Georgian director succeeds at Locarno International Film Festival

A young Georgian filmmaker has achieved success at the prestigious Locarno International Film Festival held in Switzerland on August 5-15.

Davit Pirtskhalava's short film Mama (father) achieved success in the Pardi di domani section that screened short and medium-length films by young independent amateur or film school students who have not yet tried their hand at feature films.

A short description of the film uploaded on the Festival Del Film Locarno webpage reads: "Lado is nineteen when his father comes back home unexpectedly after a very long absence. 

The young man tries desperately to get some answers from his parent, but in vain. When his father leaves again, Lado goes back to his life of crime, together with his younger brother. He is left to answer the questions their father would not hear.” 

Director David Pirtskhalava is also participating with the movie Mama in the competition for the short films at the Sarajevo International Film Festival  taking place from August 14 to 22 in  the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Since graduating from the Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Georgia State Film University (TAFU) in Tbilisi, Pirtskhalava, 28, wrote and co-wrote several short and feature-length films. Mama (2015) is his first stint as director.

The Locarno International Film Festival is annually held in Locano, Switzerland each August since 1946.  

It is accredited by the FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers Association). The main feature of the festival is the open-air screening area at the Piazza Grande, which has room for over 8,000 spectators and has one of the largest open-air screens in the world.

There are  12 sections, three competitions and 25 awards offered in the festival.