Georgia, a land known for its wine, is nowadays the third largest exporter of bitcoins in the world. A country that not long ago suffered daily power outages is engaged in a highly technological form of capitalism. What’s more, much of this activity is concentrated in the rural, wine-growing region of Kakheti. In the countryside, cows graze amidst internet towers and are milked by machines; drones fly over vineyards; horse-drawn carriages travel on unpaved roads where electricity poles are being repaired and labour is performed by computers. The boundary between the natural and virtual is slowly being eradicated.
Avoiding any verbal commentary or even musical soundscape, this films documents a process usually perceived as virtual. How does one talk about the internet without directly mentioning it, without resorting to displaying computers on a cinema screen? The Harvest grew out of these concerns, showing a landscape that is changing – both figuratively and literally.