Films You Should See at TIFF 2025
by Leo Mikaia
It’s the most wonderful time of the year for cinephiles in the capital. Tbilisi International Film Festival 2025 opens on the first day of December and will bring film lovers to Amirani Cinema for a whole week. The program is outstanding this year, so I’ve curated my personal picks below. This list includes films I’ve already seen and highly recommend, along with the pictures I’m excited to finally check out myself.
December 2nd
Amirani 1 – 13:00
Franz – Agnieszka Holland, Czech Republic/Poland/France/Germany/Turkey 2025
Runtime: 127’
I was first introduced to Agnieszka Holland’s work at this festival two years ago with Olivier, Olivier. I loved how she portrayed complex family dynamics while keeping the film’s central mystery alive. So, when I saw the Oscar-nominated filmmaker had a new biopic out about Franz Kafka, grabbing a ticket was a no-brainer.
I’m a sucker for good titles. And for sugary drinks. As a Georgian, I grew up with the lore that Lagidze Waters is some kind of holy elixir that’s been around forever. So I jumped at the chance to watch this documentary about the man behind the myth, Mitrofan Lagidze. You can catch another screening of the film on December 4th at 13:00.
December 3rd
Amirani 2 – 13:00
Georgian Short Fiction Films 1
Congratulations Once Again – Luka Beradze, Georgia 2025
Runtime: 17’
I caught Luka Beradze’s Congratulations Once Again a couple of months ago at the Kutaisi Short Film Festival, and I was thoroughly amused. It’s a great ‘anti-New Year’ film, which makes it a perfect watch for the start of December. Luka finds a perfect balance here between social drama and light-hearted comedy.
Amirani 2 – 16:00
Georgian Short Docs 1
Fragments on Resistance – Levan Tskhovrebadze, Ani Kiladze, Georgia/Serbia 2025
Runtime: 26’
Fragments on Resistance also premiered at the Kutaisi Short Film Festival. It was definitely one of the highlights and earned a Special Mention from the jury. The story is about two friends who share their thoughts and feelings about political unrest in their homelands, Georgia and Serbia. It’s a raw, sincere reflection on protest and where it goes from here, completely stripped of the cheap pathos and blind optimism we usually see around us.
Amirani 2 – 16:00
Georgian Short Docs 1
You Are My Reward and Punishment – Lana Ghoghoberidze, Georgia 2025
Runtime: 28’
I have zero background knowledge on You Are My Reward and Punishment, but that doesn’t really matter. When the legend of Georgian cinema, Lana Ghoghoberidze, has a new film out, you just have to be there.
Amirani 1 – 21:00
Two Prosecutors – Sergei Loznitsa, France/Germany/Netherlands/Latvia/ Romania/ Lithuania 2025
Runtime: 118′
Sergei Loznitsa never lacks insight when tackling heavy political subjects, so expect the same from Two Prosecutors. The film was in the Official Competition at Cannes and follows a young prosecutor who sets out to challenge the system during Stalin’s reign. This falls right into Loznitsa’s Soviet expertise, and I’m all here for it.
Parallel to Loznitsa’s Two Prosecutors, there’s a screening of what I consider one of the best Georgian films of the year, The Pipe. Shalva Sokurashvili’s directing is immaculate. He creates a remarkably vivid picture of friendship between three boys in a Georgian village. It’s suspenseful and deeply nostalgic for anyone who grew up spending summers in the countryside. There’s one more screening on the last day of the festival at 13:00.
December 4th
I had the pleasure of watching Dry Leaf months ago, and I can confidently say it’s a singular experience that is as strange as it is beautiful. It is a three-hour film shot entirely on an old Sony Ericsson phone camera. Every new frame reveals a new texture to observe. Familiar objects take on forms that feel unknown, or just long forgotten. There’s one more screening of the film the next day at 13:00.
Amirani 3 – 19:00
9-Month Contract – Ketevan Vashagashvili, Georgia/Bulgaria/Germany 2025
Runtime: 79’
I missed it at the Kutaisi Short Film Festival this year, but I didn’t miss the audience’s reaction. They were deeply moved and full of praise for Ketevan Vashagashvili’s work. The subject is heavy. 9-Month Contract is about a Georgian mother who turns to surrogacy to secure a safe future for her teenage daughter. There is another screening of the film the next day at 19:00.
December 5th
This is a beautiful photofilm by Anka Gujabidze, based on Temo Rekhviashvili’s novel Courier’s Tales. It captures different sides of Tbilisi, all from the perspective of a delivery guy. His one day at work turns into an unusual adventure that feels very true to the spirit of the city itself.
I firmly believe that every true cinephile has been obsessed with Godard at some point. So when the acclaimed American director (and just a chill Texan guy) Richard Linklater shoots a film about the making of Jean-Luc’s magnum opus, Breathless, there’s not much to think about. I’m just excited to see this on the big screen.
This marks the third collaboration between Christian Petzold and Paula Beer. One can say that they are basically Europe’s answer to the Lanthimos-Stone partnership. Their previous film, Afire, was magnificent, and I’ve been absolutely obsessed with Beer ever since I saw it two years ago. She is one of the most charming actresses working today. So yeah, I’m really looking forward to seeing her on the big screen.
December 6th
I’ll be blunt, Joachim Trier’s previous film is a masterpiece. The Worst Person in the World is an insightful and inventive piece of cinema. I can’t remember any other film that has so much to say about what it’s like to navigate adulthood in the times we live in. If Sentimental Value has even half the raw honesty of his last work, we are in for a treat.
Albert Serra comes off as an arrogant guy in interviews. He believes his films are just superior. His uncompromising vision shines through everything he’s done, so why would Afternoons of Solitude be any different? The idea of a documentary about a day in the life of a bullfighter, directed by him, should be enough to get anyone excited.
The always compassionate Dardenne brothers once again dive deep into social realism. This time, the story is about teen mums living in a shelter and trying to adapt to their new roles. I don’t think it’s going to be something new, but they know how to deliver deeply moving pictures with their signature documentary-style cinematography. The film earned the Best Screenplay Award at Cannes, so that’s another reason to be intrigued.
December 7th
Amirani 1 – 13:00
The Secret Agent – Clever Mendonça Filho, Brazil/France/Germany/Netherlands 2025
Runtime: 160’
After breakout Hollywood roles in Narcos and Alex Garland’s Civil War, Wagner Moura returns to his Brazilian roots in The Secret Agent. He delivers a performance so good that it earned him the Best Actor award at Cannes. I’m expecting a thrilling ride.
Oh my. I think anyone who goes to see Óliver Laxe’s Sirât should avoid reading too much about it beforehand. I watched a pirated version in poor quality, and I really regretted it once I saw the film was in the festival’s program. I can’t wait to properly experience it on the big screen with a packed audience. DON’T MISS THE CHANCE.
And here’s this year’s Palme d’Or winner and the latest work from legendary Iranian director Jafar Panahi. It is the headliner and final film of the 2025 Tbilisi International Film Festival. Panahi never shies away from criticizing the Iranian regime in his work, a stance that even led to his arrest in 2010. Critics are saying that the filmmaker’s anger and wit are on display in It Was Just an Accident. So, it should be the perfect finale for the week.
About the Author
Leo Mikaia is a self-declared film expert who enjoys sharing his thoughts about under-appreciated pictures in short and disjointed paragraphs.
“It started at age nine with a magnetic pull toward Jackie Chan leaping across rooftops on TV. Years later, realizing I needed to be part of the spectacle, I turned to writing. My career began with creating video essays about films for Adjaranet.com and writing articles for Cinemania.ge. I’ve spent my life chasing that feeling, writing wherever I can to keep the connection alive.”
He will be writing film reviews for our new column The Kids Aren’t Alright. Stay tuned!