The 75th Berlin International Film Festival, which runs from 13 to 23 February 2025, hosted a strong Georgian delegation from Georgia’s National Center of Cinematography also known as Georgian National Film Center (GNFC) that showcased the country’s rich and diverse cinematic heritage.
It is worth noting that the 75th annual Berlin International Film Festival, usually called the Berlinale is taking place in Berlin, Germany. American filmmaker Todd Haynes was named the Jury President for the main competition
The Ministry of Culture of Georgia shared glimpses of the festival on its official Facebook page on February 21, 2025, Friday. The ministry also shared the details of the Berlin Festival along with the snippets.
According to the details shared by the Ministry, it should be noted that the Georgian delegation also held business meetings with representatives of production companies, international film festivals, film foundations, and international editions from several countries around the world (Canada, USA, England, Japan, Belgium, France, Iran, Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, India, Mexico, Turkey, Spain, Poland) to discuss the possibilities of collaboration, funding, and distribution.
It is noteworthy that, this year the pavilion of the cinema center was dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the famous Georgian filmmaker, Merab Kokochashvili. The National Center of Cinematography of Georgia restored two films of Merab Kokochashvili – “Mikha” and “Mtservali”.
It is to be noted that Merab Kokochashvili’s name is associated with Georgian cinema on the world stage, as a separate phenomenon, from Soviet cinema. In 1975 husband and wife Gregory organized Georgian Film Week in Berlin’s famous cinema (“Arsenal”) which opened with Merab Kokochashvili’s famous film – “Great Green Valley”.
Notably, the show was attended by Nobel Prize laureate Gunther Grass, who addressed the audience gathered in the hall after the show: “Today the phenomenon of Georgian cinema was born”.
