’The Pocket Man’ animation wins Emirates festival award

Young Georgian filmmaker Ana Chubinidze has earned fresh recognition for her debut animation The Pocket Man after the work was named among winners of the Sharjah International Children's Film Festival.

Chubinidze’s work was named the best animation film at the event that ran in the coastline city of the United Arab Emirates.

The seven-minute film was part of the festival program of more than 120 films from over 50 countries.

The short follows a small man living in an old suitcase, who strikes up a friendship with an elder, blind man after their chance encounter in a big city.

أفضل فيلم رسوم متحركة (رجل الجيب) من إخراج آنا شوبينيدزي Best Animation Film (The Pocket Man) directed by Ana Chubinidze #sicff17pic.twitter.com/KQK9ZDwNqg

— SICFF (@SharjahICFF) October 16, 2017

It is a Georgian-French-Swiss co-production and was produced by Chubinidze as well as teams in France and Georgia.

The Sharjah event is the first children’s festival in the Persian Gulf region and was launched in 2013.

For Chubinidze, the award comes after two prizes earned for The Pocket Man at the Montreal International Children’s Film Festival in Canada this year.

The animation premiered at the 2017 New York International Children’s Film Festival.