Biography

Ali Ahmadzadeh was born in Tehran in 1986. Despite being qualified in architecture, his interest in music led him to graduate from the Neinava Music University. He is also graduated in film directing from the Young Cinema Society. FILMOGRAPHY-  Critical Zon (2023), Atomic Heart(2015), Kami’s Party ( (2013)

Synopsis

Amir leads a lonely life. With his dog for sole company, he drives through the underworld of Tehran, dealing drugs of all kinds and healing troubled souls like a modern prophet. He navigates the city streets aimlessly, following the directions of his GPS while getting high to escape a town with no future. And yet, in his wandering he will find the seed of resistance.

Biography

Dominik Moll was born in 1962 from a German father and a French mother. After growing up in Germany, he studied film at the City College of New York and the French National Film School (IDHEC). He then worked as assistant editor, editor and assistant director, among others with Marcel Ophuls and Laurent Cantet. His first feature film, Intimité, was released in 1994. In 2000, his second feature, With a Friend Like Harry, was shown in official competition in Cannes, and won several "César" awards in France. His third film, Lemming, opened the Cannes Film Festival in 2005. His other important films include – Only the Animals (2019), News from the Planet of Mars (2016) etc.

Synopsis

Sooner or later, every police investigator comes across a case that remains unsolved and that haunts him. For Yohan, Clara’s murder is that case. What starts as a thorough investigation into the victim’s life soon turns into a nagging obsession. Then his assistant Marceau divorces, in full burn out.

Biography

Born in 1985 in Tbilisi, Georgia. Georgian citizenship. Elene Naveriani studied Painting at State Academy of Art in Tbilisi. In 2011 they received their Master in Critical Curatorial Cybermedia, in 2014 their Bachelor in Film from Geneva School of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève). Their first feature I AM TRULY A DROP OF SUN ON EARTH (2017) premiered at IFFR and won awards at Entrevues Belfort and Semana Internacional de Cine de Valladolid. Their short RED ANTS BITE (2019) premiered at IFFR. BLACKBIRD BLACKBIRD BLACKBERRY is to premiere in the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes 2023.

Synopsis

Etero, a 48-year-old woman living in a small village in Georgia, never wanted a husband. She cherishes her freedom as much as her cakes. But her choice to live alone is the cause of much gossip among her fellow villagers. Unexpectedly, she finds herself passionately falling for a man, and is suddenly faced with the decision to pursue a relationship or continue a life of independence. Etero must grapple with her feelings and decide how to find her own path to happiness.

Biography

Born in Tbilisi, Georgia in 1978, she graduated with a degree in film directing from the State Theatre and Film University of Georgia in 2001. She attended the producer’s workshop of the European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs (EAVE) and made several short films before her feature film debut BRIDES. The film premiered in the 2014 Berlinale Panorama and went on to screen at many international festivals. Her most recent feature HORIZON had its world premiere at Berlinale Panorama 2018. Her latest work is CITIZEN SAINT (2023), selected at the Karlovy Vary IFF.

Synopsis

Miners in the small town discover that centuries ago crucified Saint came back to life and lives among them. Shortly after celebrating his presence they lose hope, ordinary man can’t protect them from misfortunes. Hopeless and frightened crowd believing saint will have more power on the cross.

Biography

Marija Kavtaradzė was born in Vilnius, Lithuania. She studied film directing at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.

Her short film I’m Twenty Something won best student film at the Lithuanian Film Academy Awards in 2015. Kavtaradzė also co-wrote the feature film The Saint, which premiered at Busan IFF and Warsaw ISFF in 2016.

Her debut feature Summer Survivors made a splash at the Toronto Film Festival. This road-movie across Lithuania moved audiences due to its unique tone to portray mental illness – light-hearted, humorous and ultimately radiant.

Synopsis

One day, dancer Elena meets the sign-language interpreter Dovydas. She feels comfortable with him, as if she’s known him for a long time – and yet the bond that forms between them is like nothing she has experienced before… In her sophomore outing, director Marija Kavtaradze explores the themes of closeness and intimacy between two people in a relationship that defies stereotypes, expectations, and simple definitions, doing so with a remarkable tenderness, delicacy, and understanding for her protagonists and their feelings. Slow premiered in competition at Sundance, where it was enthusiastically welcomed by audiences and reviewers and also took home the Directing Award

Biography

BEATA DZIANOWICZ - Born in 1969 in Katowice. Film and theatre director and screenwriter. She is an author of more than a dozen documentary films. She made her feature debut in 2018 with her film “On the Run”. Lecturer of documentary film directing at the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School at the University of Silesia in Katowice.

Synopsis

The Pateroks are a loving, multi-generational family. They lead a peaceful life not devoid of elements of humor. This harmonious reality is suddenly disturbed by a crack: grandfather Gerard starts acting weird, disobeying conventions and going against social norms. This turns out to mark the first symptoms of his Alzheimer’s. How are the protagonists going to deal with this diagnosis? Gerard’s intensifying disease puts family relations to a great test, while revealing hidden tensions, secrets and grudges.

Biography

Olga Chajdas is a Polish director who was born in Poznań in 1983. She studied at the Łódź Film School and the Wajda School. She collaborated with Kasia Adamik on  The Offsiders and with Agnieszka Holland on  In  Darkness and  Janosik: A True Story. Her short film  3xLOVE was an award winner at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards. Completed in 2018, her debut film,  Nina, starring Julia Kijowska and Eliza Rycembel, was an award winner at the Rotterdam Festival.

Synopsis

It is 1987 and the wind of change will soon also be sweeping across communist Poland. Ela is a young woman seeking refuge from the insipidness of a life hallowed by the regime, mixing with artists on the alternative scene, singing in clubs with her post-punk band, and attending alcohol-fuelled parties… In her second film director Olga Chajdas summons up vital energy to invigorate the music scene of the Baltic Tricity and, aided by the charismatic actress and co-scripter Lena Góra, she offers the viewer a vivid portrait of a multilayered character – an inspirational artist forever enveloped in cigarette smoke, a woman struggling with her inner demons, yet also a fragile creature yearning for motherly love.

Biography

Ernst De Geer (1989, Stockholm). Selected filmography: The Culture (Kulturen, 2018, short), Wimbledon (2019, short), The Hypnosis (Hypnosen, 2023).

Synopsis

André and Vera are both life and business partners trying to get a women’s reproductive health mobile app off the ground. On the eve of a weekend programme for promising start-ups, where they aim to attract the attention of potential investors, Vera tries hypnotherapy to help her quit smoking. However, the experience comes with an unexpected side effect: she starts to lose all her social inhibitions. Ernst De Geer’s debut is a fresh, modern satire which profits from situational humour and piercingly precise dialogue. At the same time, the irony of what’s going on is plain to see. An individualistic society may well encourage us to be ourselves, nevertheless, it remains uncompromising in its demands as to how we ought to behave.

Biography

Born in 1966 in Sofia. Stephan graduated in Film & TV directing at the New Bulgarian University (1999). His works include award-wining feature and documentary films. He is a lecturer at the Film Department of the New Bulgarian University, Sofia (since 2008). He is a 2011 EAVE graduate and a Member of the European Film Academy, Bulgarian Film Directors’ Association and Bulgarian Film Producers’ Association.

Synopsis

Blaga is a seventy-year-old recently widowed former teacher and a woman of firm morals. When telephone scammers con her out of the money that she had saved for her husband’s grave, her moral compass slowly begins to lose its bearings… Stephan Komandarev’s past films have systematically criticized the inauspicious social situation in post-communist Bulgaria, and Blaga’s Lessons is no different. In this evocative drama featuring a masterful performance from Eli Skorcheva as Blaga, Komandarev aims his lens at the lives of today’s senior citizens – a vulnerable group whom politicians so often promise the right to a dignified life… but reality is much different. 

Biography 

After studying fine arts in Paris and Madrid, he took up a film degree at the Paris 8 University where he created two short fiction films. In 2011, he was accepted into La Fémis film school where he made the short Panda with Solène Rigot and Finnegan Oldfield. The film went on to screen at Clermont-Ferrand and the Côté Court Festival. Since then, he has produced 13 films for the Société Acéphale production company while also working on his own projects. After is his debut feature film.

Synopsis 

Paris at night. The driving bass of a sound system thunders through an underground car park. On the dance floor of a club, the revellers allow themselves be propelled by techno, enveloped in smoke and light, communicating only with their bodies. Félicie is approached by her ex-girlfriend, but she turns away. In the next room, the music is quieter. People get talking, consume drugs or take a break before throwing themselves into the dancing once more. This is where Félicie meets Saïd who has just come from his shift as a driver and tells her about the “gilets jaunes” protests. Félicie suggests that they move on to party at her place while the other revellers continue to abandon themselves to the night.

Biography 

Miranda Namicheishvili was born on 4th of May in 1993 in Tbilisi, Georgia. At the age of 14 she was introduced to a movie culture and had shot first short movie with the help of film studio “Pionerfilm”. It was her debut as a movie director and even managed to win couple of awards on local youth festivals. She was accepted in Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Tbilisi State University. Her bachelor exam movie was shown in 2016 Cannes France, on festival called “Short Film Corner”, She participated in various project of “Creative mind group” as a movie director, also she was a participant of “Cinema de Mare” 2019. Later in the same year she had masterclasses and trainings at Hollywood LA. Her master’s diploma film ‘The load’ won the prize for the best short at ‘Tbilisi iinternational film festival 2021’.

Synopsis

The film tells the story of a young woman – Eka, who lives alone in Shida Kartli, a conflict zone. Her boyfriend, a student from Tbilisi - Gaga - comes to practice at Eka’s village hospital. Eka becomes pregnant. Russian occupiers enter and exit Eka's village without any problems. As a result of the new "border", Eka’s house is the so-called "Toward South Ossetia" remained, and most of the yard is on the other side. Several months pass. Gaga is nowhere to be seen, the pregnant Eka manages to arrive in Tbilisi and goes to the address of Gaga's house, but it turns out that her family no longer lives there.

Biography: 

Following his graduation from the American Academy in Tbilisi, David embarked on a unique educational journey. He gained acceptance into a program that afforded him the opportunity to study Business Administration for two years in Hungary, Budapest, at the Central European University. This was followed by two more years of study in Prague, Czech Republic, at the University of New York in Prague. Upon successfully earning his bachelor’s degree, David took his initial steps into the world of business. However, he soon realized that his true passion lay in filmmaking. Driven by this deep-seated desire, David made the decision to dive into the world of filmmaking, beginning his studies in this captivating field. 

Synopsis: 

In 2012, 82-year-old Data woke up one morning, expecting a visit from his granddaughter, daughter, and son-in-law. However, he noticed something unusual outside his house, marking the beginning of a tragic ordeal that separated him from his loved ones and home country. This is the true story of Data's initial moments in a cruel new reality.

Biography

Giorgi Qobalia is known for Usakhelo Mtsenare ( 2010), Duck Hunting ( 2022) and Panikis gareshe (2013) 

Synopsis

Story of vastness and stillness, of epic landscapes and moral sense of right and wrong.

Biography 

Levan Shubashvili was born on June 30, 1990. In 2012, he graduated from the Technical University of Georgia, majoring in management. In 2016, he graduated from Shota Rustaveli State University of Theater and Cinema of Georgia with a master's degree in feature film directing (supervisor Aleksandre Rekhviashvili). In 2006, 2010, 2012, 2017 and 2020, he was accredited as a guest at the Berlin International Film Festival. He is one of the founders of film company Orni Films.

Synopsis

The beginning of the career of a girl who came to Tbilisi from Ozurgeti. A fragment of the difficult and interesting path of a young football referee, Mzeko Sharashenidze.

Biography

Giga Baindurashvili is known for Barefooted(2014), To Batumi and every single memory (2021), and Paradox (2014) 

Levan Sikharulidze is known for To Batumi and every single memory ( 2021) , 5 Days of War (2011) and Blind Dates (2013) 

Synopsis

Two souls connecting in a small town near the sea ...

Biography

Meri Gelagutashvili was born in Georgia, now lives  in Germany (since 9 years. In  2019 she started study of film directing at Macromedia University in Germany.   In 2020, she founded production company "ART ROOM FILM" with two of fellow students. „GIULI - It Was A Dream“ is her bachelor degree film, about the most famous Georgian jazz singer of all times, Guili Chokheli.

Synopsis

This short film is about the current life of jazz singer Giuli Chokheli. The focus of the film is Giuli’s loneliness and how society has forgotten about her. A statue that only exists in Giuli’s head and accompanies her acts as a symbol of her solitude.

Biography

Shadi Karamroudi (b. 1990) is an Iranian actress, director and screenwriter. She learned the basics of filmmaking and acting at Karnameh Film School in Tehran- Iran and graduated with a master’s degree in Dramatic Literature from Soore University, Tehran- Iran in 2020.

Synopsis

Pari covers up domestic violence when her brother beats up his 3 years old
daughter.

Biography

Turan Haste is known for Rutubet (2022), Hasat Zamani (2016) and Zengin Kiz Fakir Oglan (2012).

Synopsis

Ishak, a teacher serving in Anatolia, is solving the issue of child custody with his ex-wife, while at the same time struggling with Yusuf, a mischievous student who makes Ishak deviate from his ideals, to assert his authority.

Biography

Ahmad Alyaseer is a Jordanian director, producer and writer. He recently directed the Emmy Award nominated kids show (Ahlan Simsim - Sesame Workshop). His Sci-Fi experimental feature (When Time Becomes a Woman, 2012) was screened at various film festivals. Ahmad has more than nine years of experience directing and producing TV series for regional platforms including Shahid,VIU and MBC.

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Synopsis

A father and mother are faced with the painful task of washing and shrouding their deceased transgender daughter. Shrouding is an Islamic religious practice that is deemed obligatory to carry out upon death. But when no one agrees to wash her and shame falls onto the family, how far is the father willing to go to make sure his "son" is washed?

Biography 

Tan Ce Ding is a Malaysia-based filmmaker who works as a Director and Writer. He is an alumnus of the Asian Film Academy (AFA) where he won the Motion Picture Association (MPA) President's Special Recognition Award. In 2016, his short film 'Hawa' won the Grand Prize in the BMW Shorties, the most prestigious and longest running short film festival in Malaysia. His following short film, "The Masseuse" (2018) is successfully acquired by Hollywood powerhouse Miramax Studio, to be developed into a feature film. In 2022, he directed, wrote and edited his latest short film "Please Hold the Line" (2022), which made its World Premiere in the 79th Venice Film Festival.

Synopsis 

A young woman works as a telemarketing salesperson, for a scammy company. She is also pregnant and in desperate need of money so she can travel and have an abortion. In this society, such a feat is taboo and thus remains a secret. Although this film has no winners everyone is chancing it until they win. The film is moving, vibrant and soaring with power and told in colors which only Malaysian movies are capable of.

Biography

Alvin Lee graduated from the prestigious Beijing Film Academy with a Bachelor’s degree in Film Directing. His short films have screened and won awards at international film festivals, including Busan, Clermont-Ferrand and Hong Kong.

Synopsis

A funeral director is left shamefaced when a mix-up sends the wrong body for cremation. With plans for the usual rites fully underway, he devises a sham funeral with the deceased’s three estranged children. Alvin Lee’s dark comedy-of-manners turns a critical eye on social performances of mourning and kinship.

 Biography

Ramazan Kılıç, born in Ağrı, Turkey 1993. Studied Cinema-TV and Literature at Istanbul Şehir University. His previous film “The School Bus” competed in many prestigious film festivals. He was involved as a producer for The Moisture. His latest film Things Unheard Of won the Special Jury Mention award at Clermont-Ferrand 2023.

Synopsis

A little Kurdish girl tries to put a smile back on her grandmother’s face after the disappearance of her television, her only window into the world.

Biography  

Shalini Adnani is a Chilean-Indian writer and director based in London. Her latest short film White Ant premiered at Sundance 2023. Her India-set debut feature is in late stage development with Film4. ​She has a BA from Bard College in Political Philosophy & Latin American Studies and is represented by Liam Francis Quigley at 42 MP. 

Synopsis

A man is summoned from Mumbai to his village to deal with a termite infestation threatening to destroy his childhood home.

Biography

 Film directing student in the Polish National Film School in Lodz. Director of award-winning short features and documentaries. His documentary debut “Strawberry Boys” was awarded at the Krakow Film Festival (2019), among others. Laureate of the Papaya Young Directors contest - one of the most prestigious competitions for young creators in Poland.

Synopsis

Filip works as a professional movie extra, and he always plays roles of dead bodies. On the set of a historical film, he meets Lucy, who also happens to be an extra, playing a role of a dead woman.
Whilst laying on top of each other during long filmmaking hours a bittersweet relationship develops between them in the unusual circumstances.

Biography

Born in 1996 in Montpellier, France, she studied at the École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs and Le Fresnoy - Studio national des arts contemporains. Her artistic practice is situated at the borders between documentary, fantasy cinema and art installation. Her short SOUM (2021) was selected for Berlinale Shorts 2022. Her latest work, ARDENT OTHER (2023), was selected at Visions du Réel.

Synopsis

A stunned crowd faces a fire.
The threat has no name, a diffuse anguish spreads.
Fear needs to be conjured, fire must be turned into a sign.

Biography

Born in 1993 in Paris, France, he is of Swiss and Vietnamese origin. Marked by the short films of the Kourtrajmé collective, he began experimenting with a DV camera. In 2017 he completed a Bachelor in Film at the École Cantonale d’Art de
Lausanne (ECAL). His graduation film, BONOBO (2017), premiered in international competition at the Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival and received the audience award. BONOBO won the Student Academy Award for best student film in 2019. FAIRPLAY (2022) premiered at the Locarno Film Festival and received the Pardi di Domani Junior Jury Awards.

Synopsis

A teenager in search of recognition, a worker ready to do anything to hit the jackpot, a senior executive at the end of his career who wants to prove to himself that he is still alive. Three characters who are losing their way on the competition highway.

Biography

Gunnur Martinsdóttir Schlüter is known for Fár (2023), Veðramót (2007) and How about that? (2019).

Actress,  Director, Writer

Synopsis

At a downtown café, three business colleagues are discussing a future investment opportunity when a seagull hits the cafe’s window right in front of them. Anna, one of the colleagues, tries to ignore the event but is unable to shake off the incidents.

Biography

Born in Ivano-Frankivsk in 1986. The Ukrainian filmmaker and producer has a degree in cultural studies from the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and in social anthropology from the Central European University in Budapest. From 2012 to 2013, she was a Fulbright Scholar at Temple University in Philadelphia. In 2015, she completed a documentary filmmaking course at the Wajda School in Warsaw. Her feature-length debut Heat Singers premiered at Visions du Réel in 2019 and was awarded Best Documentary by both the Ukrainian Film Critics Association and the Ukrainian Film Academy.

Synopsis

Kyiv in 2022. A car races at breakneck speed through the city at dawn. Filmed from a subjective camera angle in a single unedited shot, this contemporary remake of Claude Lelouch’s film C’etait un rendez-vous captures the emotions in a state of emergency caused by the war.

Biography

Igor Gavva was born in 1987 in Moldova. He got a professional education at Kyiv Municipal Academy of Variety and Circus Arts in Ukraine. He performed as a circus artist at international festivals, television and circus shows. Having finished his career as an artist, Igor turned to film directing. In 2022, together with a team of students and independent filmmakers, he created his short film « Shreds », which was shot three days before the start of a full-scale war in Ukraine.  

Synopsis

Two brothers in Donbas, younger Kolya and older Kostya, have a different view of what is going on and what each of them should do next. Kolya backs the rebellion. Regardless of the punishment and risks, he regularly protests against the war in the centre of his hometown and, because of it, he is regularly interrogated by the secret service. Kostya is the practical one. He wants both brothers to leave the region, find work and perspectives for a better future. The tension between them is escalating, even more so because the conflict about the war is not the only one dividing them. ‘Shreds’ shows Russia’s war against Ukraine from a less obvious and more personal perspective that the one presented by the media every day.

Biography

Martin Kuba (1984, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic). Filmography: The Lion, the Antelope and the Beautiful Blonde (2014, short), The Celebration (2016, short), Kill Me If I Fall Asleep (2016, short), Night on Fire (2019, short), Vinland (2022, short).

Synopsis

Like many others, Daniil has decided to leave his native Georgia and move to Prague in search of better pay. Originally a teacher, he finds a job with Ukrainian laborers controlled by a Russian boss called Sergei, and thus becomes a cog in the machinery that takes advantage of the work of illegal immigrants… Vinland looks at the lives of people who exist all around us but about whom we know so little since their identities disappear the moment they relinquish their passports to the mafia, who are interested, above all, in profit.

Biography

Bidzina Gogiberidze was born and raised in Tbilisi, Georgia.    He graduated from the Shota Rustaveli State University of Theatre and Film in Tbilisi and studied Film & Sound at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Dortmund from 2015-2020, specializing in film directing. His graduation film ICH GEH NIRGENDWOHIN premiered at the 42nd Max Ophüls Preis Film Festival.

Synopsis

When war broke out between Russia and Georgia in 2008, more than 30,000 Georgians were displaced from the province of South Ossetia. Separated by Russian troops since then, the film offers rare glimpses of life in deadlock. Kids play ball and pass their time, while their parents – some also kept apart – wait to return home. The film finds its pictures in the in-between: nobody here seems to be at the right place at the right time, while life goes on.

Biography

Born on 18th June, 1989, in the city called Dusheti, in the actor’s family. He was interested in art since childhood. The profession of his father (actor) positively influenced him and he started reading professional literature when he was young. Since school period he was learning painting and Actor’s craft, he was also writing fiction, stories and screenplays. After his father’s death he decided to connect his life wholly to the art.

Synopsis

Depressed writer with a troubled marriage escapes the city for his childhood countryside to meditate on his future and reflect on his past and gets involved with a young woman.

Biography

Erekle Inashvili was born 1984 in Tbilisi. Currently, he lives in München, Germany.

2010 he graduated from Filamakdemie-BadenWürttemberg in Ludwigsburg, (DE) as an Art-Director and media designer. During his career, Erekle Inashvili worked for several media platforms like RTL Mediengruppe in Cologne (DE), Sky Deutschland in München (DE) and DAZN in London (UK).

As a creator and designer with 12+ years of international experience, Erekle gained several awards in the field of Design and Creation. 1x German Brand Award (2015) ; 2x German Design Award (2015, 2016); 1x Red Dot Design Award - 2021

Synopsis German linguist Emine Sahingöz is exploring Georgia. As a scientist at the University of Frankfurt, she

Biography

Giorgi  (born 1963, Mtskheta, Georgia, USSR) graduated from the Georgian State Institute of Cinema and Theater (1996) and from the New York Film Academy filmmaking course at Universal Studios in Hollywood (2006). He is a director of both dramas and documentaries that he often produces. He has made a number of memorable shorts: Eye Level (Zgvis donidan… / Mzeris doneze…) received an award at the Berlinale and the fest in Odense, both 2005. In 2009 KVIFF’s East of the West Competition presented his feature debut The Other Bank (Gagma napiri, 2008); the film won almost 50 awards and was nominated for European Discovery of the Year by the European Film Academy. His second picture Corn Island (Simindis kundzuli, 2014) took the Crystal Globe for Best Film at KVIFF and was shortlisted for an Academy Award. Last year he sat on Karlovy Vary’s main jury. His last film KHIBULA was premiered at Karlovy Vary international film festival in 2017 and was shown at BIAFF as opening film. Beautiful Helen, is his last film

Synopsis

Helen is 25 years old. After finishing university, she comes back to her homeland from New York. The life was following its own route in her absence. Everything is foreign here for the returned Helen. Helen tries not only to find her place in Tbilisi - once a familiar environment for her - but also to find herself and find the keys that fit the locks of the main existential questions of life. Her encounter with film director Gabo is the start of an adventure that takes us into the minds and souls of a man and a woman, and old and a young soul. Their encounter is the start of a journey that encompasses more than just physical trip.

Biography

Renowned filmmaker and university professor Zaza KHALVASHI (1957, Georgia) studied literature and later film directing in Tbilisi under prominent Georgian directors Tengiz Abuladze and Rezo Chkheidze. He then moved into teaching as a professor in film directing at Batumi State Art University, where he also managed the film and television department. Khalvashi founded BAFIS (Batumi Art House Film Independent Studio), which produced his films. Solomon (2015) won the Best Film at Tbilisi International Film Festival the same year. Namme (2017) premiered in the main selection of Tokyo International Film Festival and was nominated as Georgia’s bid for the Academy Awards in 2018. Before his death in 2020, Khalvashi divided his time between teaching and art. Drawing Lots (2023), selected for IFFR 2023, was produced posthumously.

Short synopsis

Love and crime and secrets and dreams intertwine in this ensemble tale that wends its seductive way through a tight-knit community in a Georgian seaside town. Nothing is as it seems in the modulating rhythms of fate, the shifting loyalties and the ultimate reality that “neighborhood” sometimes really means “family”.

Biography

Kote Kalandadze is a Georgian musician, director and producer. He was born in 1979 in the city of Tbilisi. He studied at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, and since the age of 13 he has been playing in a number of musical groups (Amoral, Kontrabanda, Небо СССР, Lady Heroine). Since 2014, Kote is the co-founder of the production company Parachute Films. In 2016, Kote completed work on the first short documentary "Better Than a Dog", and in 2020, the premiere of Keko Chelidze's film "Holidays of Dead Souls" took place at the Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival (Canada), on which Kote worked as a co-author, cameraman and editor. In 2022, Kote's debut full-length feature film "The Drummer" won the special award of the jury of the Tbilisi International Film Festival.

Synopsis

Niko is a young musician. He looks at life with hope and dreams of his own percussion instrument. However, his dream remains a dream. Just then, a drug dealer mosquito appears in Niko's life, and Niko unwittingly becomes a participant in a criminal scheme and a confrontation with the police. A moment comes for Niko when he begins to rethink his life.

Biography 

Anna Sarukhanova was born in Tbilisi. She graduated from the Higher Courses of scriptwriters and directors. From 2010 to 2016, she shot several music videos and fashion films. In 2015 her short film “To Get In” was in the official selection of the Doclisboa International Film Festival. (Portugal) In 2015 Anna filmed 20 episodes (1st season) of “Luisa Lozhkina’s Diary” TV series. In 2016, her movie “Till The End Of The Day” was selected to be premiered at the Locarno Film Festival (Pardi di Domani competition). In 2017, the short film “The Perfect Order” (in collaboration with Katalina Bakradze) was in a competition at the Sarajevo Film Festival. In 2018 Anna took part in Berlinale Talents. From 2018 till now Anna has been shooting several short documentary films for the media platform Chai Khana.  In 2018 Anna was the author of the idea and line producer of the feature documentary “Raving Riot”. In 2022 Anna finished her first feature film "Inconceivable Light" and became a Fulbright scholar.

Synopsis

The film explores the two sides of life in Georgia: what we see on the surface, and what's hidden underneath. Tina, the main character, is on a quest to find herself, but as she tries, she gets mixed up between what's real and what's not, and she loses her other self in the process. After a tough attempt to make her dreams come true, she finally figures out who she really is. This movie combines real-life elements with fiction to show the journey of a creative person trying to find their way in a tough world.

Synopsis

All the terrible wars that Russia waged following the collapse of the Soviet Union were preceded by a war in Georgia. In 1991 when Georgia regained its independence from Moscow in order to make Georgia obey, Russia orchestrated a war between the Georgians and the Abkhaz…  the film is based on the real war diaries of participants and witnesses of this war from both sides of war. The main character of the film is a female journalist. 

Biography

Nana Janelidze – a scriptwriter, film and stage director. Scriptwriter of Repentance – Cannes IFF Jury Special Prize, FIPRESCI Prize and Ecumenical Church’s prize(1987).Holder of two "Nika" (Russian Film Academy) awards for the film script –Repentance 1987; and the film Will there be a theater up there?! –best foreign film 2011; Laureate of the Georgian State prize for the film Lullaby1994. Winner of several main prizes at IFF (among them Pesaro, Moscow, Lagovo, Montpellier, Tbilisi, etc.)Participated in about 50 IFF. 

She is the author of the books about famous Georgian filmmakers: “Tengiz Abuladze – Reflections”, “Rezo Chkheidze – On the High Road of Film.” Nana Janelidze held the position of the Director of the Georgian National Film Centre (GNFC) from 2013 till 2016.

Films: “Liza, go on” 2023); “Will there be a Theatre up there?!” (2011); “The Knights of Georgian Chant”(2010); “Christmas Gift”(2005); “Imagery of the Dry Bridge” (2005); “Tengiz Abuladze” (2002); “Georgia in a raindrop” (1998); “Lullaby”(1994); “The family”s (1985)

Biograpy

Lena Chagalidze was born in 1990. In 2015-2019, she studied at the Batumi University of Arts with a degree in audiovisual art. From 2020 to the present, she has been studying at the Batumi State University of Arts with a degree in film directing.

Filmography: 

2014  Long Distance Love - short feature film

2015   Life Note -  short feature film

2020   Covid… -  short feature film

2022   Medea’s descendants - Documentary

Synopsis

A story about loneliness and love. Kako lives alone in an abandoned house, where he fixes dilapidated mannequins and sells them to various clothing stores. Kako finds hard to build relationships with people. One day, he accidentally finds a clothing store, where his repaired mannequin (female) is on display. Kako falls in love with the mannequin.

Biography

Ketevan Takidze was born in in Kobuleti, in 1991. Graduated from International University of Ukraine, Faculty of Humanities, International Relations. After graduation, he entered Batumi University of Arts, Faculty of Film and TV Directing, suspended his status in the second year and opened his own photo-video studio and started the production of his debut film.

Synopsis

The film tells the story of a girl who lives in the village of Tago in the mountainous region of Adjara. He has a sister, mother and sister have a hearing problem, which she cannot solve by staying in the village and decides to go to the Batumi city. He tries to establish herself with her persistence in the new environment. She has a goal and knows  what he had come for and did not stop fighting for it.

Biography

Born in Warsaw, Poland in 1948, she graduated from the FAMU film school in Prague and began her career assisting Krzysztof Zanussi and Andrzej Wajda. She collaborated with Krzysztof Kieślowski on the screenplay of his Three Colors trilogy. Her film Gorączka screened in Competition at the Berlinale in 1981, the year in which she emigrated to Paris. Since then she has made over 30 films, winning awards including the Golden Globe and a Berlinale Silver Bear, and being nominated for a BAFTA and an Emmy. Her films In Darkness, Europa Europa and Angry Harvest were all nominated for an Academy Award.

Synopsis

In the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so called “green border” between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa trying to reach the European Union are trapped in a geopolitical crisis cynically engineered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. In an attempt to provoke Europe, refugees are lured to the border by propaganda promising easy passage to the EU. Pawns in this hidden war, the lives of Julia, a newly minted activist who has given up her comfortable life, Jan, a young border guard, and a Syrian family intertwine. 30 years after Europa Europa, three-time Oscar Nominee Agnieszka Holland’s poignant new feature Zielona Granica opens our eyes, speaks to the heart, and challenges us to reflect on the moral choices that fall to ordinary people every day.

Biography

Marco Bellocchio was born in Piacenza, Italy, in 1939. In 1959, he suspended his studies in philosophy at the Catholic University in Milan to enrol at the Experimental Center for Cinematography in Rome. In 1961-62 he made the short films ABBASSO LO ZIO, LA COLPA E LA PENA and GINEPRO FATTO UOMO. He then transferred to London, where he attended the Slade School of Fine Arts. His feature-length debut, FISTS IN THE POCKET, was presented at Locarno in 1965 and attracted international attention. In 2011 he received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice International Film Festival. His 2015 feature BLOOD OF MY BLOOD won the FIPRESCI Award at Venice IFF. In 2016, he was in Cannes at the Director's Fortnight with SWEET DREAMS and back in 2018 with THE FIGHT.

Synopsis

In this gripping historical drama, legend of Italian cinema Marco Bellocchio looks back at a case that began in 1858, when six-year-old Edgardo Mortaro was forcibly removed from his Jewish family on the basis of the Catholic authorities’ claim that he had been secretly baptized as an infant and must therefore be raised as a Catholic. Papal law is unrelenting, and despite the protests of the Jewish community, the boy is taken to Rome, where he is given a Catholic education. This story of a family divided becomes intertwined with the process of Italian unification, the rebellions against the rule of Pope Pius IX, and the Church’s desperate attempts to hold on to its unlimited power.

Biography

After studying art in Paris, KIM KI-DUK (1960, Bonghwa, South Korea) returned to South Korea and began his career as a screenwriter. He made his directorial debut with a low-budget movie, Crocodile, in 1996. Since then, he has been hailed by both critics and audiences for his hard-to-express characters, shocking visuals, and unprecedented messages. He continued making internationally acclaimed films such as Samaritan Girl (Silver Bear award for Best Director at Berlin 2004), 3-Iron (Silver Lion Award for Best Director at Venice 2004), Arirang (Un Certain Regard Prize at Cannes 2011). Most notably, Pieta won the Golden Lion Award for Best Film at the 2012 Venice Film Festival. At BIAFF festival was screened many of his films including – Arrirang (2011), Pieta (2012) One on One (2014),  STOP (2015), NET (2016), “human, Space, Time & human” (2018), 

SYNOPSIS

Anticipation of Love has settled in the heart of a young lady. The boundaries between dream and passion are very elusive. Life is full of physical deprivations and, of course, sensual pleasures, and the deep meaning of all that is Love. The deeper the feeling the more intense emotions.

Biography

Nuri Bilge Ceylan was born in Istambul, 1959. After graduating from Engineering Department of Bosphorus University, he studied Film Making for two years at Mimar Sinan University, Istambul. Ceylan’s short film Koza (Cocoon) was screened in the Cannes Film Festival in 1995. He received many awards with his debut feature Kasaba (Small Town) and his second feature Mayis Sikintisi (Clouds of May). His third feature Uzak (Distant) received the Grand Prix and award for Best Actor at Cannes 2003, and was praised internationally. His 2006 film Iklimler (Climates) won the FIPRESCI Award at Cannes in 2006 and received international prize by critics and experts. He won the Awards at Festival de Cannes for his last films – Three Monkeys, Once upon a time in Anatolya, Winter’s Sleep .

Synopsis

The snow-covered Anatolian landscape dulls the senses, summer is long gone, and people’s souls are transformed into a chilly permafrost. Samet, a teacher, passes his time engaged in malicious nihilism and subtly manipulating his students. But accusations of improper behavior spark his volatile emotions and raise important existential questions. Does everyone have to be a hero, or do we have a right to antiheroism in times when we feel the weariness of hope? Nuri Bilge Ceylan has lost not an ounce of his intellect. A sustaining novel manifested in cinematic form, About Dry Grasses draws on the legacy of the Russian literary classics, while tearing down the traditional dichotomies of fictional worlds and showing the terrifying beauty of the human mind. 

Synopsis

And if we were to discover that the world could come to an end in the space of a few hours? This is what happens one evening to a group of old friends meeting up, as they do every year, at a villa by the seaside to celebrate a birthday. From that moment, the time that separates them from the possible end of the world will seem to flow differently, rapidly and eternally, during a summer night that is going to change their lives.

Biography

Liliana Cavani (born 12 January 1933, Carpi, Italy) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. Her professional career thus began making documentaries for RAI between 1961 and 1965, which included Storia del III Reich,

Cavani made her first full-length feature film in 1966 with Francis of Assisi (Francesco d'Assisi). Made for television and aired in two parts, it was deeply influenced by the style of Rossellini and the atmosphere typical of the films of Pasolini. Made in a period of political unrest, it was to become a kind of manifesto of dissenting Catholicism.

Cavani was not well known beyond Italy until she made the 1974 film The Night Porter (Il portiere di notte), which remains the film for which she is best remembered. Her films participated in many international film festivals. Order of Time is her last film, premiered at Venice film Festival 2023

Biography

Born in 1939 in Warsaw, Poland. Documentary and feature film director. Studied physics at Warsaw University and philosophy at Jagiellonian University in Cracow. Graduated from Lodz Film Academy in 1966. Amateur film maker. His school diploma film 'Death of a Provincial' (The Death of a Provincial (1968)) won an awards in Venice, Mannheim, Valladolid and Moscow in 1967. Other early films made for TV include: 'Next Door' (_Za sciana (1971)_), Grand Prix in San Remo; 'Hypothesis' (Hipoteza (1973)). 

Scriptwriter or co-writer of all of his TV and cinema films. Other early feature films: 'Structure of a Crystal' (The Structure of Crystal (1969)), which won in Mar del Plata 1970; 'Family Life' (Family Life (1971)), which won in Chicago 1971, Valladolid 1972 and Colombo 1973; 'Illumination' (The Illumination (1973)), Grand Prix in Locarno 1973, award in Gdansk 1974; 'Quarterly Balance' (A Woman's Decision (1975)); 'Camouflage' (Camouflage (1977)), Spiral (Spirala (1978))

Synopsis

What makes life meaningful: success or love? This dilemma is faced by Joachim, a fulfilled man approaching the end of his life, and a young mathematical genius, David. In ‘The Perfect Number’, Zanussi returns to the central themes of his work, explored in such classics as ‘Crystal Structure’ and ‘Illumination’. The answers he gives this time are not obvious. A young mathematician-physicist is immersed in his scientific research and in teaching his subjects. Joachim, an elderly Jewish-Polish cousin, would like to donate to David, wealth accumulated during his lifetime. David rejects this offer, since he wants to remain poor but happy. In the city, as word spreads, many believe that David has become very rich, and the young researcher finds himself kidnapped!

Biography

Born in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine in 1987. She studied documentary filmmaking at the Karpenko-Kary University in Kyiv and at the Wajda School in Warsaw, Poland. Her first feature-length documentary Alisa in Warland premiered at IDFA in 2015; Home Games screened at over 100 festivals and won numerous awards. She is the programmer for the international documentary competition of the Molodist film festival in Kyiv. After the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine in February 2022, she broke off her work on My ne zgasnemo and spent four months in a volunteer fighting unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Synopsis

Biography

Born in Ivano-Frankivsk in 1986. The Ukrainian filmmaker and producer has a degree in cultural studies from the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and in social anthropology from the Central European University in Budapest. From 2012 to 2013, she was a Fulbright Scholar at Temple University in Philadelphia. In 2015, she completed a documentary filmmaking course at the Wajda School in Warsaw. Her feature-length debut Heat Singers premiered at Visions du Réel in 2019 and was awarded Best Documentary by both the Ukrainian Film Critics Association and the Ukrainian Film Academy.

Synopsis

Biography

Igor Gavva was born in 1987 in Moldova. He got a professional education at Kyiv Municipal Academy of Variety and Circus Arts in Ukraine. He performed as a circus artist at international festivals, television and circus shows. Having finished his career as an artist, Igor turned to film directing. In 2022, together with a team of students and independent filmmakers, he created his short film « Shreds », which was shot three days before the start of a full-scale war in Ukraine.  

Synopsis

Two brothers in Donbas, younger Kolya and older Kostya, have a different view of what is going on and what each of them should do next. Kolya backs the rebellion. Regardless of the punishment and risks, he regularly protests against the war in the centre of his hometown and, because of it, he is regularly interrogated by the secret service. Kostya is the practical one. He wants both brothers to leave the region, find work and perspectives for a better future. The tension between them is escalating, even more so because the conflict about the war is not the only one dividing them. ‘Shreds’ shows Russia’s war against Ukraine from a less obvious and more personal perspective that the one presented by the media every day.