The festival takes its name from the place where it is held — Nikoz(i), a large village located just one kilometer from the city of Tskhinvali. Nikoz(i) is also the center of one of Georgia’s oldest dioceses, headed by Metropolitan Isaiah of Nikoz(i) and Tskhinvali — who, interestingly, is an animator by training. It is thanks to him that the animation festival was born and continues to develop successfully there, alongside a children’s animation studio that he founded.
Although NIKOZI remains a small and intimate event, it impresses with the high concentration of renowned directors, including Oscar winners. The festival does not feature a competition program, but it offers a wide range of screenings: award-winning selections from major international festivals, retrospectives of animation masters, and workshops conducted by acclaimed filmmakers. In addition, each year NIKOZI showcases programs from leading European animation schools. This year’s participants included:
- Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf
- Szkola Filmowa w Łodzi
- Estonian Academy of Arts
- Lucerne School of Design, Film and Art
- Academy of Media Arts Cologne
- Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
- Tokyo University of the Arts
The main focus of this year’s festival was on young, debut, and student animation. It was especially interesting to see how the works of EHU students fit into the broader context of films created by students from leading European animation schools, which train future professional directors and animators. The education that EHU students receive is broader in scope, and their works are closer in spirit to motion design and infographics.
The festival featured four course projects and four bachelor’s theses. The students’ films were notable for their variety of themes, genres, and artistic styles, and they received positive feedback from audiences.
The program concluded with the screening of “Everybody Dances!” — the result of a spring workshop for second- and third-year students of the Visual Design program. This was the sixth joint animation workshop held at the university.
The short film “Everybody Dances!” brought a sense of joy and inspiration to the festival audience — the same atmosphere that filled the creative process itself. It was a wonderful, dynamic week of collaborative work in a large studio space at the Karolina complex. After the project was completed, an impressive premiere took place at the Saviciaus Hall.
Photos show the creative process behind the film, as well as stills from other student projects included in the program.
All the student films will be shown in full at the end of October on the big screen at the university.
Stay tuned for updates!
