Alternative Wave, the industry section of the Batumi International Arthouse Film Festival (BIAFF), returned in full strength for its 20th edition. Eight feature-film projects were selected, and the film teams worked with experienced professionals on project development, international professional exchange and new approaches to filmmaking. These included new projects by Levan Koguashvili (Georgian Knights) and George Ovashvili (Lamb of God). For the full list, please scroll down.

Greek novelist and scriptwriter Nicos Panayotopoulos, for the seventh time at Alternative Wave, continued his approach to script development and building a strong relationship with the participating filmmakers.

Creative consultant Paul Tyler returned for the third time to help filmmakers step back from their projects, map the material as a whole, and look at the story, characters and development from an outside perspective. Bosnian producer Amra Bakšić-Čamo joined online to focus on the projects and their development within the European co-production landscape.

Strategic Film Marketing's John Durie focused on positioning, presentation and packaging strategies, while the deputy managing director at EFP, Jo Mühlberger, showcased the opportunities and support mechanisms offered by the organisation.

Casting director Eka Mzhavandze was joined by a group of actors in order to share their perspectives with the directors and to encourage them to think about casting as an integral part of the creative process.

A series of master classes with Gia Razmadze, an ethnologist and teacher, explored ancient Georgian fairy tales, folklore and traditional storytelling practices, while photographer Yuri Mechitov shared photographs from the sets of Georgian classics, including those by Sergei Parajanov, and touched on some of the earliest international co-productions made in Georgia.

Tornike Jobava, deputy head of the Georgian Agency for Innovation and Technology (GITA), with representatives of the recently opened Creative Technologies Centre (TUMO) in Kutaisi, offered a broader discussion around the future of the creative industries in Georgia. Mamuka Bliadze, director of the Georgian National Film Center, was also present throughout the programme and made himself available for individual meetings with the project representatives.

Another important focus of this year's programme was AI in the audiovisual sector. The organisers brought together a group of professionals working with artificial intelligence to explore not only its creative possibilities, but also its practical applications in other areas of filmmaking, including budgeting, scheduling and production planning, while also discussing the challenges and risks these new tools bring to the industry.

The master classes and many of the events were also open to others besides the selected project teams. Students from the Batumi and Tbilisi film and television universities, as well as local filmmakers, casting professionals and photographers, were invited to attend and engage with the visiting experts.

"I am truly happy to see that some of the new initiatives are already developing into meaningful collaborations between industry representatives and both selected and guest participants," says BIAFF head of Industry, filmmaker Tinatin Kajrishvili. "Participants are beginning to support one another, stay connected beyond the programme and grow together as a professional network. For me, this is one of the most valuable outcomes of Alternative Wave: creating not only a space for developing projects, but also a community where people can find long-term collaborators, supporters and, gradually, a sense of belonging to one family."

Here is the full list of Alternative Wave projects:

Amiko - Irakli Bagaturia
Be Quiet - Khatuna Khundadze
Georgian Knights - Levan Koguashvili 
The Poet, Wife and Dog - Mila Kurashvili
Inheritance - Edmond Minashvili
Lamb of God - George Ovashvili 
Dagger - Akaki Popkhadze
In the Middle - Aleksander “Sandro” Wysocki