One of its founders was Kote Marjanishvili, a legendary Georgian director who founded professional Georgian acting and directing schools.
The success of world-renowned Georgian theatre and film is associated with the name of this university and its graduates.
The Theatre Institute was renamed the Theatre and Film State Institute in 1992.
The institute transformed and became a university in 2002.
The graduates of Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgia State University essentially determined the character of the development of the theatre culture of the twentieth century and modern Georgia.
The university has played a fundamental role in the production of specialists in drama and film, musical theatre, variety, puppetry, marionettes, pantomime actors, TV directors, cinematographers, theatre critics, film critics, art critics, TV media, choreography, managers, tourism and cultural-educational fields.
Several theatre and film students have won international success and the highest awards in various festivals and competitions.
The State University of Theatre and Film has three faculties: Drama, Film and TV, Art sciences, media, and management.
Along with bachelor's, master's, and doctoral educational programs, the university implements short and long-term certificate programs.
The university has a Dimitri Aleksidze training theatre, a scientific research institute named after Dimitri Janelidze, and a library.
The university also has an educational film studio, and since 2020, the university educational television channel TAFU TV has been broadcasting in the direction of culture and art.
The university has created educational choreographic and folklore ensembles.
The university takes the initiative to organize annual national and international festivals: "The Festival of Etudes," Student Choreographic Forum-Festival "Terpsichore," Tbilisi International Student Film Festival "Amirani," Film Award "Golden Branch;" Also - annual scientific conferences for students and professors and researchers.

Since 2005, the university publishing house "Kentavri" has published the university student newspaper "Duruji," a collection of scientific works - "Art Science Studies;"

It also publishes textbooks, translations, monographs, references, and other publications.

The university has established creative and scientific collaborations with universities in various countries.

Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgia State University is a full member of:

The European League of Institutes of the Arts - ELIA
.

The International Association of Film and Television Schools – CILECT
.

International Council for Traditional Music – ICTM
.

World Theatre Education Alliance – WTEA
.

The university has two campuses:
Building I - Shota Rustaveli Avenue No. 19
Building II - Davit Agmashenebeli Avenue No. 40