Acclaimed Georgian Director Eldar Shengelaia dies Aged 92

An acclaimed Georgian film director Eldar Shengelaia has died at the age of 92, the Nato Vachnadze Foundation confirmed on Monday.

Born on 26 January 1933 in Tbilisi into a cinematic family - his father was director Nikoloz Shengelaia and his mother renowned actress Nato Vachnadze - he studied at Moscow’s All‑Union State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK), graduating in 1958, before working at Mosfilm (1957–59) and joining Gruziya‑film in Tbilisi from 1960.

Shengelaia made his directorial debut in 1963, co‑directing White Caravan with Tamaz Meliava, a film depicting the hardships of shepherd life. Among his most celebrated works are:

Legend of the Ice Heart (1957)

A Snow Fairy Tale (1959)

White Caravan (1963)

Mikela (1964)

An Extraordinary Exhibition (1968)

The Eccentrics (1973)

Samanishvili’s Stepmother (1977)

Blue Mountains, or Unbelievable Story (1984)

Express Information (1993)

Dog Rose (1996)

The Chair (2017)

Well (2020) 

His satirical and allegorical films - particularly An Extraordinary Exhibition and Blue Mountains - are widely regarded as incisive critiques of Soviet bureaucracy and society. Blue Mountains won an All‑Union Film Festival Prize in 1984 and the USSR State Prize in 1985.

In addition to his artistic achievements, Shengelaia pursued a political career. He served in the Georgian SSR Supreme Soviet and later represented Georgia in the USSR Congress of People’s Deputies. A key figure in Georgia’s pro‑independence movement, he was a signatory to Georgia’s 1991 Act of Independence. Between 1990 and 2004, he held several senior parliamentary roles, including vice‑speaker. In 2008, he chaired the State Council of Heraldry in the Georgian Parliament. 

His honours include:

People’s Artist of Georgia (1979) and People’s Artist of the USSR (1988)

USSR State Prize (1985), Shota Rustaveli State Prize (1998)
Orders such as the Red Banner of Labour, Lenin Comsomol prize, St. George’s Order of Victory (2009) and Golden St. George’s Order (2013)

Title of Honorary Citizen of Tbilisi (2022)