A cable car connects locals and visitors from the small town of Khulo in the valley to the summit village of Tago in the mountainous region of Sakartvelo. Two colourful gondolas make the 1,919-metre journey, passing each other every half hour (except at lunchtime between 13:00 and 14:00). The gondola operators, Iva and Nino, use these brief moments to interact and express their feelings. One fateful evening they decide to meet after work at 18:00. Not all men are happy to accept such a friendship.

Veit Helmer, the German mastermind of the silent lyrical musical ride, is famous for "Tuvalu", "Absurdistan", "Bra", and short films that have been invited to Cannes, Venice, Sundance, Busan, Tallinn, and many other festivals. The film, "Gondola", which premiered in the Tokyo International Competition in 2024, is still flying around the world. There is no dialogue in this wordless poetic romantic drama, but two charismatic gondolas magically make us laugh, dream, feel good, listen and raise uncomfortable questions about the acceptance of sexuality under the enchanting cinematographic tricks of Goga Devdariani ("Taming the Garden", "The Summer of Frozen Fountains" from PÖFF's previous selections).