Otar Iosseliani

Otar Iosseliani (Georgian ოთარ იოსელიანი; born February 2, 1934 in Tbilisi, Georgia ) is a Georgian- French film director. He was repeatedly censured for its socially critical films in the Soviet Union and emigrated to France in 1982.

Life

Iosseliani studied at the State Conservatory in Tbilisi Music, received in 1952 a diploma in composition, conducting and piano. In 1953 he went to Moscow, spent two years studying mathematics, then moved to the State Film Institute ( WGIK ), studied with the directors Alexander Dovzhenko and Mikhail Chiaureli and graduated in 1961 with a Director diploma.

While still a student he began to Grusia film studios in Tbilisi to work, first as assistant, then as an editor for documentaries. In 1958 his first short film Akvarel. His first long film Aprili (Eng. April ), which argues against consumerism and for the simple life, was banned due to excessive formalism. Iosseliani turned away from the film industry and worked 1963-1965 as a sailor and in the metal work of Rustavi. Aprili was not published until 1972.

Iosseliani's first feature film The wine harvest, a satire on Wine fraud in Georgia, was created in 1966 and won the FIPRESCI prize at the Cannes Film Festival. His film faced a summer village (Georgian Pastorali ), the intellectuals and peasants in rural Georgia, disappeared after the completion in 1976 for several years in the archive, because he was very edifying. Later he was released only in limited distribution. Iosseliani felt again his artistic freedom deprived. After the success of the summer village at the Berlin Film Festival in 1982, he left the Soviet Union and emigrated to France.

In 1984 he turned there minions of the moon, which won the Grand Prize at the Venice Film Festival in the same year and was an international success. In the following years, two more Grand Prix of Venice Iosseliani went for his films and there was light (1989 ) and brigands (1996). Hunting butterflies received the 1992 Grand Prize of the Berlin Academy of Arts, Monday morning the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival 2002.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union Iosseliani has remained in France, where he lives in Paris. He returned, however, for the film Brigands and the three-part television documentary Seule, Géorgie ( dt alone, Georgia) in his homeland.