06-10-2024

Panopticon Wins 2024 Batumi International Art-house Film Festival

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    Panopticon Wins 2024 Batumi International Art-house Film Festival photo by Erekle Sigua, source: BIAFF Fb profile

    BATUMI: George Sikharulidze’s Georgian/French/Italian/Romanian coproduction Panopticon received the award for best film in the Feature Film Competition section of the 19th Batumi International Art-house Film Festival (BIAFF). The festival was held 27 September - 3 October 2024 in Batumi, Georgia.

    Aldi directed by Georgian director Giorgi Arabuli received the Short Film Award.

    Georgian actor Gia Burjanadze was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to cinema.

    The festival screened 55 titles (long and short films) from around 30 countries. Twenty films were selected for the International Short Film Competition.

    Batumi International Film Festival is organised by Batumi Art-house "Argani" with support from NDF (New Democracy Fund), Embassy of Italy, Goethe Institute, Embassy of Sweden, Danish Culture Institute, Norwegian Film Institute, Embassy of Latvia, Embassy of Brazil, Vistula Film Foundation and Batumi Puppet Theatre.

    FULL LIST OF WINNERS:

    Feature Film Competition:

    Best Film:
    Panopticon (Georgia, France, Italy, Romania)
    Directed by George Sikharulidze 
    Produced by 20 Steps
    Coproduced by FILM02, Ombre Rosse Film Production, Tangaj Production, Independent FilmProject
    Supported by the Georgian National Film Center 

    Best Director:
    Matthias Glasner for Dying (Germany)

    Best Actress:
    Salome Demuria in The Antique (Georgia, Finland, Switzerland, Germany)
    Directed by Rusudan Glurjidze
    Produced by Cinetech, Cinetrain, Whitepoint Digital, Basis Berlin Filmproduction
    Supported by the Georgian National Film Center

    Best Actor:
    Gustaf Hammarsten in Together 99 (Sweden, Denmark)
    Directed by Lukas Moodysson

    Jury Special Mention:
    Actor Data Chachua in Panopticon (Georgia, France, Italy, Romania)

    Short Film Competition:

    Best Short Film:
    Aldi (Georgia)
    Directed by Giorgi Arabuli

    Jury Special Mentions:

    Be Somebody (Poland)
    Directed by Michał Toczek

    Shalal (Iran)
    Directed by Amir Ali Sisipour

    BIAFF 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award:
    Actor Gia Burjanadze (Georgia)