they winning?
Nataliya Gumenyuk in conversation with Jon Lee Anderson.
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…but why it might help. Join Shirish Kulkarni to find out why and how.
Take a free shot for courage and tell your story in 5-15 minutes (open to everyone)
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In a world of depleting attention spans, who is watching documentaries and what role do they serve? Celebrated documentary director, Bao Nguyen, in conversation with Matthew Janney.
For many people around the world, joining companies like Google or Meta is a dream. But what is it like to cover them? Inga Thordar will try to find out from two journalists on the beat: Isobel Cockerell and Ryan Broderick .
Finding themselves under Russian occupation, thousands of Ukrainians have been deported to Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion of their country. This is the story of how a group of Ukrainians are trying to find their way home.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director, Mariana Sych, in the adjacent courtyard space at 17:00.
From the jungles of Myanmar to Gaza and Ukraine, Quentin Sommerville has covered countless conflicts for the BBC. He shares what he has learned in conversation with Claudia Milne.
Polina Ivanova and Pavel Butorin in conversation with Shelley Thakral about the formidable task of freeing Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva.
Take a free shot for courage and tell your story in 5-15 minutes (open to everyone)
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What has the novelist Gary Shteyngart been up to and what keeps him awake at night? In conversation with Razia Iqbal.
Wondering what the future of content creators looks like in Georgia? Come to Coda Stage to celebrate the creativity of the new generation who participated in Visa Georgia’s first-ever digital storytelling contest. Engage in insightful discussions, meet the storytellers, and enjoy the award ceremony, where we’ll announce the contest winner. Powered by VISA, attendees will also have the opportunity to engage in a panel discussion moderated by Shota Chinchaladze. Panel participants include Foxy Eleniko, Tornike Shengelia, and Soso Bliadze.
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Finding themselves under Russian occupation, thousands of Ukrainians have been deported to Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion of their country. This is the story of how a group of Ukrainians are trying to find their way home.
Discussion with the director Mariana Sych.
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Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Maria Ressa in conversation with Julie Posetti.
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