About Festival

Before 2008 Nikozi monastery maintained a small animation film studio, which was wiped out together with other surrounding buildings during the August 2008 Russian-Georgian war.

After the conflict, the studio was rehabilitated with the help of the Polich Embassy in Georgia, local Municipality, european organisation "Koberm", Embassy of Japan in Georgia and American organization “American Friends of Georgia” and later, the studio, which meanwhile was transformed into an art school in 2009, was reinforced with necessary equipment, the site was rebuilt and repaired. The evolving school practice and cooperation with foreign colleagues gave rise to an idea of organasing an international festival of animation and as a result of that intention, the Nikozi festival has been held annually since 2011, whose founder and organiser is Nikozi St. Aleksandre Oqropiridze Art School.  

The school offeres classes in fine arts, music, choreography, folk music instruments and singing, chanting, animation, shadow play, embroidery, foreign languages and computer skills. Students can also practice rock climbing.

Unlike other festivals, Nikozi Animation Festival is not a competition in a traditional sense where winners are determined in different categories, rather than that the Festival aims to highlight new works as well as old masterpieces; visitors are offered an opportunity to learn about new trends and developments in animation art around the world, meet famous directors and other representatives of the film world. For younger generations with interest in animation, festival provides seminars and master classes. Students of Nikozi Art School present their work and performances in singing, dancing, theater and animation for the festival guests; the Festival runs a parallel cultural program which comprises performances in classical and folk music and various sightseeing trips.

Festival “Nikozi” is a venue for the popularisation and development of animation art, but above all, since the 2008 war, it has gained a particular importance for this region as an alternative to destruction. Thus it represents a call for reconstruction, mutual respect, cooperation and love!..

Quoting Yuri Norshtein, famous film director and animator, from his address to the first Animation Film Festival “Nikozi” in 2011:

"Culture is our common homeland, which transcends political barriers, it connects human beings and helps extend our consciousness beyond boundaries of our existence.

Dear friends, your festival is a courageous force against destruction and misery, this festival is a smile of love. It is easier to restore a bombed house than to cure one's sole after witnesing the demise of life. Your festival is the healer of one's spirit, bringing about the peace of mind through justice, hope and beauty".

In 2017, International Committee of the Association of European Festivals awarded the status of an exceptional quality (EFFE) to the International Animation Festival “Nikozi”  and thus "Nikozi" joined the large family of pan-european festivals. Association of European Festivals comprises various venues which stand on high artistic quality and exert significant impact on local and international level.

***

Vilage Nikozi is located in Shida Kartli Region, right in the heart of the historical Kartli Region of Georgia, along the basin of the river Liakhvi. The ancient episcopacy in this region was established by King Vakhtang Gorgasali in the 5th and continued to exist until it was abolished together with other Georgian episcopacies in 1811 during the Russian imperial rule. New life returned to the eparchy in 1995, some time after the reinstatement of Georgia's independence.

The Nikozi Diocese is one of the first original 12 dioceses of Christian Georgia.

The Georgian Orthodox Church received its autocephaly from the Antioch Patriarchate in 457 A.D.  After the Russian Empire illegally abolished the autocephaly of the Georgian Church in 1811 and placed it under the Synod of the Russian Church, many dioceses were closed, including that of  Nikozi Eparchy.  The autocephaly of the Georgian Church was restored on March 12(25), 1917.  In 1995 the Nikozi Diocese was revived.

The main monastery complex consists of the diocesan cathedral the Church of the Ascension (Gvtaeba) (5th c.).  Next to it is the Bishop’s Palace, dating back to the  9-10th c., also the bell tower of the the 17th c. A little further is located  the Church of the Holy Archangels originating from the 10-11th c.

Nikozi is named after the Protomartyr of Georgia St. Razhden (5th c.) whose relics are buried inside the cathedral.

St. Razhden was part of the royal entourage of the wife of King Vakhtang, who was a daughter of the current Persian king.  St. Razhden himself was from a noble Persian family too. He converted to Christianity for which he was crucified by his former compatriots, demanding that he renounce his Christian faith.

***

In 1995 after the resumption of the diocese, Bishop Isaiah (Chanturia) was blessed by the Georgian Orthodox Church to be the ruling hierarch of the diocese. Metropolitan Isaiah studied in an art college, then continued his studies at the Tbilisi State Shota Rustaveli Theatrical Institute at the film department with a speciality in art-animation.  Over the years he worked at the Animation Film Studio.  His graduate degree project was a 10-minute animated film, based on Georgian rhyming proverbs.

After being tonsured a monk and consecrated bishop in 1995, Vladika Isaiah founded a small animation studio at the monastery, while also undertaking various other activities in the diocese.

***

During the Russian-Georgian war in August 2008, an air strike destroyed the Bishop's Palace, a monastic apartment complex, a large library and an animation studio too.

(Photogallery)

Over the past years, with the help of both local and international supporters the Bishop's Palace was restored, the monastery was rebuilt. Polish friends helped to re-create the animation studio, in parallel the art school was established, where students can study animation along with other forms of art.

This is how the idea of ​​an international animation festival was gradually born.

The festival follows a specific framework:

Authors present their own works and communicate with the audience directly; the festival encourages an exchange of views, experiences, discussions about development of new projects and ideas, organisation of master-classes. Participants and guests are offered a program which helps them learn about Georgian culture and visit monuments of historical value.

The festival aims to revive the region, give the place a new breath and a real hope to its people. Joy, openness, sincerity and truthfulness of human relationships are no less important for us than professional skills.

Festival «Nikozi» happily welcomes each person who is visiting Georgia and is interested to participate in the event.