Guria will open the festival that, for the first time, will organise screenings for young audiences in the section Georgian Animation Classics. Agnieszka Holland will attend the opening gala, where she will receive the festival’s Special Award for her outstanding contribution to the development of cinema.
The International Short Film Competition counts five films made by Georgian directors including Levan Birkadze, Ani Jgenti, Sandro Shughladze, Sandro Saginadze, and Elena Tavadze and Sofio Chincharauli.
Georgian minority coproduction The Occupant by Dutch director Hugo Keijzer, coproduced from Georgia by 20 Steps Productions and Artizm, and backed by Film in Georgia, among others, will screen in the Special Screenings section, alongside Sofia Babluani’s French/Georgian coproduction The Children of Popodia (produced by Les Films de la Strada in coproduction with Cinéma 13 / Sofia Babluani Productions, and backed by the French CNC, the Georgian National Film Center, and Eurimages).
A novelty of the festival are its two new juries: the Georgian Film Critics’ Jury, which will decide on the “Olga (Lala) Tabukashvili” Award, and a Youth Jury, which will award the selected films with "Giorgi Gogiberidze" Award (Festival founder who passed away in 2023).
Other sidebar sections are Masters’ Collection, Music in Cinema, and Georgia Film Heritage.
Eight projects from Georgian filmmakers will be showcased at the industry platform “Alternative Wave”. Participants will work on screenwriting, project development, and international funding strategies with international experts.
The festival will wrap on 26 September 2026.
Two decades after its founding, the Batumi International Art-House Film Festival has become one of Georgia’s leading international cultural events and a distinctive meeting place for independent cinema on the Black Sea.
Rooted in Batumi and international in outlook, BIAFF brings together contemporary cinema, Georgian film heritage, emerging talent, established filmmakers, industry professionals and audiences. It is not only a showcase for films, but a platform for artistic discovery, professional exchange and cultural dialogue.
The festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture of Georgia, the Georgian National Film Center, the Ministry of Culture of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Batumi City Hall, Georgian Film, the National Archives of Georgia, and the Embassy of Italy in Georgia.
International Feature Film Competition:
A Happy Family (Switzerland)
Directed by Jan-Eric Mack
Emergency Exit (Spain)
Directed by Lluis Miñarro
Filipiñana (Singapore, UK, Philippines, France)
Directed by Rafael Manuel
Guria (Georgia)
Directed by Levan Koguashvili
Produced by Kino Iberica
Coproduced by Cineworx, Tarantula, ArtFest, TatoFilm/Maya Films, Staer, with participation from Saudi Arabia.
Supported by the Ministry of Culture of Georgia, the Georgian National Film Center, the Georgian Public Broadcaster, Creative Georgia, the Hubert Bals Fund, the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, the Zurich Film Foundation, the Luxembourg Film Fund, the Turkish Ministry of Culture, the Bulgarian National Film Center, Sørfond, the Red Sea Fund, Eurimages
Queen at Sea (UK, USA)
Directed by Lance Hammer
The Guest (Denmark)
Directed by Mads Mengel
The Wolf, the Fox & the Leopard (the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Ireland, Croatia, Taiwan)
Directed by David Verbeek
Produced by Lemming film
Coproduced by Deal Productions, Feline Films, Nukleus film, Flash Forward Entertainment
Supported by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, through the Filming in Croatia programme, among others
Those Who Whistle After Dark (Turkey, Bulgaria, Germany)
Directed by Pınar Yorgancıoğlu
Produced by İkinciyeni Film
Coproduced by İndibindi Film, Rosa Film, Marlene Film, Portokal Film
Supported by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism – General Directorate of Cinema, the Bulgarian National Film Center, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) / FFA (Germany), and Eurimages
Hen (Hungary, Germany, Greece)
Directed by György Pálfi
Produced by Pallas Film, Master Films, Twenty Vision
Coproduced by Focus Fox
Supported by the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center – Creative Greece, ZDF/ARTE, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM), Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg
The Moon Is a Father of Mine (Georgia, Germany, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Turkey)
Directed by Giorgi Ovashvili
Produced by Wagonnet Films
Coproduced by 42 Film, Axman Production, Joli Rideau Media, Waterfront, Seven Peas Film
Supported by the Georgian National Film Center (GNFC), MDM – Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, the Czech Audiovisual Fund, Film Fund Luxembourg, the Bulgarian National Film Center, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Eurimages
