ZEG Tbilisi Storytelling Festival: for stories that matter
Established in 2019, the ZEG Tbilisi Storytelling Festival is a creative collaboration dedicated to discovering and sharing impactful stories that foster meaningful conversations among diverse professionals. Co-founded by Impact Hub Tbilisi and Coda Story, it strives to be an inclusive platform, earning global acclaim by 2023 and promising continued evolution in its mission for future narrative shaping.
- Impact Hub Network
- Global team
In 2019, the ZEG Tbilisi Storytelling Festival made history as the first international storytelling festival in the region. Co-founded by Impact Hub Tbilisi and Coda Story, the festival emerged from a fertile exchange of ideas and creative energy within the hub. Its vision was clear: to create an inclusive, cross-disciplinary event that would unite individuals from diverse professions for conversations that often go unexplored. Georgia, with its rich cultural tapestry, played a dual role — both contributing to and benefiting from the festival’s global dialogue. The festival aimed to showcase Georgia to the world while bringing global perspectives to Georgia, creating a space for some of the brightest minds to engage in transformative discussions.
Described by participants as one of the most “exciting and impactful events” on the global festival circuit, ZEG 2023 left attendees inspired, with many reflecting on its personal impact on their growth. Words like “urgency,” “solidarity,” and “inspiration” were recurring themes from those who attended the latest edition. However, ZEG Fest 2024 felt distinctly different from previous years. While it had always been a storytelling festival, this year it evolved into something deeper — a community.
For three days in Tbilisi, hundreds of people came together, transcending the boundaries of their professions, geographies, and ideologies, connecting both the local and global. Against the backdrop of rising authoritarianism in Georgia — a situation offering profound lessons for the world — attendees not only listened but also danced, debated, learned, laughed, cried, and engaged in serious conversations. They built bridges, challenged perceptions, forged new collaborations, and sparked inspiration.
Together, they never shied away from the difficult issues of our time: global elections, authoritarianism, the legacy of colonialism, climate change, and the AI revolution. These topics were explored through a range of perspectives, from technology to philosophy, and across voices spanning from Iran to the United States, from Uganda to India and Ukraine. One participant remarked, “These three days felt both urgent and kind — a wild but necessary combination.”
In 2023, the festival welcomed a roster of world-class storytellers, including Hollywood star Sean Penn, satirist Armando Iannucci, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Maria Ressa, leading Ukrainian and international journalists, filmmakers, philosophers, cartoonists, and global media executives. Over three captivating days, workshops, panels, conversations, and networking sessions fueled the collective imagination.
The name ‘ZEG’ encapsulates the festival’s core mission. Meaning “the day after tomorrow” in Georgian, it symbolises the festival’s commitment to discovering and narrating the stories that will shape the future. As ZEG continues to evolve, storytelling remains the most powerful tool we have to inspire change and create a better tomorrow.
Written in collaboration with Impact Hub Tbilisi.
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