Inside the Distance

Giorgi Shakhsuvarian makes a fist: our heart is no bigger than that, he says. Yet his heart can fill the distance between Georgia and Belgium. Shakhsuvarian is an Armenian immigrant who grew up in Georgia. He has been living in Belgium for thirteen years, coaching boxers. A man with an intellectual background, he teaches his pupils not only about boxing, but also about life. The film's title refers not only to the distance between countries. In boxing, distance refers to the length of a bout – a fight during which you have to survive, just like outside the ring. (International Film Festival Rotterdam)