Otar Iosseliani, a Georgian filmmaker, passed away at the age of 89. His associate, the photographer Yuri Rost, informed us of his passing via Telegram: “We are in sorrow. “The great film director, an extraordinary individual, and my very close friend Otar Iosseliani have passed away.”
Born in the Soviet Union but having spent the majority of his life in France, Iosseliani was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the 1984 Venice Film Festival. “Falling Leaves” (also translated as “When Leaves Fall”), his inaugural feature-length film, debuted in 1966 and garnered two prestigious honors during the Cannes Film Festival.
In 2010, Otar Iosseliani made his festival return with the film “Chantrapas,” which chronicled his formative years in the Republic of Georgia.
The film’s title is derived from a French expression that was historically employed in Russia to denote individuals who opposed the Soviet regime.
Otar Iosseliani stated of the film to the New York Times,
“It is about pleasure. And how to resist corruption while remaining loyal to oneself.”
1934 saw the birth of the director in Tblisi, Georgia. He attended the Tblisi Conservatory as a young adult to study music until 1953 when he transferred to the University of Moscow to specialize in mathematics. He subsequently enrolled at the VGIK film school.
In 1982, Otar Iosseliani emigrated from the Soviet Union to France. Beyond the critically acclaimed films “Falling Leaves” and “Favourites of the Moon,” his filmography also included “There Was a Singing Thrush” and “Pastoral.”
According to a previous article by journalist Mikhail Lemkhin, Iosseliani believed that the eradication of traditional ways of living constituted the extinction of culture. In 1991, he examined this subject in the film “Chasing Butterflies.” The filming took place in Senegal, a decision that Iosseliani expressed was highly deliberate.
He directed the military film “Chant d’hiver” (“Winter Song”) in 2015. The film depicts France after the French Revolution and presumably the Russia-Georgia War of 2008.
Otar Iosseliani stated in an interview with Film Comment regarding the film,
“War is always pointless; it does not bring about any change. “War between neighboring states, political parties, and nations, as well as war for the conquest of new territories—it serves no purpose.”
Regarding the production of war films, Iosselani further stated,
“We have discovered a way to amuse ourselves with all the bizarre and absurd events that have transpired on earth, and in the short time we have left on this planet, we never cease doing such foolish and ridiculous things.”
The director expressed profound reflection on the artistic process, confiding in the media outlet that although one may continue to produce the same film over time, that film transforms.
Otar Iosseliani continued,
“We are like the bridge composed of everything we have absorbed in the past.” “Where we have come from, everything that has been done and assimilated has shaped us. Our purpose as intermediaries is to transmit the knowledge and perspectives that we have gained, while also incorporating our own interpretation.
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