On 12th of December, Georgian society said its final goodbyes to the country’s most prominent and Internationally recognized film director and script writer Zaza Urushadze who unfortunately passed away on the 7th of December, at the age of 53. Zaza’s untimely death is an immense loss for us all, but also for the Georgian film industry and culture.

Zaza was born on 30th of October 1966 in Tbilisi; in 1987, he graduated from Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgia State Institute. In addition to his directing work, he also oversaw the Georgian National Cinema Center between 2002 and 2004, and until recently headed the Georgian Film Academy. Zaza Urushadzes’s 2013 film Tangerines was nominated for the best foreign language film in 2015 Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards and it won countless prominent film awards across the globe. In the same year he became an official member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Zaza was the main producer of the following films:

“Mattvis vints mamam miatova” (1989) (“For those who were abandoned by their fathers”);

“Ak Tendeba” (1998) (“The Sun Rises Here”);

TV Series: “Tskheli Dzaghli” (2003-2009) (“Hot Dog”);

“Sami Sakhli” (2008) (“Three Houses”);

“Darchi Chemtan” (2011) (“Stay with Me”);

“Bolo Gaseirneba” (2012) (“The Final Walk”);

“Mandarinebi” (2013) (“Tangerines”);

“ Aghsareba” (2017) (“Confession”);

“Antoni” (2019).

Georgian Film Academy Members express their deepest condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and keeping his words close to heart: “Most importantly, we must always remember – to remain human” – Zaza Urushadze.