![“I remember what [Otar] said in what I believe was his last interview: ‘Filmmaking is a way to let an unknown friend kno...](https://img3.medioq.com/243/041/1596964772430416.jpg)
03/30/2026
“I remember what [Otar] said in what I believe was his last interview: ‘Filmmaking is a way to let an unknown friend know that he is not alone.’ There’s no better inspiration for me to make more films.” -
We’re delighted to announce our acquisition of new 4K restorations of films by the great Georgian filmmaker Otar Iosseliani. Stay tuned for theatrical release announcements.
Described as “the true heir to Renoir, Tati, and Buñuel,” Iosseliani was a devout anti-confirmist whose lyrical, anarchic comedies are closer to musical composition than conventional narrative cinema. Employing long takes with minimal cuts and allowing his subjects to overlap and intertwine, his films are propelled by behavior, milieu, and witty observations of the everyday. In the words of critic Bernard Eisenschitz, Iosseliani cultivated the feeling that “every moment should be lived as an adventure.” Iosseliani achieved his breakthrough with Falling Leaves, a landmark of the new Georgian cinema, which won the FIPRESCI prize at Cannes Critics Week in 1967. His follow-up features—Once Upon a Time There Was a Singing Blackbird (1970) and Pastorale (1979)—solidified his status as “a watercolorist of everyday life” (Raphaël Bassan).
