Batumi, Georgia: The 16th International Festival of Animated Films “TOFUZI” was held in Batumi, capital of Adjara, Georgia from November 11-16 this year. The Tofizi Film Festival which was directed by Zurab Diasamidze gets great fame and success.
The Festival brought animation as an attractive sort of culture to the children of those regions of Georgia where cultural events were very rare.
The director of the festival, Zurab Diasamidze was born in Batumi and wanted to contribute to the development of the cultural life of his hometown – he decided that this would be the ideal place to establish a new film festival: “Tofuzi“.
The festival was held with the support of the National Center of Cinematography of Georgia, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Batumi City Hall, Batumi Puppets and Teen Audience Professional State Theater, Batumi Art University, and production company “Mi-Pa-si.”
120 animated films from 30 countries were presented in the competition program of the festival. The winner of the festival’s Grand Prix was the German work – Shedab Shaiegan’s “Sand Garden“. The prize for the best screenplay went to Georgian animated film director, Elene Tavadze, for the animated film “Elene Dariani”. Three age categories were represented at the festival – main, youth, and children’s jury, which included both Georgian and foreign cinematographers.
This year, under the industrial program of the Tofuzi Film Festival, for the first time, an international competition for the development of short animated films was held for students and the winning projects were announced. Lisa Chaduneli’s project “Egg theory” won first place, and second place went to Nutsa Lemonjava’s project “Palingenesis“. Winners were awarded with cash prizes.
Within the framework of the educational program, masterclasses and work meetings were held, led by Georgian and foreign professionals. With an entertainment program, the festival hosted “Batumi VR-Days“, during which people interested in modern technology got to know experimental animation works created by French animators.
16th International Festival of Animated Films, TOFUZI
The TOFUZI International Film Festival, took place in Batumi, Georgia from November 11–16, 2024. The festival aimed to:
- Promote the exchange of creative experiences between Georgian and foreign artists
- Discover new ideas, styles, and technologies
- Integrate Georgian animation into the global cinema process
- Make animation an attractive culture for children in regions with few cultural events
- Popularize animation films among adults and childrenÂ
Only films made after December 2022 were eligible for selection, and short films should not be longer than 25 minutes.
