Venice Film Festival Director: Levan Koguashvili’s Guria continues proud heritage of Georgian cinema

Georgian director Levan Koguashvili’s new feature film, Guria, has been selected to premiere as part of the Venice Spotlight section at the Venice International Film Festival.

The film was produced with financial backing from the Ministry of Culture of Georgia, the National Film Centre, Creative Georgia, the Georgian Public Broadcaster, and the Enterprise Georgia agency. Guria is an international co-production involving seven countries: Georgia, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Norway, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.

Venice Spotlight stands out as one of the festival’s premier showcases, dedicated to works distinguished by exceptional artistic vision and creative originality. Only eight films have been selected for the programme this year. Announcing the official selection, Venice Film Festival Director Alberto Barbera emphasised that Levan Koguashvili’s Guria carries forward the rich, celebrated traditions of Georgian filmmaking.

According to director Levan Koguashvili, the film centres on individuals who hold fast to their humanity despite the harsh realities of their surroundings.

“They are far from perfect and often behave quite badly, yet they remain deeply human. They retain the capacity for genuine friendship and compassion. I wanted to craft a film about ordinary people, free from ideological clichés or political opportunism; just life, just cinema, just Guria. Guria is far more than a geographical region; it is a state of mind,” Koguashvili reflected.

Georgian Ministry of Culture congratulated director Levan Koguashvili and the entire creative team on this international recognition, wishing them every success at the festival.