Batumi Art-House Film Festival to explore pandemic isolation

The Batumi International Art-House Film Festival will make its 2020 edition particularly relevant to this year's theme by running an entire section for films about social isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic.  Its 15th edition is expected to run between September 13-20.

The auteur festival, held annually in Georgia's Black Sea city, has announced its call for submissions on the subject, with selected films to be screened in COVIDEO section at the event later this year.

Accepting short works both from amateur and professional directors, BIAFF organisers are looking for high definition films with a runtime between one and five minutes and preferably made between March-June of this year.

Cinema essays on subjects such as mechanisms of coping with the isolation, reports on pandemic reality around the world, and other forms and stories found to respond to the theme will be reviewed before the festival team picks 20 works to be screened, Agenda.ge reported.

Best Short Film and Best Original Idea/Screenplay will be the award categories for the section, with festival audience picking their favourite via social media while juries also select the films for distinction.