27/09/2022 - Maryna Er Gorbach's Ukrainian Oscars submission has won Best Film and Best Director; other awards went to A Room of My Own, The Four Walls and Herd Immunity

l-r: the A Room of My Own team (actress Sophio Zeragia, writer-director Ioseb Soso Bliadze, actress-writer Taki Mumladze and DoP Dimitri Dekanosidze) with their awards

The 17th Batumi International Arthouse Film Festival (BIAFF, 18-25 September) wrapped on Sunday night with Maryna Er Gorbach's Klondike [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Maryna Er Gorbach
film profile] winning both the Best Film and Best Director Awards.

The jury, comprising Lech Majewski (who also received a Lifetime Achievement Award), Carmen Grey, Lasha Khalvashi, Nino Basilia and Gela Babluani, also gave out the Best Actress Award to Mariam Khundadze for her role in Ioseb Soso Bliadze's Karlovy Vary prizewinner A Room of My Own [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ioseb “Soso” Bliadze and Ta…
film profile].

The Best Actor gong went to Amir Aghaee for his role in Bahman Ghobadi's The Four Walls, while Adilkhan Yerzanov's Herd Immunity [+see also:
film review
film profile] and the aforementioned A Room of My Own received Special Mentions from the jury.

In the Short Film Competition, the Ukrainian effort It's Quiet Here won the main award, while Levan Uchaneishvili's Axel (Georgia) and Nicolas Bouchez's Nothing to See Here (Portugal) got Special Mentions. The jury of the Batumi Cinemalovers' Club rewarded two Georgian shorts: Easter by Nikoloz Verdadze and Ronin's Confession by Giorgi Khukhunaishvili.

The CinéDOC-Tbilisi International Documentary Film Festival, a year-long hybrid event with screenings at festivals, in cinemas, on television, online and in schools, took its Focus Caucasus Competition to Batumi this year. The jury, comprising Elise Jalladeau, Helena Markova Zajicova and Giorgi Mrevlishvili, gave the prizes to two Georgian films: Khvicha Emiridze and Tinatin Emiridze's feature-length production Respublika won the top award, while Anna Jegnaradze and Marita Tevzadze's short Hey, Gunesh! received the Special Mention.

Here is the full list of award winners:

BIAFF Main Competition

Best Film
Klondike [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Maryna Er Gorbach
film profile] - Maryna Er Gorbach (Ukraine/Turkey)

Best Director
Maryna Er Gorbach - Klondike

Best Actress
Mariam Khundadze - A Room of My Own [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ioseb “Soso” Bliadze and Ta…
film profile] (Georgia/Germany)

Best Actor
Amir Aghaee - The Four Walls (Turkey/UK)

Special Mentions
Herd Immunity [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Adilkhan Yerzhanov (Kazakhstan/France)
A Room of My Own - Ioseb Soso Bliadze

BIAFF Short Film Competition

Best Short Film
It’s Quiet Here - Novruz Hikmet, Olena Podolianko (Ukraine)

Special Mentions
Axel - Levan Uchaneishvili (Georgia)
Nothing to See Here - Nicolas Bouchez (Portugal)

Prizes of the Jury of the Batumi Cinemalovers' Club
Easter - Nikoloz Verdzadze (Georgia)
Ronin’s Confession - Giorgi Khukhunaishvili (Georgia)

BIAFF Lifetime Achievement Awards
Lech Majewski
Tengiz Archavadze
Zurab Tsintskiladze

CinéDOC-Tbilisi Focus Caucasus Awards

Best Film
Respublika - Khvicha Emiridze, Tinatin Emiridze (Georgia)
Special Mention
Hey, Gunesh! - Anna Jegnaradze, Marita Tevzadze (Georgia)