The script penned by Dato Kiknavelidze and Lali Kiknavelidze revolves around a grumpy, reclusive toad, which has to protect its little pond and many inhabitants from landscape developers.
Dato Kiknavelidze, who is producing together with Lali Kiknavelidze through Lira Production Studios (a company he founded in 2008), told FNE that he is looking for international coproducers and distributors: “There is already a huge international interest in Geno and we are currently in negotiations with possible coproducers and sales agents from Germany, France and Eastern Europe.”
“No one believed that after nine years we will be able to start production on the first Georgian full length animation film. But after incredibly hard work and with the support of a very talented team of artists, we can say with certainty that now we are able and ready to produce high quality animation films in Georgia. There is already very big local and international interest in Geno and we hope that kids around the world will love Geno and his friends”, Kiknavelidze told FNE.
The 13 minutes short pilot of the film was supported by the Georgian National Film Center and won the Robert Bosch Co-Production Film Prize.
The budget is 3.2 m EUR, of which 20% is already in place. Production is set to start in autumn 2017 and hopefully the film will be finished in summer 2020. Dato Kiknavelidze is also one of the animators, together with David Sakhvadze and Marlen Peikrishvili. The premiere is estimated for September 2020.
“We firmly believe that in spite of the fact that until very recently, neither cinema society, nor the government was interested, Georgian animations have a bright future,” Zurab Maghalashvili, Director of the Georgian National Film Center, told GEORGIA TODAY.
Production Information:
Lira Productions
www.liraproductionstudios.com
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Credits:
Director: Dato Kiknavelidze
Scriptwriters: Dato Kiknavelidze, Lali Kiknavelidze
Animators: Dato Kiknavelidze, David Sakhvadze, Marlen Peikrishvili
