The Most Famous

FILM DIRECTORS from Georgia

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This page contains a list of the greatest Georgian Film Directors. The pantheon dataset contains 2,041 Film Directors, 14 of which were born in Georgia. This makes Georgia the birth place of the 22nd most number of Film Directors behind Iran, and Argentina.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Georgian Film Directors of all time. This list of famous Georgian Film Directors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Georgian Film Directors.

Photo of Sergei Parajanov

1. Sergei Parajanov (1924 - 1990)

With an HPI of 72.77, Sergei Parajanov is the most famous Georgian Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 53 different languages on wikipedia.

Sergei Iosifovich Parajanov (January 9, 1924 – July 20, 1990) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter. His films are known for their poetic, non-linear and symbolic nature. Widely considered by filmmakers, film critics and film historians to be one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, he has been described as a "magician", a "master" and a "conjurer of cinematic worlds". Parajanov was born to Armenian parents in Georgia. He studied in Russia at Moscow's Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography under the tutelage of Ukrainian filmmakers Igor Savchenko and Oleksandr Dovzhenko, and began his career as professional film director in 1954. Parajanov became increasingly disenchanted of his films as well as the state sanctioned art style of socialist realism, prominent throughout the Soviet Union. His film Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, his first major work which diverged from socialist realism, and gave him international acclaim. He would later disown and proclaim his films made before 1965 as "garbage." Parajanov subsequently directed The Color of Pomegranates, which was met with widespread acclaim among filmmakers, and is often considered one of the greatest films ever made. Parajanov was said by Soviet authorities to be a closeted bisexual, which exposed him to increased legal scrutiny from Soviet authorities over his personal life, his films, and political involvement surrounding Ukrainian nationalism. Nearly all of his film projects from 1965 to 1973 were banned by the Soviet film administrations, many without discussion.

Photo of Otar Iosseliani

2. Otar Iosseliani (1934 - 2023)

With an HPI of 66.41, Otar Iosseliani is the 2nd most famous Georgian Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Otar Iosseliani (Georgian: ოთარ იოსელიანი otar ioseliani; 2 February 1934 – 17 December 2023) was a Georgian film director, known for movies such as Falling Leaves, Pastorale and Favorites of the Moon. Iosseliani received a lifetime achievement honor – the CineMerit Award at the Munich International Film Festival in 2011 for his career accomplishments.

Photo of Rouben Mamoulian

3. Rouben Mamoulian (1897 - 1987)

With an HPI of 65.56, Rouben Mamoulian is the 3rd most famous Georgian Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 37 different languages.

Rouben Zachary Mamoulian (October 8, 1897 – December 4, 1987) was an Armenian-American film and theater director. Mamoulian's oeuvre includes sixteen films (four of which are musicals) and seventeen Broadway productions, six of which are musicals. He was responsible for the acclaimed original stagings of Oklahoma! (1943) and Carousel (1945), as well as the first production of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess (1935). His output in the early film sound era demonstrated his talent for deploying cinematic innovations that were startling in their day. He restored mobility to the camera, and developed his own signature use of montage, close-ups, split-screens and dissolves. Mamoulian's films garnered more in the way of critical acclaim than box office receipts: only six of his films earned a profit at their initial release: City Streets (1931), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), Love Me Tonight (1932), Queen Christina (1934), The Mark of Zorro (1940) and Blood and Sand (1941).

Photo of Mikhail Kalatozov

4. Mikhail Kalatozov (1903 - 1973)

With an HPI of 65.22, Mikhail Kalatozov is the 4th most famous Georgian Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 35 different languages.

Mikhail Konstantinovich Kalatozov (Georgian: მიხეილ კალატოზიშვილი, Russian: Михаил Константинович Калатозов; 28 December 1903 – 26 March 1973), born Mikheil Kalatozishvili, was a Soviet film director of Georgian origin who contributed to both Georgian and Russian cinema. He is known for his films The Cranes Are Flying and I Am Cuba, winning the Palme d'Or for the former at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival. In 1969, Kalatozov was named a People's Artist of the USSR.

Photo of Tengiz Abuladze

5. Tengiz Abuladze (1924 - 1994)

With an HPI of 64.65, Tengiz Abuladze is the 5th most famous Georgian Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Tengiz Evgenis dze Abuladze (31 January 1924 – 6 March 1994) was a Georgian film director, screenwriter, theatre teacher and People's Artist of the USSR. He is regarded as one of the best Soviet directors.

Photo of Georgiy Daneliya

6. Georgiy Daneliya (1930 - 2019)

With an HPI of 63.23, Georgiy Daneliya is the 6th most famous Georgian Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 47 different languages.

Georgiy Nikolozis dze Daneliya (25 August 1930 – 4 April 2019) was a Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1989 and a laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation in 1997.

Photo of Nana Jorjadze

7. Nana Jorjadze (b. 1948)

With an HPI of 58.91, Nana Jorjadze is the 7th most famous Georgian Film Director.  Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Nana Jorjadze (Georgian: ნანა ჯორჯაძე; born 24 August 1948) is a Georgian film director, screenwriter and actress. Her work has received several accolades, including an Academy Award nomination. Jorjadze was born in Tbilisi, and graduated first from a local musical school (1966), and then from the architectural department at the Tbilisi State Academy of Fine Arts in 1972.She worked as an architect in the years 1968 to 1974. She later enrolled in the Tbilisi State Theatre Institute which she completed in 1980. She debuted as an actress with the film Some Interviews on Personal Matters in 1977; and as a director with A Journey to Sopot in 1979. Her 1987 work Robinsonada or My English Grandfather was a breakthrough that won her the Caméra d'Or at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival, and both critical and popular acclaim. She moved to France early in the 1990s and directed several films including A Chef in Love (1996) which became the first, and so far the only, Georgian film to be nominated for an Academy Award. She is married to fellow Georgian writer and director Irakli Kvirikadze, who previously went by the name Irakli Mikhailovich Kvirikadze.

Photo of Kote Marjanishvili

8. Kote Marjanishvili (1872 - 1933)

With an HPI of 56.91, Kote Marjanishvili is the 8th most famous Georgian Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Konstantine "Kote" Marjanishvili (Georgian: კონსტანტინე (კოტე) მარჯანიშვილი), also known by the Russified name Konstantin Aleksandrovich Mardzhanov (Russian: Константи́н Алекса́ндрович Марджанов) (May 28, 1872 – April 17, 1933), was a Georgian theater director regarded as an important contributor to the pre- and post-revolutionary evolution of Georgian, Russian and Soviet stages. One of the most prestigious and professional of Georgia’s directors, he was particularly famous for his lavish and massive theater shows.

Photo of Marlen Khutsiev

9. Marlen Khutsiev (1925 - 2019)

With an HPI of 56.56, Marlen Khutsiev is the 9th most famous Georgian Film Director.  Her biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Marlen Martynovich Khutsiev (4 October 1925 – 19 March 2019) was a Georgian-born Soviet and Russian filmmaker best known for his cult films from the 1960s, which include I Am Twenty and July Rain. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1986.

Photo of Revaz Chkheidze

10. Revaz Chkheidze (1926 - 2015)

With an HPI of 56.22, Revaz Chkheidze is the 10th most famous Georgian Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Revaz "Rezo" Chkheidze (Georgian: რევაზ "რეზო" ჩხეიძე; 8 December 1926 – 3 May 2015) was a Georgian film director, People's Artist of the USSR, best known for his Soviet-era drama films, including his 1964 World War II-themed Father of a Soldier.

People

Pantheon has 14 people classified as Georgian film directors born between 1872 and 1965. Of these 14, 2 (14.29%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Georgian film directors include Nana Jorjadze, and Eldar Shengelaia. The most famous deceased Georgian film directors include Sergei Parajanov, Otar Iosseliani, and Rouben Mamoulian. As of April 2024, 14 new Georgian film directors have been added to Pantheon including Sergei Parajanov, Otar Iosseliani, and Rouben Mamoulian.

Living Georgian Film Directors

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Deceased Georgian Film Directors

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Newly Added Georgian Film Directors (2024)

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Overlapping Lives

Which Film Directors were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 12 most globally memorable Film Directors since 1700.