Batumi International Art-House Film Festival (BIAFF) was established by Giorgi Gogiberidze in 2006 and has since become one of Georgia’s most important international cultural events and a distinctive platform for art-house cinema in the Black Sea region.

Based in Batumi, the festival brings together Georgian and international filmmakers, established masters, emerging voices and audiences through film competitions, premieres, retrospectives, special screenings, masterclasses and public discussions. Throughout its history, BIAFF has remained committed to artistic freedom, cultural dialogue and strengthening the connection between Georgian cinema and the international film community.

In 2006, the idea of an international art-house film festival in Batumi was still something new. BIAFF was founded by Giorgi Gogiberidze through Batumi Art-House “ARGANI”, bringing together people who believed that the city could become a meeting point for filmmakers, artists and audiences from Georgia and abroad. What began as an ambitious cultural initiative soon developed into an annual gathering centred on independent cinema and international exchange.

Giorgi Gogiberidze remained at the centre of this development, shaping the festival through his artistic sensibility, dedication and belief in the importance of bringing people together through cinema. Around him, a team and community began to take shape — people whose work, commitment and relationships would become an essential part of BIAFF's story. The festival's identity was formed not by one person alone, but through the collective effort of those who built it year after year.

In the editions that followed, BIAFF began to grow rapidly. The festival expanded its international programme, introduced retrospectives and special programmes, and welcomed increasingly prominent filmmakers to Batumi. By 2008, it was presenting 50 films from 20 countries, while the following year brought new opportunities for young filmmakers through an international competition dedicated to emerging voices.

These early years established the foundations on which BIAFF would continue to grow: a commitment to art-house cinema, openness to international perspectives, support for emerging filmmakers, and a belief that a festival is ultimately created through the people who come together around it.

Over the years, BIAFF has welcomed many distinguished filmmakers, actors and cultural figures as honorary guests, including Paul Schrader (USA), Denis Lavant (France), Nastassja Kinski (Germany), Béla Tarr (Hungary), Krzysztof Zanussi, Jerzy Radziwiłowicz and Jerzy Stuhr (Poland), Jos Stelling (the Netherlands), Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Abbas Kiarostami, Dariush Mehrjui, Manijeh Hekmat and Mohsen Amiryoussefi (Iran), Marlen Khutsiev (Russia), and Paweł Pawlikowski (Poland/United Kingdom).

The festival has also honoured many leading figures of Georgian culture and cinema, among them Giya Kancheli, Otar Iosseliani, Eldar Shengelaia, Merab Kokochashvili, Mikheil Kobakhidze, Aleksandre Rekhviashvili, Zhanri Lolashvili, Irakli Kvirikadze, Nana Jorjadze and Lana Gogoberidze.