Otar Iosseliani, Georgia’s Unorthodox Poet of the Sublime

Otar Iosseliani is one of Georgia’s most admired filmmakers who died two months before his 90th birthday in December 2023. This season of four films features two of Iosseliani’s great early films made in Georgia under the Soviets. His unconventional storytelling, anarchic style and underlying anti-authoritarianism did not suit the Soviet authorities and by 1982 Iosseliani had moved to Paris.

The other two films are from his French period. His self-described “abstract comedies” explore human absurdity, observing behaviour rather than following a cohesive narrative. He didn’t like ‘intrusive’ close-ups and his unique shooting style with complex movement of people, animals and objects led Ronald Bergan, writing in the Guardian, to describe him as the “true heir to Renoir, Tati and Buñuel”

Life Through Cinema and Ciné Lumière are delighted to present this tribute to an “auteur extraordinaire” of world cinema. All the films have been restored under Iosseliani’s supervision and we would like to thank his grandson Niko Tarielashvili for helping make this season possible.

“Everything that happens in my films has to do with people’s weakness for possession, and this leads to real values such as feelings disappearing” – Otar Iosseliani