Synopsis

A psychological portrait of Budny, a Security Service officer who was keeping Karol Wojtyła under surveillance for twenty years. A particular bond starts to form between Budny and the bishop, unaware of his existence (they never met face to face): a one-sided, obsessive and pathological bond.

Biography

George Sikharulidze a Georgian/American writer, director and producer based in New York and Tbilisi. His films havebeen screened in the main competitions at Toronto International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Karlovy Vary FilmFestival, Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival, and others. He is a participant of Cinéfondation Residence ofCannes Film Festival, Torino Script Lab and Torino Feature Lab. He holds a Bachelor's degree from NYU and an MFA inscreenwriting and directing from Columbia University.

Synopsis

When Sandro’s father decides to devote his existence to God and leaves for a monastery, the teenage introvert finds himself deprived of the fundamental certainties of life. Abandoned by his father and his mother, who is working abroad, the young man embarks on a journey of self-discovery, opening up both to a new friendship with the radical Lasha, who has ties with an ultra-right organization, and also to the chance to explore his own sexuality. George Sikharulidze’s perceptive feature debut considers how fine the line is between the observer and the observed, and asks where contemporary post-Soviet Georgian society is heading as it hovers on the border between religious conservatism and nationalization on the one hand, and the desire for independence and modernization on the other.

Synopsis

In Russia, at the time of the cruel and illegal mass deportation campaign of Georgians. A young Georgian woman, Medea, whorecently sold her house in Georgia, goes to view an apartment in St. Petersburg’s historic center. It is on sale for a very lowprice, but it comes together with its owner, an old man named Vadim Vadimich. Medea is pleased with everything, even theprospect of having an old man as a flatmate doesn’t scare her. She is ready to move in immediately and start a new life butshould have a month-long probation period.

Biography

Rusudan Glurjidze is a Georgian film director, screenwriter, and producer. She graduated in French Language and Literaturefrom the Tbilisi State University and from 1990 to 1996 studied Film Directing and Screenwriting at Giorgi Shengelaia’s class at
24the Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film University. Since 2007, she has been working as a producer and art director of CinetechFilm Production Company.Her directorial feature debut, House of Others, premiered in the East of the West competition at the Karlovy Vary InternationalFilm Festival, taking home the Grand Prix and becoming Georgia’s candidate in the 89thAcademy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. Her last film “Antique” was premiered at Venice Film Festival in “GiornateDegli Autori” section.Rusudan participating in different film festivals as a jury like Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Minsk international filmfestival "Listopad", Eurasia International Film Festival, Fajr International Film Festival etc.

Biography

Vuslat Saracoglu was born in Tokat (Turkey). She completed her undergraduate education at Bilgi University, Department of Sociology and International Relations and master's degree at Bogaziçi University, Department of Modern Turkish History. She joined the Sarajevo Talent Campus in 2010. She has a short film called "Kakafoni" and a documentary film called "Müslüm Baba'nin Evlatlari". He worked as a production coordinator and actor in the 2014 movie "Neden Tarkovski Olamiyorum".  

His feature film "Borc" participated in many national and international festivals. In 2018, she won the "Golden Tulip Best Film" at the Istanbul Film Festival, the "Best Editing" and "Best Actress" at the Bosphorus Film Festival, and the "Best Debut Film" at the Malatya Film Festival.

Synopsis

Three siblings, different in mentality and lifestyle: Tahsin, Yasin and Remziye. The mysterious death of their father brings them together in Tokat, the town where they were born. During their time in Tokat, they grow close to each other, sometimes in a warm relationship, sometimes in a tense one. Sometimes one to two alliances are formed. The intricate structure of sibling relationships is experienced in all aspects. They realise that they remember their shared past differently. Nothing is as any of them knows it to be.

Biography

Roman Bondarchuk’s debut feature film Volcano (2018) premiered at Karlovy Vary and won 12 international awards, including Ukraine’s Shevchenko National Prize. His documentary Ukranian Sheriffs (2015) received the Special Jury Prize at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and was Ukraine’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. Dixie Land (2016) won the Golden Duke Award at Odesa International Film Festival. Bondarchuk serves as the Artistic Director for Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival.

Synopsis

Young biologist Yura actually leads a quiet provincial life with his job at the Natural History Museum. He’s still living at home with his mother – if only her pompous admirer wouldn’t annoy him with his readings from “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”. In search of the marmot, a creature thought extinct on the Southern Ukrainian steppe, Yura is witness to arson. Trying to draw public attention to the injustice, he unexpectedly ends up on a sensationalist local news portal, and is drawn ever deeper into the absurd entanglements of a network that no one is really interested in unravelling.

Biogarphy

Lilja Ingolfsdottir a screenwriter and director graduated from The London Filmschool and FAMU, the Czech film school in Prague. She has written and directed around 20 short and mid length films that has been shown at a number of A-festivals and has had wide distribution both nationally and internationally.

Synopsis

While Sigmund is always away on business, Maria juggles her career with childcare and managing the home. Like many other relationships, theirs was also all about love and harmony in the early stages, however, after years of married life, the cracks started to appear. Sigmund is ultimately the one to ask for a divorce, and Maria is forced to confront her greatest fears. While ostensibly a divorce drama, this debut by writer-director Lilja Ingolfsdottir nevertheless takes us further, delivering a multilayered character study of a woman experiencing a crisis that leads her to self-knowledge. Loveable isn’t a story about the quest for true love; on the contrary, it takes a fresh approach to examine contemporary ideas of romance, equality within the relationship, and the power of womanhood.

Biography

Leonardo Mouramateus holds a master's degree in Multimedia Art from the University of Lisbon and a BA in Film and Audiovisual from the Federal University of Ceará. He maintains a continuous engagement with performing arts and dance dramaturgy. Mouramateus has written and directed films screened at numerous festivals including Locarno, Viennale, IDFA, Cinéma du Réel, and Bafici. Retrospectives of his filmography have been featured in Portugal, France, Colombia, and most recently at the Rotterdam Festival.

Synopsis

Greice is a young Brazilian woman studying and working in Lisbon. One day, while at work, she meets Alfonso, sparking a series of events that ultimately lead her back to her native Ceará. In his third feature film, Leonardo Mouramateus skillfully intertwines themes of fabulation and mirrors, all set against the backdrop of the imaginary border that both unites (and separates) Brazil and Portugal. With sharp dialogue delivered by a captivating cast, the film navigates complex themes of identity with a sense of lightness and charm, particularly regarding social and gender relations. (E.V.)

Biography - Matthias Glasner was born in 1965 in Hamburg. In the 90s, he directed the “hipster-trilogy” all of which premiered at theBerlinale. Subsequently, he directed the films “DER FREIE WILLE” (which won the Silver Bear for lead actor JürgenVogel at the Berlinale 2006, among other awards), “THIS IS LOVE” (festival competition at San Sebastian), and“GNADE” (Berlinale competition).His latest feature film “DYING” won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the Berlinale 2024 and four LOLAS at theGERMAN FILM AWARDS 2024, including Best Score and the Golden Lola for Best Picture.

Synopsis - The Lunies family has not really been a family for a long time. Lissy Lunies, in her mid-70s, is quietly happy when Gerd,her husband who is slowly wasting away from dementia, is put in a care home. But her new-found freedom is short-lived:diabetes, cancer, kidney failure and the onset of blindness signal that she does not have much time left herself.Meanwhile, her son Tom, who is a conductor, is working on a composition entitled “Dying” with his depressive best friendBernard. Tom’s ex-girlfriend Liv wants him to be the surrogate father of her child. His sister Ellen begins an affair with amarried dentist with whom she shares a passion for alcohol and intoxication. But everything in life has its price.Confronted with death, the estranged family members finally meet again.

Biography

Swedish film director, screenwriter and author Lukas Moodysson (1969) has carved a niche for himself in the film industry with his mind-bending works. After completing his graduation from the National Film School of Denmark in 1994, Moodysson dabbled in screenwriting in the Swedish television industry before making his foray into feature films with the critically acclaimed movie Fucking Åmål (1998). Moodysson’s oeuvre has been showered with accolades, including films Together (2000) and Lilya 4-ever (2002).

Synopsis

A group of very different individuals who in 1975 lived in a commune called “Together“. Now it is 1999, and the collective has turned into the world’s smallest. The commune consists of only two people – Göran and Klasse. Feeling a bit lonely, the idea occurs of a reunion with their old friends.

Biography

Born in 1962, Manijeh Hekmat is one of the prominent figures in political cinema in Iran. In 1995, she started her filmcareer as a producer. In 2002, based on her long studies and field-works, Hekmat directed her debut feature, WOMEN’SPRISON, on the situation of Iranian women prisoners. The film premiered in the Venice Film Festival and then enteredthe festival circuit. In 2007, her second film, THREE WOMEN, was shown in more than 80 international film festivalsstarting with Berlinale. She has also directed a number of documentaries – most notably ME, MY ROOM AND MYFRIENDS (2004); HUNDRED YEARS PARLIAMENT IN IRAN (2005); WOMEN COME OUT OF THE HOUSE (2006);and THE LULLABY (2016). In 2020, she made a spectacular comeback to the festival circuit with her 4th feature film,BANDAR BAND, participating in Toronto, Zurich, , Bosphorous, Hainan, etc. and winning the main award in Kolkata.

Synopsis

A couple is destined to build up their life in the heart of a waste depot in the heart of Iranian north forests. They begin todo different things with the objects they find and to make friends with the other people… but what remains of the peoplewho are determined to fight their nature? Despite their obstacles – they share a deep love and caring for each other

Biography

Giorgi Mukhadze graduated as a film director from Shota Rustaveli Theater and Film Georgia State University. He has worked as director, screenwriter and producer until creating his own production house “Terra Incognita Films” in 2019. His First short film “Waiting for Ana” premiered at Karlovy Vary IFF. He was actively involved and was working as a creative consultan on acclaimed LGBT drama “And Then We Danced” which premiered at Cannes in 2019. Currently his is working on his feature film debut “When you are 17” which is a georgian-german co-production. He is also producing several shorts and features through TIF. In 2021 he founded Zaira Arsenishvili Script Development Residence in Telavi which is held annualy.

Toby Andris self-produced two experimental short films, Memorybox (2014) and The Belt (2017), before turning to more conventional narratives for Chiatura (2021), shot in Georgia with support from the G.R.E.C. in France, to great acclaim. Tskaltubo (2022), his second Georgian film, was made with support from the Canada Arts Council. In 2024 he completed a fifth short film, The Bait, with Giorgi Mukhadze. His first feature-length film, The Forgotten, is currently in development.

Synopsis

A young couple attends a pagan festival in Pshavi, Georgia, and as the generation gap deepens, primal impulses awaken.

Biography 

I was born in Tbilisi on January 23, 1991. After completing school in Tbilisi, I entered the Ivane Javakhishvili University of Tbilisi in 2009, studying at the Faculty of Cinema and Television Arts. Concurrently, I worked on films and produced "making of" documentaries for these projects.

In 2016, I took courses in advertising and began working as a creative copywriter at the advertising agency Water Guns. Later, I continued my career at ABK in a similar role.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I wrote several screenplays. One of these was entered into a contest organized by the Georgian Film Center. I won the contest and subsequently shot my first short film, "Dead."

Synopsis

In a cramped apartment, a lifeless figure sprawls in the living room—the woman who was more than just a mother, but a maternal force, an unwavering anchor for Dato and Soso. Her sudden departure leaves the brothers adrift,  They have no idea how to live. From frying an egg to arranging a funeral, their ignorance becomes painfully apparent. A coffin they can't afford. As days pass, the urgency of burial logistics intensifies alongside the woman's decomposing presence. The community's interest wanes, leaving only Larisa, an elderly neighbor, to offer a compassionate hand. Discovering the brothers' situation, Larisa mobilizes their neighbors to collect funds, providing a lifeline to Dato. But with money comes a new test: how will the brothers, unaccustomed to such wealth, handle this sudden fortune, especially considering the abundance of free land in the forest and the fact that their God is dead? 

Biography

Elene Tavadze was born on September 28, 1990, in Tbilisi, Georgia. In 2012, she graduated Shota Rustaveli Theater and Film Georgia State University Since 2013 till 2021, she has worked in different broadcasters in Georgia as a journalist and host. In 2022 Elene founded Stop-motion studio “Fantasmagoria”. Fantasmagoria is a social enterprise with mission rehabilitation of the STOP-MOTION puppet animation and popularisation of cultural heritage in Georgia.

Stop motion animation short ELENE DARIANI (2024)is first work for the director and also for the studio Fantasmagoria.

Synopsis

The film is based on a real story of poetic love.Who is Elene Dariani, a mystification by poet Paolo Iashvili or a woman who found herself in his shadow?  Even today, this question remains a topic of discussion in Georgia. 

Biography

Director/actor Levan Birkadze was born and raised in Tbilisi. Since 2016, he has been working on various commercial, corporate and documentary projects, behind-the-scenes films as a director, cameraman and editor. In 2022, he studied at the Georgian-American Film Academy, where he shot three short feature films as a cameraman and one debut feature as a director.

Synopsis

The shoemaker mixes up the client's shoe bags and rushes to the real owner - the girl he falls in love with

Biography

I am Aleksander Wysocki, also known as "Sandro," a cinematographer of Polish-Georgian descent. In 2008, I embarked on my college education in USA. However, after a year of studies, I made a decision to follow my lifelong passion for cinematography. This choice led me to enroll in Poland's esteemed National Film School in Lodz in 2012, where I ultimately earned my Master's degree in Cinematography in 2017.

Throughout my career, I have built an extensive portfolio, contributing my skills to various films and commercials. Shortly after graduating, I assumed the role of Director of Photography for a 3-season TV series in Wrocław, Poland. My films have been screened on festivals worldwide, including festivals such as DokLeipzig, FID Marseille, IndieLisboa, and the Warsaw Film Festival. In 2023, I was nominated for the Jan Machulski award for best cinematography at the Solanin Film Festival in Poland for my work on the short documentary film "Uncle Vakho's Dream.

Synopsis

An immigrant couple from Georgia living in Poland faces tough times. Their relationship is put to the test when their dog has an accident and needs costly surgery. With light humor, the film explores the challenges of immigration and quirks of the human condition through the relationship of the main characters.

Biography

Giorgi Arabuli was born in 1991 in Khevsureti, in the mountainous region of Georgia. He graduated from the Drama Department of Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Cinema University in Tbilisi. In 2012 Intelekti Publishing published his first collection of poems "Setting Off" and "Gvrini" (2017). His poems have been translated into French, Italian, Swedish, Greek, Czech, Polish, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, etc. Since December 2013 he is the director of Dusheti Drama Theatre. Giorgi Arabuli is the winner of Tsinandali Prize in the category The Best Poetry Collection 2016.

"Aldi" is his first feature short Film.

Synopsis

Aldi is the only and last inhabitant of the village. He has to keep on his life and perform rituals in order to tend his soul surrounded by the strange visions.

Biography

Emil Kaschka was born 1996 in Tyrol. After studying literature in Innsbruck, Sevilla, and Vienna, he started studying script and directing at the Vienna Filmakademie. In 2021 he published his debut novel “Grünholz” and in 2022 his first play “Seit Jakob” at the “Deutscher Theaterverlag”. “Ins Wilde Land” is his film debut

Synopsis

The young artist couple Jonas and Emma are traveling to Tyrol. In Emma's homeland, they want to say goodbye to Emma's dying childhood love. Their encounter with the dying Luca changes their view of their art, their lives - and above all their relationship.

Biography

Anastasia Mykhalchuk (b. 1996, Ukraine) - actress and emerging film director. In 2018, she graduated from Kyiv National Polytechnic University with a degree in Sociology. Since 2019, she has appeared in more than 10 television and cinema titles, including Myroslav Latyk’s 2022 feature MAKSYM OSA: THE GOLD OF WEREWOLF which became the first adaptation of a comic book in the history of Ukrainian cinema. In 2023, she graduated from SKVOT Online School Marysia Nikitiuk (WHEN THE TREES FALL, 2023, 68th Berlinale) film directing course, during which she made her first short fiction film HAPPY END DAY (2024).

Synopsis

А family is preparing for a holiday. The holiday is the end of the world. They have no evidence to go on, so realy on their faith — except Grandfather, whose only wish is to be with his family and see their future approaching. As they await the end, fears arise as the keys to what is within. Will the quiet end come? Will there be a tomorrow?

Synopsis

As birds flutter in a large empty coliseum, time and death come together one night. The memory of a friend who is no more invades the mind of Boloy, main player of the Cuban volleyball team, who despite the pain tries to rejoin the morning training.

Biography

Lam Can-zhao, a Chinese filmmaker born in 1994, made his directorial debut at the age of 20 with "THE DOG," a low-budget feature film that brought him into the spotlight. In 2023, he produced, wrote, and edited the short film "A Bright Sunny Day," which was selected for LA CINEF at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. In 2024, his short film "A Summer's End Poem," for which he served as writer, director, producer, and editor, won Best Short Film at the 74th Berlinale Generation Kplus competition.

Synopsis

shortly before the end of the summer holidays, a country boy spends his savings on his dream of a city hairstyle – with surprising results. A story about bidding farewell to childhood and the poetic end of a summer.

Biography 

Michał Toczek born in 1996. He is a student of Film and Television Directing at the Film School in Łódź. His short films have been awarded at home and abroad, including a distinction from the Krakow Film Festival for his documentary debut Strawberry Boys. He is a winner of the Papaya Young Directors 2021 competition. His film , "Dead Marriage," won the Silver Hobby-Horse at the 2022 Krakow Film Festival.

Synopsis

A common guy, an electrician named Wiktor moves in with his family to a new apartment. Soon they find out that the apartment used to belong to Lech Walesa, a former Polish President and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, who started out as an electrician. Wiktor’s wife, Sylwia, starts to make money on foreign tourists, turning their new home into a museum and her husband into Walesa’s impersonator. Sylwia’s new obsession leads to Wiktor’s confrontation with Walesa’s legend.

Biography

Samuel Suffren is a Haitian director and producer. He is working on a short film trilogy. The first film AGWE (2022) was selected at Locarno and won the best diaspora film at Fespaco. DREAMS LIKE PAPER BOATS (2024) is the second. He’s developing a feature documentary LÒTBÒ (2022) and his first fiction feature JE M’APPELLE NINA SHAKIRA (2021).

Synopsis

Edouard has been living in Port-au-Prince with just his daughter Zara for five years. Since his wife left, his daughter and him have only received a cassette from her, and that was a long time ago. After years of absence, what can we expect from a distant love?

Biography

Amir Ali Sisipour was born in the city of Bandar Abbas in the south of Iran. As a child, he would make short films with a home camera and played in several theaters as a teenager. He received a bachelor’s degree in puppet theater from Tehran University of Art, and proceeded to direct puppet theater. He is currently studying dramatic literature at Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran. His short movie SHALAL (2023) was selected for the Sundance FF 2024.

Synopsis

Mehran and his mother, Ziba, don’t have shadows, so they use a black fur to catch the shadows of people and drink them. One day, Mehran decides to catch someone’s shadow alone.

Biography

Saif Hammash is a Palestinian filmmaking student based in the Dheisha Refugee Camp in Bethlehem. While pursuing his degree, he directed a short fiction film as well as an experimental and documentary film. He has also worked on several other films as a scriptwriter, assistant director, editor, and camera assistant, and on the third edition of the Palestinian Refugees Film Festival as an editor in September 2022.

Synopsis

A young man from a refugee camp embarks on a perilous journey in order to fulfill his little brother’s wish: to throw his milk tooth into the sea

Synopsis

A nuclear power plant worker obsessed with counting has set a maximum limit on how much electricity he wants to consume. The energy that should have lasted him for the rest of his life is slowly running out, forcing him to decide on its final use.

3 MWh is a film poem about degrowth and shows what it would look like if man stopped putting themselves at the centre of nature. 16mm analogue footage digitally damaged by recorded electrical discharges based on the protagonist's voice demonstrates the relationship between man and material reality.

Biograpy

Artem Tumarchenko is a young Ukrainian film director and screenwriter. In 2021, he graduated from Karpenko Kary University, in feature film directing. He has directed short films such as Henii, The Grasshopper's Move, Heart of the Night, Golden Apple, and others. He has received good criticism and awards at international and local festivals.

Synopsis

We all know about “love at first sight”. But what about love without sight? Is it possible to fall in love with a voice, a grace, a smell? Gena, a young man, does fall in love with a girl on public transportation. He did not see her face. So he decides to find her. In fact, he has been looking for her his whole life!

Synopsis

What happens when the most anticipated event in Naples bursts into people's lives? "Kvara" is the delicate and at the same time ironic story of a young Sri Lankan street vendor who, while working during the celebrations for Napoli's championship, receives a phone call that will shatter his evening and his life. From that moment on, Kamal's attempts to reach the person who called him will fail one after the other in the chaotic frenzy of the city in celebration, until the most unexpected resolution intervenes: the only one to help Kamal is Gennaro, his rough and vaguely racist neighbor. The film's ending opens up a reflection on one of the hottest topics of our time.

Biography

Birutė Kapustinskaitė (b. 1989) has been working as a screenwriter and a playwright for quite some time. She received the main National Award as the best playwright of the year for the play Therapies, which was also staged in South Korea. She holds the best screenplay award for her feature film Sasha Was Here from Aubagne Film Festival. In 2019, the screenwriter also started directing. Her debut short film, Mothers (2019), received a special mention at Ismailia Film Festival in Egypt (2022) and has been touring around festivals with film agents Lights On. The Nominees (2023) is the second short film she directed.

Synopsis

Having lost out on the award for the best actress of the year, Aldona becomes the hero of the day.

Biography

Azer Guliev was born in 1997 in Azerbaijan, Baku. He directed PA-PA (2017). His HEARTBREATH (2021) which was selected at Sarajevo FF and his latest film SANKI YOXSAN (2024) was selected at Cannes FF.

Synopsis

When Samir and Leyla decide to flee their families’ discord, Samir disappears the next morning. Leyla’s quest ensnares her, entwining her fate with his mysterious disappearance, becoming part of the mystery herself.

Biography

Erenik Beqiri studied at the Academy of Arts, Tirana, where he graduated with a master’s degree in film directing. His last short film, THE VAN (2019), was part of the official competition in 72’s editions of the Cannes Film Festival and was Oscar shortlisted in 2021. He is developing his first feature film project, AFTER DARK, which was part of Résidence du Festival de Cannes, Torino Film Lab, Meditalents, Jerusalem Film Lab and Sarajevo’s Cinelink 2023. His latest short film, A SHORT TRIP (2023), has been selected for the Orizzonti shorts at Venice IFF 2023.

Synopsis

Mira and Klodi, a young Albanian couple arrive in Marseille with a crucial mission. As they face a fateful appointment and a room full of waiting men, time is of the essence. As they confront the urgency of their choice, they must also confront the growing need to let go of each other.

Biography

Nađa Petrović graduated dramaturgy at the FDA in Belgrade, and a master's degree in film directing. Her novel "Jellyfish Live Forever Until they are Caught" was shortlisted for NIN's award. Over 10 short films including DOG DAYS OF SUMMER, SHERBET, EVERYTHING IN ITS RIGHT PLACE she wrote were shown at over 100 festivals around the world. The latest short she directed THE SMELL OF FRESH PAINT (2024) was selected to premiere at Sarajevo IFF in the Student Competition Programme.

Synopsis

When Emma's (16) parents sell the apartment where she grew up, revolt, she runs away from home with her younger sister. Obsessed with returning to her true home, she begins following the man who bought the apartment

Synopsis

Everyone has their own Chimera, something they try to achieve but never manage to find. For the band of tombaroli, thieves of ancient grave goods and archaeological wonders, the Chimera means redemption from work and the dream of easy wealth. For Arthur, the Chimera looks like the woman he lost, Beniamina. To find her, Arthur challenges the invisible, searches everywhere, goes inside the earth – in search of the door to the afterlife of which myths speak. In an adventurous journey between the living and the dead, between forests and cities, between celebrations and solitudes, the intertwined destinies of these characters unfold, all in search of the Chimera.

Biography

Alice Rohrwacher (born, 1981) is an Italian film director, editor and screenwriter. Alice Rohrwacher studied Literature and Philosophy at the University of Turin. She wrote and directed her first fiction feature film Heavenly Body in 2011, which screened at the Directors’ Fortnight. She has since directed notable films such as The Wonders (2014), Happy as Lazzaro (2018), which received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay, and La chimera (2023) premiered at Venice Film Festival. Her short film Le pupille (2022) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film

Biography

Matteo Garrone was born in Rome in 1968. He is the son of a theatre critic, Nico Garrone, and a photographer. In1996 he won the Sacher d'Oro, an award sponsored by Nanni Moretti, with the short film Silhouette (1996), thatbecame one of the three episodes of his first feature film Land in Between (1996). He won Best Director at theEuropean Film Awards and at the David di Donatello Awards for Gomorrah (2008). His film Reality (2012)competed in competition at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival and won the Grand Prix. film Tale of Tales (2015) wasselected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. His recent films – Dogman, Pinocchio,IO Capitano also were screened at Cannes and various international festivals.

Synopsis

Io Capitano tells the story of the adventurous journey of Seydou and Moussa, two young men who leave Dakar tomake their way to Europe. A contemporary Odyssey through the dangers of the desert, the horrors of thedetention centers in Libya and the perils of the sea.

Synopsis

The Peasants tells the story of Jagna, a young woman determined to forge her own path within the confines of a late 19th century Polish village – a hotbed of gossip and on-going feuds, held together, rich and poor, by pride in their land, adherence to colourful traditions and deep-rooted patriarchy. When Jagna finds herself caught between the conflicting desires of the village’s richest farmer, his eldest son, and other leading men of the community, her resistance puts her on a tragic collision course with the community around her.

Biography

DK Welchman - studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Warsaw and the Warsaw Film School. DK Welchman (formerly known as Dorota Kobiela) directed the shorts "Chopin’s Drawings" (2011) and "Little Postman" (2011) and co-directed the features "The Flying Machine" (2011) and "Loving Vincent" (2017), the world’s first and only fully painted feature film, hand painted by over 100 oil-painting animators. The film was nominated for an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. The film made $52m at the global box office and is the most successful Polish film of all time at the international box office. "The Peasants" is her latest film.

Hugh Welchman - graduated from Oxford University with a degree in PPE and a vague notion of wanting to make films. After a few disastrous experiences where the drama was all behind the camera instead of in front of it, Hugh sought out training at The National Film & Television School. His graduation film, "Crowstone", won the Cinefoundation Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. He got his first professional experience producing short films for Monty Python and then set up BreakThru Films. In 2008, Hugh was awarded an Oscar for BreakThru’s first major production, "Peter and the Wolf”. After falling in love with Polish painter and director, Dorota Kobiela, Hugh also fell in love with her film project, "Loving Vincent", and has been working with her ever since.

Biography

Magnus von Horn, born Dec 21 1983, in Gothenburg, Sweden, is a director and screen writer. He studied directing at the Polish International Film School in Lódz 2009-2013. He has written and directed several short films including the documentary "Radek" (2006) and the short-fiction "Milk Teeth" (2007) as well as "Echo" (2009) that received numerous international awards and premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. In 2015 Magnus completed his debut feature film, "The Here After", which had its world premier at the Cannes Film Festival in the Director’s Fortnight section. It was nominated for the Camera D’or and continued to do well at festivals, winning main awards at the Gdynia Film Festival in Poland, the Guldbaggen Awards in Sweden and was nominated for the EFA awards/ His last film |Girl with a Needle” premiered at Cannes film festival in 2024. 

Synopsis

Karoline, a young factory worker, finds herself abandoned and pregnant while striving to climb out of poverty in post WW1 Copenhagen. Amidst her struggles, she meets Dagmar, a charismatic woman running a hidden adoption agency within a candy store, helping poor mothers in finding foster homes for their unwanted children. To escape poverty, Karoline takes on the role of a wet-nurse. A strong connection is formed between the two women, yet Karoline’s world shatters as she stumbles upon the dreadful revelation of the nightmarish fate she unknowingly embraces.

Biography

Andreas Dresen (born 1963) is a German film director and writer. He began making amateur films in 1979. He was a trainee at the DEFA feature film studio in 1985-86, where he was assistant director to Günter Reisch. He studied directing at the College of Film and Television in Potsdam-Babelsberg from 1986-91, where he graduated. From 1990-92, he took part in Günter Reisch’s master classes at Berlin Academy of Arts. He has been working as a screenwriter and director since 1992 and became a member of Berlin Academy of Arts in 1998. Halbe Treppe was awarded the Silver Berlin Bear in 2002, and Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush won Silver Berlin Bear in 2022. His film Stopped on Track premiered at the Un Certain Regard section at the 2011 Cannes FF, where it won the Prize of Un Certain Regard. Dresen also was awarded at Karlovy Vary and Yerevan IFFs. He was a member of the Jury at the Berlin IFF in 2003 and 2013.

Synopsis

Berlin, 1942: it was the most beautiful summer for Hilde – madly in love with Hans and joyfully pregnant. But amid the passion there is grave danger. Hans becomes involved in the anti-Nazi resistance, with a group of young people who will later be called the “Red Orchestra”. Despite the huge risks, Hilde decides to get involved herself but is arrested by the Gestapo and gives birth to her son in prison. Now in a desperate situation, Hilde develops a quiet inspirational strength, but she only has a few months left with her son.

Biography

Roman Bondarchuk’s debut feature film Volcano (2018) premiered at Karlovy Vary and won 12 international awards, including Ukraine’s Shevchenko National Prize. His documentary Ukranian Sheriffs (2015) received the Special Jury Prize at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and was Ukraine’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. Dixie Land (2016) won the Golden Duke Award at Odesa International Film Festival. Bondarchuk serves as the Artistic Director for Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival.

Synopsis

Young biologist Yura actually leads a quiet provincial life with his job at the Natural History Museum. He’s still living at home with his mother – if only her pompous admirer wouldn’t annoy him with his readings from “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”. In search of the marmot, a creature thought extinct on the Southern Ukrainian steppe, Yura is witness to arson. Trying to draw public attention to the injustice, he unexpectedly ends up on a sensationalist local news portal, and is drawn ever deeper into the absurd entanglements of a network that no one is really interested in unravelling.

Synopsis

During the first days of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, film director Oleh Sentsov joined the Ukrainian Defense Forces. In his role as an army lieutenant, he took part in several intensive battles - and during one, his BMP was destroyed by Russian artillery. In the aftermath, he became embedded in nearby trenches and tried to organize via radio the evacuation of part of his unit. All the while, his men were under consistent attack, and eventually ran out of ammunition, making their evacuation all the more urgent. This military event on the Ukrainian-Russian front line positions was given the code name Real. This is the name of the film.

Biography

Oleg Sentsov was born in 1976. His first two short movies were A Perfect Day for Bananafish (2008) and The Horn of a Bull (2009). Gamer, his first feature, debuted at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in 2012.  

After the November 2013 breakout of the Euromaidan protests Sentsov became an activist of "AutoMaidan" and during the 2014 Crimean crisis he helped deliver food and supplies to Ukrainian military servicemen trapped in their Crimean bases. Oleg was arrested in 2014 by Russia's Federal Security Service, with false charges – blaming him to carry out terrorist attacks on bridges, power lines, and public monuments in the Crimean cities. Regardless of support/appeal of numerous countries, organizations, film makers, Oleg was detained more than 5 years in prison in Russia and was released only in 2019.

Sentsov's film "Nomera" (The Numbers) was shown at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in 2020. The film was produced while Sentsov was still in prison. In 2021 he shoot film Rhino which was premiered at Venice film festival in 2021 and shown at BIAFF festival.  His last film REAL is unique immersive experience that offers a hyper-documentary insight into the reality of the war through the eyes of one direct participant.

Biography

Brendan Bellomo was the VFX supervisor on the Best Picture Oscar nominee Beasts of the Southern Wild. Porcelain War is his feature film directorial debut. Ukrainian artist Slava Leontyev is a former soldier of the Ukrainian Special Forces and a highly regarded weapons instructor for civilians who are defending their country against Russian aggression.

Synopsis

As the Russia-Ukraine war rages on, Kharkiv-based Slava Leontyev and Anya Stasenko make tiny porcelain figurines. What does it mean to continue with their artistic passions as the world crumbles around them? Winner of the Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2024.

Synopsis

Costa’s basement is a place where artistic society used to gather. The film begins when Costa and his friendsalready in their forties. The art collector visit coincides with the return to Costa’s life of his only love, Nina.Despite on an off-relationship Nina and Costa seem could not live without each other. Art collector buys all Costa’spaintings except “Forced Migration of Butterflies" that Costa painted during his first separation from Nina, andrefused to sell at any price.But it is not only the art that Steve takes with him to the US, Nina also follows him in search of a better life. Costadoes not object as he also sees this as a chance for Nina. Gradually, marrying members of their group to wealthyforeigners becomes the source of new excitement for Costa and his friends.

Biography

Elene Tavadze was born on September 28, 1990, in Tbilisi, Georgia. In 2012, she graduated Shota Rustaveli Theater and Film Georgia State University Since 2013 till 2021, she has worked in different broadcasters in Georgia as a journalist and host. In 2022 Elene founded Stop-motion studio “Fantasmagoria”. Fantasmagoria is a social enterprise with mission rehabilitation of the STOP-MOTION puppet animation and popularisation of cultural heritage in Georgia.

Stop motion animation short ELENE DARIANI (2024)is first work for the director and also for the studio Fantasmagoria.

Synopsis

The film is based on a real story of poetic love.Who is Elene Dariani, a mystification by poet Paolo Iashvili or a woman who found herself in his shadow?  Even today, this question remains a topic of discussion in Georgia.

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

The film tells about a school in the mountainous region of Georgia, which they want to close. The prototype of this story was the 19th century Georgian poet Niko Lomouri's poem of the same name. The film aims to remind the youth about the importance of education, school, struggle in life and also the limitless possibilities of each person.

Synopsis

After seven years of construction freeze, 12 desperate co-owners of the residential house “VENEZIA” finally got a chance to complete the building. But one of them will have to give up his apartment. Who will they force to do so ?

Biography

Arturas Jevdokimovas was Born in 1966, Vilnius, Lithuania. Studied TV Direction at Vilnius Conservatory(Lithuania), graduated Film Direction at Tbilisi Theatre and Film Institute (Republic of Georgia), internship atAnthology Film Archieves (New York). Currently works as curator, film director/producer, events/festivalsorganizer. Arturas directed many documentary films which were screened in various festivals.

Synopsis

80 % of European Christmas trees are grown in Denmark from the seeds collected in the small Georgianregion. We follow the joys and sorrows of Danish and Georgian communities. The seeds are harvested everyautumn in Georgia and then sold to the Danish, who grow the seedlings for 7 years to sell them acrossEurope. The Georgian firs grow as tall as 60 meters, and to reach the best cones, the pickers have to climbto the very top. Sometimes they lose their balance and fall.

Synopsis

A cable car connects a village in the mountains with a small town in the valley. Iva starts working at the cable car as an attendant. The cable car has two gondolas. When one gondola goes up, the other goes down. The gondolas meet each other halfway. The attendant of the other gondola is Nino. Iva and Nino meet each other as they drive past every half hour. And one evening, they meet after hours.

Biography

Writer-director-producer Veit Helmer studied film at the Munich Film School HFF. Veit Helmer became known for off beat short films. He co-wrote the feature film "A TRICK OF LIGHT" directed by Wim Wenders, premiered in Venice 1997. His first feature film production "TUVALU", starring Denis Lavant had been invited to 62 festivals, including San Sebastian, London, Chicago, Berlin and Karlovy Vary. His third feature film ABSURDISTAN (2008) premiered in Sundance and has received awards at numerous festivals. Besides fiction films, Veit Helmer directed three documentary films. BEHIND THE COUCH (2007) was awarded several times and aired by BBC and 20 broadcasters from all continents (world sales Filmstransit). He became member of the European Film Academy in August 2002. He participated at several MEDIA supported training programmes (EAVE, Equinoxe, Moonstone, Sources, Strategics, Film Business School, MFI). He holds lectures at film schools in Beirut, Tbilisi, Djakarta, Tashkent and Bogota. Veit Helmer is 41 years old and lives in Berlin. THE BRA (2018) premiered at the Tokyo IFF. His latest film is GONDOLA (2023).

Synopsis

Led by the good-hearted father Soso, a family of four starts a blueberry farm to secure their future together. But with a home in northern Georgia, their village is close to the troubled border with the Russian-backed region of Abkhazia, where new conflicts have been rumbling for 30 years.   Soso is a retired engineer, but together with his wife Nino and their sons Giorgi and Lazare, he throws himself into the ‘Plant the Future’ programme set up by the Georgian authorities to stabilize the area. Nino is haunted by memories of the war and dreams of her children experiencing the world, while Soso wants to maintain their connection to the land. In the midst of their daily lives, the family navigates between hardship, joy and contemplation of a different future.

Biography

Elene Mikaberidze was born in Georgia and spent most of her life in Brussels, Belgium. She studied politics and holds an MA degree in Eastern Europe & Caucasus Studies. She completed film critic courses and worked in various filmmaking roles. In 2016 she moved to Georgia to direct her own films. Elene worked for film festivals internationally, Univerciné at the Katorza theater and Tbilisi International Film Festival. She is an alumnus of Filmmakers for Peace, From Script 2 Film, EurasiaDOC, Talent Nest at Vilnius Meeting Point.  Elene's debut feature documentary Blueberry Dreams is premiered at CPH:DOX 

Biography

Akaki was born in Georgia in 1991. His family then moved to Nice. He worked as a security agent in the luxury villas of Saint-Jean Cap-Ferrat or as a waiter in nightclubs in Monaco and Saint-Tropez. When he entered the Ecole Supérieure de Réalisation Audiovisuelle (ESRA) in Nice, he finally got back to his childhood dream : making films. In 2017, he wrote and directed Le soleil des nuits blanches. Hailed by many professionals, this short film was screened at the PÖFF Shorts (Tallinn Black Nights film festival) as well as other festivals. He then assisted Florent Hill on his film Slurp, which was screened at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival in 2018. The same year, Akaki wrote and directed Je vois, a medium-length film in a single shot-sequence of 36 minutes that received numerous distinctions, including from the CNC (Quality Award) and the Best Director Award at the Copenhagen Film Festival.

Synopsis

In the working-class neighborhoods of Nice, France, a pillar of the local Georgian community is murdered. His son Tristan, who aspires to become an orthodox priest, finds himself alone with his grieving mother. Gabriel, his older brother with a troubled past, reappears from a long exile to make amends by redeeming his family honor.

Biography

Born in 1969 Tbilisi, Bakur Bakuradze graduated from the directors’ program at the Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). His two first feature films, Shultes (2008) and The Hunter (2011) were both selected in Cannes, respectively at the Director’s Fortnight and Un Certain Regard. Bakur Bakuradze also worked as a producer on such films as Intimate Parts (2013) and Russian Race (2014).

Synopsis

It would seem that nothing connects them: Givi is a film director with his family, Levan is a loner living like a homeless man. But they have something in common — their childhood memories. They begin to communicate by correspondence again and help each other. Levan opens up to a friend from an unexpected side, and Givi gets the opportunity to return to his hometown.

Biography

Berdia Kutubidze is a TV-radio presenter and brand-manager of Ajara TV and Radio, as well as a PR-managerand show host of Batumi Dolphinarium. He was born in Batumi on November 6, 1977. After graduating fromBatumi #1 public school, he received higher education at the "Economy and Management" faculty of the NavalAcademy. During his student period, he participated in the club of funny and smart people. The then director of thetelevision offered to try his hand at the television space. Since 2000, he has been an employee of Adjara TV andRadio. In addition to working on various projects, his author's products are: the program "Exclusive" (2001-2008),doc. films "Wherever you are" (2016), "Again and Again" (2019). Currently, Radio Adjara is broadcasting theauthor's program "FM Fantasias"

Synopsis

The Eternals: All-Phrism is dedicated to Georgian public figure, poet, writer, playwright, critic, futurist, "Zaumi" and Dadatheoretician, lecturer, historian, curator, designer, typographer, editor, researcher and publicist Ilia Mikheili dzeZdanevich (pseudonym Iliazdi). biography.All stages of life are described in detail: childhood, studies and education, fascination with futurism during youth,discovery of Firosman, "41 degrees" worldview, revolutionary publications, handmade books and Tbilisi of the 10s,participation in Takaishvili's expedition, interesting facts about the period of his stay in Batumi, artistic news Insearch of traveling to Paris, where Iliazd met artists unknown at the time, but now known to everyone.What was artistic life like in Paris in the 20s? What stages did he go through before starting to work with GabrielChanel? It turns out that Coco was the godfather of his first child... How did their cooperation and relationshipdevelop in the future?The film describes the highlights of the friendship between Ilya and Pablo Picasso, their joint publications and thestory behind Picasso's portrait of the Firosman...One part of Zdanevich's historical archive is in Tbilisi, a large part is in the National Library of France, as well as inthe Pompidou Center, and a small part is near Marseille, where invaluable material is kept for Georgia and theworld culture as a whole. The materials used in the film are from this archive: previously unpublished personalcorrespondence, photographs, publications, papers...Filming started in 2019 and went into active phase in 2023. During this period, research was carried out in theNational Archives of Georgia, the National Museum, the National Library of the Parliament of Georgia, the archivesof the First Channel of the Public Broadcaster, the Museum of Literature, and the archives of the Iliazd Club.Material from private collections is used. Filming took place in Batumi, Tbilisi, Garikula, Brussels, Trigans, Saint-Sieg-sur-Mer, Paris, Leville, Venice.Respondents participate in the film: Yulia Sorokina, organizer of Art Doll Tbilisi; Lika Eliava, regional manager ofCHANEL; Dirk Vermaelen – Art Director of Europalia; Vakhtang Makharoblishvili – Ambassador of Georgia to theKingdom of Belgium; Julia Magsho – curator of the Venice Biennale; François Mere - President of "Iliazdi Club";Gocha Javakhishvili – Ambassador of Georgia to France 2022/2024; Nana Shervashidze – art critic; KaramanKutateladze - A. Kutateladze house Rector of the State Art Academy, Professor; Gela Tsuladze – artist; AlexanderVasiliev - fashion historian.

Biography

Mirian Oragvelidze was born in the city of Batumi on September 30, 1998. In 2016, he entered BatumiUniversity of Arts, Faculty of Cinema and Television Arts, Film Directing (Zaza Khalvashi Workshop) 2020Tsinandli Prize (Winner) 2021 (Lemon student film festival) jury report 2023 Telavi International Festival -winner. 2023 Golden Eye - Winner. Swamp Academy is a diploma work, winner of Tafu's best artistnomination, also noted London liftoff and WIFA world debuts final.

Synopsis

The film is the director's autobiography, it is a semi-documentary, the film tells the story of a 14-year-old boyleft homeless, who has many obstacles ahead of him and gradually gets to know the new world.

Synopsis:

The film's central theme is the condescending attitude of a simple civil servant towards high-rankinggovernment officials. The short film was based on Chekhov's "Death of a Civil Servant" story.The film's main character, a man, sneezes in a concert hall and puts a high-ranking official in anembarrassing situation. Despite apologizing, the main character feels a slavish fear that ultimately provesfatal to the man's life.

Biography:

Mikheil Gabaidze was born on 12 March 1984 in the city of Batumi. In 2004, he graduated from the BatumiState Institute of Arts with a Bachelor's degree in Arts Management. In 2024, he received a master's degreein feature film directing from the Batumi Teaching University of Arts. The film "Vasomotor Rhinitis" is hisdiploma project.

Biography:

Was born in 1992 in Batumi. Studied at Batumi Art University faculty of film directing

Synopsis:

Zaza Khalvashi was Georgian filmmaker. He died in 2020,”. The film is dedicated to his memory. Zaza is reading his diaries, also It is shown his working process on his last movie “Loto”

Biography

Lana Ghoghoberidze  was born in Tbilisi in 1928. She is a Georgian film director, translator, writer and diplomat. Lana graduated from Tbilisi State University, Faculty of Philology, in 1950. In 1958- faculty of film directing at The Union Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). From 1958 she worked as a film director at a film studio “Georgian Film”.  Between 1983-1988 she supervised film directing workshop at the Tbilisi State University of Theatre and Film. Her films were screened at several film festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Tokio, Sanremo and Geneva. In the years 1999-2004 Lana Ghoghoberidze was an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Council of Europe. She is the author of a number of books, has published few collections of poetry translation.

Synopsis

Is life about meeting or separating? Georgian director Lana Gogoberidze asks this question at the start of the film, as photos appear: almost like a miniature film, she is seen as a child being embraced by her mother Nutsa. In Gogoberidze’s family of intellectuals and artists, filmmaking follows a matrilinear logic across three generations. Nutsa Gogoberidze was Georgia’s first woman director, before being separated from her family for ten years as a gulag prisoner, and entirely cut off from her censured oeuvre for the rest of her life. Together with her daughter Salome Alexi, Lana Gogoberidze sets out to bring together the pieces of Nutsa’s life. They find her lost works Buba (1930) and Uzhmuri (1934). Lana on the set of her previous films, surrounded by her film crew family: filmmaking as a collective practice of care and tenderness. Her film is at once autobiography, declaration of love and grieving process – Lana’s legacy, which also contains that of her mother, who inspired her to create strong, free women characters who defy dark times. The Gogoberidze dynasty countered the abyss with poetry, dance and cinema – lives divided, but shared.

Synopsis

Marita arrives at a small village in Georgia to live with her aunt. She meets a poor young lad, Gedia, and falls in love with him. But her relatives are determined to marry the girl off to a local rich man…

Synopsis

Gia, the orchestra player of the opera house, is, at first glance, a talented, charming and business man - he knows a lot of people, tries to help everyone, is always in a hurry somewhere, promises something to someone - brothers, girls, old people, guests, strangers or acquaintances, but he leaves no trace anywhere. It does not create anything important. The life of a frivolous young man is wasted in trifles, neither benefiting himself nor others. Gia's death is as senseless as every minute she spends.

Synopsis

Based on a  legend that tells of the repeated efforts of the Georgian people to construct a fortress against invaders. The fortress continues to collapse until a fortune-teller recalls a prophecy: a handsome young man must be walled inside alive in order for the building to stand.