Eldar Shengelaya
Encyclopedia
Eldar Shengelaya is a Georgian
and Soviet
film director
and screenwriter
who directed ten films between 1957
and 1996
. From 1990 to 2004, he was member of the Parliament of Georgia
. He has been awarded the titles of the People's Artist
of Georgia (1979) and of the Soviet Union (1988). He has been a chairman of the Film-makers' Union of Georgia since 1976.
, the capital of then-Soviet Georgia into the family of the film director Nikoloz Shengelaya and actress Nato Vachnadze
. His brother, Giorgi Shengelaya is also a film director.
He graduated from the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography
in Moscow
in 1958 and then worked for the Mosfilm
studio
. In 1960, he became a director at the Tbilisi-based Gruziya-film
studio. In 1969, Shengelaya gained an nationwide acclaim with the satyrical tragicomedy
Arachveulebrivi gamopena ("An Unusual Exhibition") socio-political allusions of which caused discontent in the official Soviet cinema establishment. Since then, Shengelaya has retained a reputation of a highly individual filmmaker.
Shengelaya produced another high-profile tragicomedy about inept bureaucracy Tsisperi mtebi anu daujerebeli ambavi ("Blue Mountains, or Unbelievable Story"), one of the best achievements in the Soviet "social fiction" genre. It won the All-Union Film Festival
Prize in 1984 and the USSR State Prize
in 1985. After a major success in the 1980s, Eldar Shengelaya distanced himself from the cinema and became involved in the Georgian independence movement which gained a momentum in 1989. In the 1990s, Shengelaya briefly returned to the cinema and produced two films which were positively received by critics but did not attract a broader public attention.
In 1992, he was a member of the jury at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival
.
member, was elected to the Georgian SSR Supreme Soviet and, from 1989 to 1991, to the Congress of the People’s Deputies of the USSR
. He was a member of the Sobchak commission
, investigating into the Soviet military crackdown on pro-independence rally in Tbilisi, for which he produced a resonant documentary film. In July 1989, Shengelaya became a founding member of the People’s Front of Georgia, a pro-independence party, and emerged as a leader of its moderate wing. In October 1990, he was elected to the Supreme Council of Georgia
in the first multi-party elections in Soviet Georgia and was a signatory to the Act of Independence of Georgia in April 1991. Afterwards, he was in opposition to the Zviad Gamsakhurdia
government following whose overthrow in a military coup in January 1992, Shengelaya joined the Eduard Shevardnadze
-led State Council of Georgia. In 1992, he became a member of parliament where he held a post of vice-speaker since 1995. He allied, in May 1993, with the pro-Shevardnadze civil movement Unity and Prosperity founded by several high-profile intellectuals.
In 1994, Shengelaya became a founding member of the Union of Citizens of Georgia
chaired by Shevardnadze and joined its "reformist" faction led by Zurab Zhvania
whom he joined in opposition to Shevardnadze in 2002. In response, Shevradnadze’s loyal members of parliament tried, unsuccessfully, to have Shengelaya removed from the vice-speaker’s position in May 2002. In 2003, he supported the Rose Revolution
which ousted Shevardnadze and was reelected to the Parliament of Georgia in 2004 on the National Movement-Democrats alliance ticket. Later that year, he retired from active politics. In 2008, he was appointed a chairman of the State Council of Heraldry
.
On April 12, 2009, Shengelaya was awarded St. George's Order — the highest civic award of Georgia — for "having participating in the investigation of and having shown to the world the truth" about April 9 1989 events in Tbilisi.
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
and Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
who directed ten films between 1957
1957 in film
The year 1957 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue-Awards:...
and 1996
1996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
. From 1990 to 2004, he was member of the Parliament of Georgia
Parliament of Georgia
Parliament of Georgia is the supreme legislature of Georgia. It is unicameral and has 150 members, known as deputies, from which 75 members are proportional representatives and 75 are elected through single-member district plurality system, representing their constituencies...
. He has been awarded the titles of the People's Artist
People's Artist of the USSR
People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to citizens of the Soviet Union.- Nomenclature and significance :...
of Georgia (1979) and of the Soviet Union (1988). He has been a chairman of the Film-makers' Union of Georgia since 1976.
Cinema career
Eldar Shengelaya was born in TbilisiTbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, the capital of then-Soviet Georgia into the family of the film director Nikoloz Shengelaya and actress Nato Vachnadze
Nato Vachnadze
Nato Vachnadze , born Nato Andronikashvili , was a GeorgianUSSR/Soviet film actress. She started her career in the silent film era, usually playing the screen character of an Ingénue, an innocent and passionate young woman. She continued to work as an actress during the sound era until her death...
. His brother, Giorgi Shengelaya is also a film director.
He graduated from the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography
Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography
The Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography All-Russian State University of Cinematography named after S. A. Gerasimov), VGIK for short, is a film school in Moscow, Russia.-History:...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in 1958 and then worked for the Mosfilm
Mosfilm
Mosfilm is a film studio, which is often described as the largest and oldest in Russia and in Europe. Its output includes most of the more widely-acclaimed Soviet films, ranging from works by Tarkovsky and Eisenstein , to Red Westerns, to the Akira Kurosawa co-production and the epic Война и Мир...
studio
Movie studio
A movie studio is a term used to describe a major entertainment company or production company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to film movies...
. In 1960, he became a director at the Tbilisi-based Gruziya-film
Gruziya-film
Kartuli Pilmi was a Soviet film studio in Tbilisi in the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. Kartuli Pilmi was founded in 1921 as a film section of the Commissariat of Education. In 1923 the film section was reorganized into a trust under the name Georgian State Film Industry...
studio. In 1969, Shengelaya gained an nationwide acclaim with the satyrical tragicomedy
Tragicomedy
Tragicomedy is fictional work that blends aspects of the genres of tragedy and comedy. In English literature, from Shakespeare's time to the nineteenth century, tragicomedy referred to a serious play with either a happy ending or enough jokes throughout the play to lighten the mood.-Classical...
Arachveulebrivi gamopena ("An Unusual Exhibition") socio-political allusions of which caused discontent in the official Soviet cinema establishment. Since then, Shengelaya has retained a reputation of a highly individual filmmaker.
Shengelaya produced another high-profile tragicomedy about inept bureaucracy Tsisperi mtebi anu daujerebeli ambavi ("Blue Mountains, or Unbelievable Story"), one of the best achievements in the Soviet "social fiction" genre. It won the All-Union Film Festival
All-Union Film Festival
The All-Union Film Festival was one of the most important film festivals of the Soviet Union. It was founded in 1958 and held regularly from 1964-1988. It was held annually from 1972 onwards, and bi-annually before that...
Prize in 1984 and the USSR State Prize
USSR State Prize
The USSR State Prize was the Soviet Union's state honour. It was established on September 9, 1966. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the prize was followed up by the State Prize of the Russian Federation....
in 1985. After a major success in the 1980s, Eldar Shengelaya distanced himself from the cinema and became involved in the Georgian independence movement which gained a momentum in 1989. In the 1990s, Shengelaya briefly returned to the cinema and produced two films which were positively received by critics but did not attract a broader public attention.
In 1992, he was a member of the jury at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival
42nd Berlin International Film Festival
The 42nd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 13 to 24, 1992.-Jury:* Annie Girardot * Charles Champlin* Sylvia Chang* Ildikó Enyedi* Irving N...
.
Political career
From 1980 to 1985 and from 1989 to 1990, Shengelaya, then a Communist partyCommunist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
member, was elected to the Georgian SSR Supreme Soviet and, from 1989 to 1991, to the Congress of the People’s Deputies of the USSR
Congress of Soviets
The Congress of Soviets was the supreme governing body of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and several other Soviet republics from 1917–36 and again from 1989-91. After the creation of the Soviet Union, the Congress of Soviets of the Soviet Union functioned as its legislative branch...
. He was a member of the Sobchak commission
Anatoly Sobchak
Anatoly Alexandrovich Sobchak was a Russian politician, a co-author of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the first democratically elected mayor of Saint Petersburg, and a mentor and teacher of both Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev....
, investigating into the Soviet military crackdown on pro-independence rally in Tbilisi, for which he produced a resonant documentary film. In July 1989, Shengelaya became a founding member of the People’s Front of Georgia, a pro-independence party, and emerged as a leader of its moderate wing. In October 1990, he was elected to the Supreme Council of Georgia
Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia
The Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia was the highest unicameral legislative body in Georgia elected in the first democratic, multiparty elections in the Caucasus in October 1990 while the country was still part of the Soviet Union. The Council presided over the declaration of Georgia’s...
in the first multi-party elections in Soviet Georgia and was a signatory to the Act of Independence of Georgia in April 1991. Afterwards, he was in opposition to the Zviad Gamsakhurdia
Zviad Gamsakhurdia
Zviad Gamsakhurdia was a dissident, scientist and writer, who became the first democratically elected President of the Republic of Georgia in the post-Soviet era...
government following whose overthrow in a military coup in January 1992, Shengelaya joined the Eduard Shevardnadze
Eduard Shevardnadze
Eduard Shevardnadze is a former Soviet, and later, Georgian statesman from the height to the end of the Cold War. He served as President of Georgia from 1995 to 2003, and as First Secretary of the Georgian Communist Party , from 1972 to 1985. Shevardnadze was responsible for many top decisions on...
-led State Council of Georgia. In 1992, he became a member of parliament where he held a post of vice-speaker since 1995. He allied, in May 1993, with the pro-Shevardnadze civil movement Unity and Prosperity founded by several high-profile intellectuals.
In 1994, Shengelaya became a founding member of the Union of Citizens of Georgia
Union of Citizens of Georgia
The Union of Citizens of Georgia is a centre-left political party established by Eduard Shevardnadze, President of Georgia between 1992-2003 and David Chantladze, former General Trade Representative of Soviet Union to Czechoslovakia...
chaired by Shevardnadze and joined its "reformist" faction led by Zurab Zhvania
Zurab Zhvania
Zurab Zhvania was a prominent Georgian politician, having served as Prime Minister of Georgia and Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia as well as Minister without Portfolio. Zhvania assumed premiership on 18 February 2004 and remained on the position until his death on 3 February 2005...
whom he joined in opposition to Shevardnadze in 2002. In response, Shevradnadze’s loyal members of parliament tried, unsuccessfully, to have Shengelaya removed from the vice-speaker’s position in May 2002. In 2003, he supported the Rose Revolution
Rose Revolution
The "Revolution of Roses" was a change of power in Georgia in November 2003, which took place after having widespread protests over the disputed parliamentary elections...
which ousted Shevardnadze and was reelected to the Parliament of Georgia in 2004 on the National Movement-Democrats alliance ticket. Later that year, he retired from active politics. In 2008, he was appointed a chairman of the State Council of Heraldry
State Council of Heraldry (Georgia)
The State Council of Heraldry is a heraldic authority in Georgia, established at the Parliament of Georgia on February 29, 2008. Located in Tbilisi, the council advises the government of Georgia on all matters related to heraldry. The council is headed by a chairman who is appointed by the...
.
On April 12, 2009, Shengelaya was awarded St. George's Order — the highest civic award of Georgia — for "having participating in the investigation of and having shown to the world the truth" about April 9 1989 events in Tbilisi.
Filmography
- Dog Rose (1996)
- Expres-Inpormatsia (1993)
- Tsisperi mtebi anu daujerebeli ambavi (1983)
- Samanishvilis dedinatsvali (1977)
- Sherekilebi (1973)
- Arachveulebrivi gamopena (1968)
- Miqela (1965)
- Tetri karavaniThe White CaravanThe White Caravan is a 1963 Soviet black-and-white drama directed by Tamaz Meliava and Eldar Shengelaya. It was entered into the 1964 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Imedo Kakhiani - Gela* Ariadna Shengelaya - Maria* Giorgi Kikadze - Vajia...
(1963) - Snezhnaya skazka (1959)
- Legenda o ledyanom serdtse (1957)