2026 : Mariam Kandelaki

Alexis asked me to say a few words about the recipient of this Bendazzi Award. And of course, I will remain absolutely objective, since I have no particular attachment to this person who allowed me to finally discover Georgia (where I now go twice a year), who introduced me to the immense pleasure of mentoring pitch workshops and supporting projects, who led me to meet Ana Chubinidze — someone who has become incredibly precious in my life, both professionally, as a producer, and personally, as a friend. Nor do I feel in any way affected by the fact that, over the past decade, we have watched Georgian animation grow and find its place in the world. No, no, I owe nothing to this person, and I will, of course, remain entirely objective.
That being said:
The recipient — a woman — is a producer, for instance of
Pocket Man, the first French–Georgian animated co‑production, and
The Abandoned Village (which, if I’m not mistaken, has been awarded here twice). She is also a director, notably of
The Youth and the Leopard. And when I first met her, more than ten years ago, she was running the wonderful Nikozi Festival. Since then, she has never stopped working to develop animation in Georgia: she created a workshop to support the growth of animation talent — a workshop that went on to inspire other countries and that now includes the entire Black Sea region. She also founded the Animation Conference in Tbilisi, bringing animation professionals (including Alexis) to her country. And at the same time, she created Saqanima, the Georgian Animation Association, to bring together — not without difficulty — the local animation community.
Throughout all these years, she has fought tirelessly in Georgia (which is not always easy), and on the international stage as well (CEE Animation, European Animation Awards), to develop this art form, to ensure it is recognized and celebrated.
For more than ten years, I have had the honor of accompanying her on part of this journey, and I can tell you that she has fought without ever slowing down — with energy, determination, and intelligence. The results speak for themselves. Her work is remarkable. She unquestionably deserves the Giannalberto Bendazzi Award for everything she has accomplished.

Olivier Catherin