Mariam Kandelaki

Mariam Kandelaki is a Georgian animation director, producer and cultural organiser with more than three decades of experience in animation and audiovisual storytelling. She founded the Georgian Animators Association SAQANIMA, the ANIMA Tbilisi International Animation Conference and an animation project development workshop created with the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, and she organises the Nikozi International Animation Film Festival. She is a board member of CEE Animation and the Emile European Animation Awards, a member of the European Film Academy, and has served on the juries of festivals including Ottawa, Animest, Anifilm and Tallinn Black Nights. In 2026 she received the Giannalberto Bendazzi Award at the Paris International Animation Film Festival for her contribution to animation culture and industry development.