Otar Ioseliani Biography
Otar Ioseliani, a Georgian film director, was born in Tbilisi in 1934. From a young age he showed a great passion for music and science, interests that never abandoned him throughout his life. He studied piano at the Tbilisi Conservatory from 1944 to 1953, after which he enrolled in the faculty of Mathematics at Moscow University. However, he soon interrupted his studies to enroll at the prestigious VGIK, where he studied under the guidance of the well-known filmmaker Alexander P. Dovženko. In 1961, he received a degree in directing from VGIK and made his first medium-length film, entitled "April". Unfortunately, the film was not approved for distribution due to Soviet censorship.
Ioseliani faced numerous problems with Soviet censors during his film career. However, despite the restrictions, he continued to create works in which he refused to follow romantic plots and traditional psychology. His films focus on characters who are observed by the watchful eye of the constantly moving camera and devoid of any narrative fabric. Ioseliani's dry editing breaks the narrative continuity and focuses on the description of the acts and their consequences, leaving the characters' motives in the dark.
Escape, alcohol, human foolishness and ferocity are recurring themes in Ioseliani's films. However, he looks at his characters with affection and respect, keeping his distance so as not to violate their intimacy. Its meticulous construction, based on detailed storyboards, and its deep and very personal sense of ethics, guarantee Ioseliani's affection and respect for the characters. These characters are often played by friends and non-professional actors and are presented in an original and unique way. Ioseliani was strongly influenced in his career by the work of director Boris Barnet, as well as Jacques Tati and Jean Vigo.
In summary, Otar Ioseliani was a director capable of creating works in which the only aspect of the film is phenomenal reality, whose characters are never seen in close-up to preserve their intimacy and whose movements are regulated by detailed storyboards and precise. His films have often dealt with the themes of escape, alcohol, human foolishness and ferocity, and they reflect his profound and very personal sense of ethics.
