Nino Benashvili
director
Nino Benashvili is an award-winning writer and director from Tbilisi, Sakartvelo, currently based between Tbilisi and New York City. She received her MFA from NYU Tisch Graduate Film Program in 2025 and is a 2023 BAFTA US BBC Diversity Scholar and recipient of the Maurice Kanbar Award. Her work spans fiction and documentary.
Her films have screened at San Sebastián, Tallinn Black Nights, Palm Springs ShortFest, and Santa Barbara, and have aired on PBS. She has received the Jagat Murari Directing award, as well as Bronze Remi award at WorldFest Houston.
She is completing post-production on her essay doc, Tulamaruing and is in production on her first feature doc, Of the Trees Unmoved.
In addition to directing, Nino has worked as a cinematographer, editor, and sound mixer/designer on independent films, including projects executive produced by Spike Lee and directed by Alexandre Rockwell. She has served on juries for the BAFTA Student Awards and the News & Documentary Emmy Awards.
She holds a B.A. from St. John’s College, Annapolis, where she studied philosophy, the history of science, and music. She is fluent in Georgian, English, German, and Russian.
Filmography
In production – Of the Trees Unmoved ~90 min – Director, Writer, Producer, Camera, Editor
2025 – Tulamaruing – 8 min – Director, Writer, Producer, Editor, Camera
2024 – Where Time Stood Still – 13 min - Director, Writer, Producer, Editor, Sound Designer
2022 – Medusa – 4 min – Director, Writer, Producer, Editor, Sound Designer
2021 – Children of Nikozi – 31 min – Director, Writer, Producer, Editor, Camera, Composer