Films by established, emerging directors vie for Georgia’s 2017 Oscar selection

Four films by Georgian directors will be vying to represent the country’s bid for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the anniversary 90th edition of the ceremony next year.

Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross’ widely acclaimed feature My Happy Family is in competition for the selection along with the Berlinale-premiered Hostages by Rezo Gigineishvili.

The shortlist also includes emerging director Ana Urushadze’s maiden feature Scary Mother and Beijing Film Festival-winning Luka by Giorgi Barabadze.

The four films were submitted to the Georgian National Film Centre as the agency ran the annual contest for Georgia’s Oscar bid from August 2-11.

On Wednesday the centre said it would announce members of the commission to vote on the winning entry "over the next few days”.

The shortlisted works will be screened for the commission over August 29-30, with the jury voting for the eventual winner shortly after.

The judges will choose the winning submission from the selection that includes all award-winning works.

The directorial duo of Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross received over a dozen prizes for My Happy Family since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016.

The feature follows 52 year-old Georgian woman Manana as she decides to move out of her family in search of independence — a decision met by consternation from her conservative relatives and friends.

'Hostages' is a dramatised portrayal of a group of young Georgians plotting to hijack a Soviet airline and escape from the life under the regime. Photo: variety.com.

Rezo Gigineishvili’s Hostages is a dramatised portrayal of the 1983 hijacking of a Soviet airliner by a group of young Georgians looking to flee the life under the regime.

The film earned Gigineishvili the Best Direction award at the Sochi Open Russian Film Festival, with Vladislav Opelyants awarded as Best Cinematographer.

Young filmmaker Ana Urushadze debuted with her feature Scary Mother at the Locarno International Film Festival earlier this month, where it was distinguished with the First Feature Award.

Its script follows a Georgian housewife who finally takes up her dream of writing, years after initially shelving the idea in favour of taking care of household work.

As the protagonist of the story begins reading her first published book to family members, she realises her fears of negative reception from relatives are becoming a reality.

A scene from Giorgi Barabadze's 2016 feature 'Luka'. Photo: Georgian National Film Centre.

Giorgi Barabadze’s 2016 drama Luka shows three characters on the backdrop of the early 1990s war in Georgia’s breakaway-region of Abkhazia.

The plot follows Lile, a mother who has lost custody of her son Luka, with the latter being sent to live with her Lile’s mother-in-law, Nina.

After Lile hears Luka has been killed in the conflict and sets out to recover his body for burial, she is confronted by Nina while they wait for the body to arrive.

The work earned Barabadze the Best Feature Film award at this year’s Beijing International Film Festival.

The Academy Awards ceremony will honour the best films of 2017 at its 90th edition on March 4, 2018 in Los Angeles.