Dea Kulumbegashvili and Agnieszka Holland to Empower Next Generation of European Filmmakers at KVIFF

EFP (European Film Promotion) and the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) are pleased to announce that the Georgian director Dea Kulumbegashvilli will serve as this year’s mentor for EFP FUTURE FRAMES – Generation NEXT of European Cinema. Acclaimed Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland is contributing a keynote speech.

In an exclusive masterclass, the award-winning director Dea Kulumbegashvilli will give the young filmmakers an insight into her professional journey from making two successful short films to her recent second feature film, April. The powerful drama about female independence competed at the 2024 Venice Film Festival where it received the Special Jury Prize.

Kulumbegashvilli was born and raised in Georgia. She studied directing at Columbia University’s School of the Arts and Media Studies at The New School in New York. Following two highly acclaimed and award-winning short films (Invisible Spaces, 2014 and Lethe, 2016) her feature debut, Beginning (2020) premiered in Toronto, winning the FIPRESCI Prize. The film also took home the Silver Seashell Jury Prize and the Golden Seashell at the San Sebastián Film Festival.

Another major highlight of the programme is the keynote speech by the renowned and multi-award-winning Polish director Agnieszka Holland who will exclusively share experiences from her impressive career spanning decades. Holland’s most recent film, Green Border competed at the 2023 Venice Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize.

The masterclass and keynote are part of the broader industry programme for the 2025 edition of EFP FUTURE FRAMES. Supported by Creative Europe – the MEDIA programme of the European Union, and presented in cooperation with KVIFF and its partner Allwyn, a leading multinational lottery-powered entertainment company, the initiative also includes exclusive sessions with KVIFF programmers and one-on-one meetings with representatives from UTA and Range Media Partners. The industry experts will provide feedback and guidance to the participants—and will later select one director for a special scholarship and professional development trip to Los Angeles.

All partners are proud to present a striking new line-up of recent European film school graduates whose films will be showcased during this year’s festival.