USHGULI: The winners of the Pitching Forum and Work in Progress competitions were announced at the 6th edition of the Svaneti International Film Festival DALI, where Murad Allahverdi’s Kura won the Creative Georgia Award for Best International Project, while Ilia Ebitashvili and Irina Petrikei’s Silent Law received the 1TV Award for Best Georgian Project.
Volkan Durmuş’s Being a Sujuk won the Creative Georgia Award in the Work in Progress Competition.
The 6th edition of the Svaneti IFF DALI took place in Ushguli, Georgia, 20 – 27 July 2026, bringing together more than 100 Georgian and international guests for a programme of pitching sessions, works-in-progress, masterclasses, open-air screenings and industry events.
This year’s industry programme featured seven projects in the Pitching Forum and six projects in the Work in Progress Competition, presented before international industry professionals and juries. The festival also hosted 15 masterclasses led by internationally acclaimed filmmakers, festival programmers, sales agents and Georgian film professionals, alongside the Georgian Finished Short Films Showcase for international programmers.
The open-air screening in Ushguli attracted more than 350 spectators each evening, with local residents making up the majority of the audience. The programme included classic Georgian films, contemporary Georgian productions, international feature and documentary films and discussions with filmmakers including Amir Naderi, Giorgi Ovashvili, Sofia Babluani, Mamuka Tkeshelashvili and Elite Zexer.
The 2026 Svaneti International Film Festival DALI was organised with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Georgia, the Georgian National Tourism Administration, the Georgian National Film Center, the Georgian Public Broadcaster (1TV), Creative Georgia, Basisbank, Teliani Valley, Hotel Stumari, Allprint, the Asian Development Bank.
Founded in 2021 by director Mariam Khatchvani and producer Teimuraz Chkhvimiani, the festival has become an important platform for the international promotion of Georgian cinema and emerging filmmaking talent.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS:
Pitching Forum:
Best International Project (Creative Georgia Award):
Kura (Azerbaijan)
Directed by Murad Allahverdi
Produced by Afag Yusifli
Best Georgian Project (1TV Award):
Silent Law (Georgia, Ukraine)
Directed by Ilia Ebitashvili, Irina Petrikei
Produced by Ilia Ebitashvili, Irina Petrikei
Special Mention:
The Chaos of Silence (Georgia)
Directed by Nino Shaburishvili
Produced by Nino Shaburishvili
Work in Progress Competition:
Creative Georgia Award:
Being a Sujuk (Turkey)
Directed by Volkan Durmuş
Produced by Serpil Altın, K. Onur Karakuş
