09-12-2019

FNE at Tbilisi IFF 2019: Dito Tsintsadze’s Inhale-Exhale Wins Top Prize

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    Inhale-Exhale by Dito Tsintsadze Inhale-Exhale by Dito Tsintsadze credit: Cinetech Film Production

    TBILISI: Inhale-Exhale by the acclaimed Georgian-born Berlin-based director Dito Tsintsadze was awarded best feature film at the 20th edition of the Tbilisi International Film Festival. The festival ran from 1 to 8 December 2019.

    For the third time, the Delegation of the European Union in Georgia together with the festival also announced the Human Rights in Film Award, that went to Uta Beria's debut feature Negative Numbers, which screened in the Georgian Panorama section.

    The Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) awarded GEL 20,000 to short and documentary winners. This is the third year that the Georgian National Film Center has held the Write on Georgian Cinema, a competition for undergraduate and postgraduate students of film studies at Georgian universities. This year's winners were Giorgi Javakhishvili, Levan Abdushelishvili and Zaza Tsankashvili. The film company Tera Incognita Films gave a special film camera award to two directors, Dito Tsintsadze (Inhale-Exhale) and Uta Beria (Negative Numbers).

    Alongside its regular sections (Horizons, Forum of European Cinema, Made In Germany) the festival focused this year on British cinema and the Mexican director Carlos Reygadas.

    The festival’s Prometheus Award for contribution to filmmaking was awarded to Mexican director Carlos Reigadas and Georgian director and screenwriter Irakli Kvirikadze.

    WINNERS:

    Best Feature Film:
    Inhale-Exhale (Georgia, Russia)
    Directed by Dito Tsintsadze
    Produced by Cinetech Film Production
    Coproduced by Viva Films
    Supported by the Georgian National Film Center and Eurimages

    Best Documentary:
    Before Father Gets Back (Georgia, France, Germany)
    Directed by Mari Gulbiani

    Best Short Film:
    Fatherland (Georgia)
    Directed by Giorgi Sikharulidze

    Human Rights in Film Award:
    Negative Numbers (Georgia, France, Italy)
    Directed by Uta Beria
    Produced by Magnet films
    Coproduced by Alief, Wide Management, 39Films
    Supported by the Georgian National Film Center and Eurimages