Georgian border village hosts animation film festival

A small Georgian village located about 200m from the administrative border has been thrust into the spotlight as hosts of the Nikozi International Animated Film Festival.

The fourth annual festival will be held from September 1-6 in Nikozi village, near the central Georgian town of Gori and the administration border with Georgia’s breakaway region South Ossetia. Organisers said the event would entertain guests as directors and animators from all over the world descend on the town to display their work.

The venue for the annual festival is the Episcopal Palace of the Nikozi Monastery. The Palace was completely destroyed in the 2008 August war however the festival has given the area new life and become a cultural centre for the town’s youth.

The Animation Film Festival opened on the first day of autumn and will run for six days. Traditionally, the festival opened with work of Nikozi Art School students.

Here is map how to get to the Nikozi. 

Art allows us to create, paint, think, express ourselves and make other feel sorrow, empathy, pain or joy. It is the way to genuine truth not only for the artist, but for the audience, as well. As your host we would like to feel at home and on returning back home, feel new positive energy in your strive to creativity, Metropolitan Esaiah said in his welcoming speech.

With workshops for children, master classes for adults and screenings of internationally acclaimed animations, the Nikozoi festival was sure to entertain all guests, organisers said.

Animation directors from Russia, Germany, Bulgaria, Poland and the United States were invited to the festival to present their work and host master class demonstrations.

The Nikozi International Animated Film Festival had strong partnerships with the Dresden and Suzdal Animated Film Festivals, who in previous years had presented the winning film of their respective animation festivals at the Nikozi festival.

The idea of the animation festival came from the Diocese Metropolitan of Tskhinvali-Nikozi, Isaiah Chanturia) and his friends.

In 1995 Bishop Isaiah (Chanturia) became the ruling hierarch of the Nikozi Diocese.

Prior to becoming involved in the church, he worked as a cartoonist. Metropolitan Isaiah studied at the Art College and then continued his studies at the Tbilisi State Shota Rustaveli Theatre Film Department, specialising in art-animation. Over the years he has worked in various animated film studios.

At the monastery he organised a small animation studio, which was damaged alongside several other buildings during the Russia-Georgia war in 2008. However later the studio was brought back to life with the help of representatives of some of Georgia’s friends from allied countries.

This was when the Nikozi Art School was founded. Today, the students of this school study animation along with other forms of art.

The annual animation festival, initiated by the Eparchy of Nikozi and Tskhinvali, was supported by the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia and the National Film Centre of Georgia.