Tato Kotetishvili’s Holy Electricity headed the winners at the second edition of Georgia’s Eliso film awards.
Holy Electricity received the best film prize, from a seven-person jury that included Agnieszka Holland and Carlos Reygadas.
Scroll down for the full list of winners
The film follows two cousins who discover abandoned crosses in a Tbilisi scrapyard, turning them into neon art which they sell across the Georgian capital. It debuted at Locarno film festival last summer, going on to play Thessaloniki, Tallinn, Goteborg and Rotterdam among others.
Kotetishvili also won the best cinematography award for the film, while he was nominated for best director.
That award went to Maka Gogaladze for Ever Since I Knew Myself, a documentary about current teaching practices in Georgia, which played at DOK Leipzig. Gogaladze also took the best editing prize.
The best acting category produced a tie, between Mzia Arabuli for Levan Akin’s Crossing; and Data Chachua for George Sikhaurlidze’s Panopticon.
The Nato Vachnadze award was presented to writer and theatre director Nino Kharatishvili, whose novel The Eighth Life is currently being adapted into a series.
The awards took place at the Nato Vachnadze house museum, organised by the Nato Vachnadze Foundation, an organisation that celebrates Georgia’s film output.
It is named after Georgian film icon Vachnadze, and founded by her great-granddaughter, actress Natalia Jugheli. The awards are funded by corporate backers including TBC bank, Coca-Cola, Citroen, Bluetabla, Sarajishvili, Enkeny Films and the Vazisubani Estate.
Eliso film awards 2025
Winners in bold
Best Film:
Blueberry Dreams
Holy Electricity
Crossing
Panopticon
Special mention: Blueberry Dreams
Best Director:
Maka Gogaladze - Ever Since I Knew Myself
Levan Akin - Crossing
Tato Kotetishvili - Holy Electricity
George Sikharulidze – Panopticon
Best Acting:
Mzia Arabuli – Crossing (tie)
Data Chachua – Panopticon (tie)
Nikolo Ghviniashvili - Holy Electricity
Ia Sukhitashvili – Panopticon
Best Cinematography:
Lisabi Fridell - Crossing
Tato Kotetishvili - Holy Electricity
Maka Gogaladze - Ever Since I knew Myself
Oleg Mutu – Panopticon
Best Editing:
Yannick Leroy, Philippe Boucq - Blueberry Dreams
Nodar Nozadze - Holy Electricity
Maka Gogaladze - Ever Since I Knew Myself
Levan Akin, Emma Lagrelius – Crossing
Best Production Design:
Ketevan Nadibaidze - Panopticon
Nato Bagrationi, Anuka Kalandarishvili - Holy Electricity
Salome Skhirtladze - Air Blue Silk
Roger Rosenberg - Crossing
Nato Vachnadze award: Nino Kharatishvili
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