MESTIA: Khatuna Tatuashvili’s short animated film Oh! Mother, Mother…/ ოჰ! დედა, დედა.. is the only Georgian animated film selected for the 2026 Mestia International Short and Mountain Film Festival, which is taking place in Mestia from 29 July to 2 August 2026. This year’s edition marks the first time the festival has accepted animated films into its programme.
Competing in the Short Film Competition, the 15-minute film explores the fine line between care and control through the story of a schoolteacher, whose excessive maternal care for her beloved cat gradually becomes suffocating. Determined to protect the animal from every possible danger, she keeps it locked inside her home, dresses it in protective armour and makes every decision on its behalf. As the story unfolds, the seemingly ordinary relationship develops into a psychological allegory exploring the fine line between genuine care and the suppression of another’s individuality. In the film, the cat serves as a metaphor for a child, reflecting the destructive consequences of hyper protective parenting.
Written, directed, animated and designed by Khatuna Tatuashvili, Oh! Mother, Mother… was produced by Fantasmagoria Production, with Elene Tavadze and Tatuashvili herself serving as producers. The music was designed by Ovanes Ambartsumian and the backgrounds were created by Giorgi Chilashvili, animation by Ana Khoperia, voice performances by Maia Khmaladze and Ana Zambakhidze, and colour correction by Mindia Inasaridze.
The project was supported by the Georgian National Film Center between 2023 and 2025 with a budget of approximately 52,000 EUR / 156,000 GEL.
The film combines traditional 2D animation with cut-out techniques. One of its most distinctive visual elements is the cat’s armour, handcrafted from an actual cat food can, artistically reworked, filmed under the camera and then integrated into the animation. According to the filmmakers, this hybrid approach proved to be one of the project’s greatest artistic and technical challenges.
According to Tatuashvili, the film was inspired by her own relationship with her cat, whom she realised she loved so protectively that she was limiting its freedom. Observing similar behaviour among people around her, she began exploring the broader phenomenon of hyper protective parenting, which she believes is particularly relevant in contemporary Georgian society. Through the film, she invites audiences to reflect on whether they may themselves have become an overprotective “parent” or an over dependent “child.”
Oh! Mother, Mother… had its official premiere at the Cinema House in Tbilisi on 5 June 2026. It has already received international recognition, winning the People’s Choice Award and the Jury Special Mention at ANIMAFILM 2025. The film has also recently been selected for the Seoul International Animation Film Festival, with its screening in Mestia marking another step in its international festival run.
The Mestia International Short and Mountain Film Festival marks the film’s latest international festival appearance, introducing it to audiences as the only animated work and the sole Georgian production competing in this year’s Short Film Competition.
Production Information:
Producer:
Fantasmagoria Production (Georgia)
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Credits:
Director: Khatuna Tatuashvili
Scriptwriter: Khatuna Tatuashvili
Animators: Khatuna Tatuashvili, Ana Khoperia
Designer: Khatuna Tatuashvili
Backgrounds: Giorgi Chilashvili
Assistant, Ink and Paint: Salome Kalandarishvili
Colour correction: Mindia Inasaridze
Composer: Ovanes Ambartsumian
Voices: Maia Khmaladze, Ana Zambakhidze
