Georgian filmmakers picked among Berlinale Talents “outstanding creatives“

Three Georgian cinema professionals will be among talents from around the world hand-picked for this year’s Berlinale Talents summit during the Berlinale Film Festival next month.

Filmmaker Anna Sarukhanova, director and producer Rati Tsiteladze and screenwriter and producer Nino Varsimashvili will take place in events designed to connect film professionals in the German capital.

They will be among 250 "outstanding creatives” developing projects and launching collaborations, said the reveal from the organisers.

NEWSFLASH: Announcing the Berlinale Talents class of 2018! Hailing from 81 countries, the 250 selected filmmakers work in fiction & documentary, long & short forms, experimental & serial formats. What unites them? That you'll want to keep on eye on 'em! https://t.co/f3caBzNoEhpic.twitter.com/klCMXj1Xdq

— Berlinale Talents (@berlin_talents) January 8, 2018

Workshops, masterclasses, panel discussions and pitching sessions are all part of the annual networking event, which this year will bring together participants from 81 countries.

For six days they will have the opportunity to engage with one another, experts and the public, to critically question their own artistic standpoint and to further develop their film projects”, said the Berlinale Talents release.

Actors, cinematographers, editors and creators from other fields will also be involved in the sessions including Project Labs and Talent Press.

The selection of from Georgia features young professionals who have already worked on short film projects.

Anna Sarukhanova’s work was highlighted by the prestigious Locarno Film Festival when organisers picked her short Till the End of the Day in the official selection of the event in 2016.

Her 2017 work The Perfect Order did not go unnoticed either, as the film was part of the official short film competition of Sarajevo Film Festival.

Nino Varsimashvili is working on her feature project The Empty House, which has been shortlisted for the Screenwriters Lab of Sundance Film Festival and highlighted at events including Locarno Film Festival.

Rati Tsiteladze is founder of Georgian-based ArtWay Film studio and has directed award-winning projects including Deda, which claimed awards at international festivals since its release in 2016.

Tsiteladze is also working on The Empty House project, the first feature film for the director.

Launched in 2003, the Berlinale Talents program will run from February 17-22.