The Georgian National Film Center (GNFC) organised the national selection, with the decision made by a seven-member committee through a secret ballot on 3 September 2026.

Five Georgian feature films were submitted to this year’s national selection: Ana Urushadze’s Supporting Role / მეორეხარისხოვანი როლი, Levan Koguashvili’s Guria / გურია, Giorgi Ovashvili’s The Moon Is a Father of Mine / მთვარე მამაა ჩემი, Nino Basilia’s The Phase / ფაზა, and Nikoloz Khomasuridze’s Share the Love / გააზიარე სიყვარული.

The selection committee responsible for choosing Georgia’s submission consisted of Edmond Minashvili, Mariam Khachvani, Mindia (Konstantine) Esadze, Manana Lekborashvili, Levan Dvali, Nikoloz Abramashvili and Otar Bubashvili.

Commenting on the selection, GNFC Director Mamuka Bliadze said: “Guria is one of the most distinctive films in recent Georgian cinema, continuing the legacy of Georgian filmmaking while offering its own contemporary perspective. There are high expectations for the film’s festival journey, and now, following its selection as Georgia’s Oscar submission, we are looking forward to seeing how its Academy Awards campaign unfolds.”

Koguashvili’s Guria is a 118-minute black-and-white tragicomedy set in western Georgia in the early 1990s, in the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The film centres on Zuriko, a widowed hazelnut farmer who refuses to accept unfair prices for his harvest while attempting to rebuild his personal life and find love again.

The story unfolds against a backdrop of economic hardship, power cuts and crime, while focusing on the relationships and everyday experiences of the people living through the period. Humour, friendship, music and resilience become ways for the characters to navigate the difficult social circumstances surrounding them.

The screenplay was written by Boris Frumin, Levan Koguashvili and George Kekelidze. Kakhaber Tcholadze, Natia Nikolaishvili and Vamekh Jangidze lead the cast.

Guria is produced by Kino Iberica in coproduction with Cineworx (Switzerland), Tarantula (Luxembourg), ArtFest (Bulgaria), TatoFilm/Maya Films (Türkiye), and Staer (Norway), with participation from Saudi Arabia. The project was supported by a number of international and national funds, including the Ministry of Culture of Georgia, the Georgian National Film Center, the Georgian Public Broadcaster, Creative Georgia, the Hubert Bals Fund, the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, the Zurich Film Foundation, the Luxembourg Film Fund, the Turkish Ministry of Culture, the Bulgarian National Film Center, Sørfond, the Red Sea Fund, and Eurimages.

The film had its world premiere in the Venice Spotlight section of the 2026 Venice International Film Festival. It was one of eight titles selected for the section, dedicated to distinctive auteur works from around the world.

Prior to its completion, the project was presented at L’Atelier of the Cannes Film Festival and received the Best Project Award at the Red Sea International Film Festival’s Works in Progress programme.

No sales agent is attached to the film yet.