Zaza Urushadze facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Zaza Urushadze
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Zaza Urushadze in 2014
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| Born | 30 October 1965 |
| Died | 7 December 2019 (aged 54) |
| Nationality | Georgian |
| Years active | 1989–2019 |
| Known for | Tangerines (2013) |
Zaza Urushadze (Georgian: ზაზა ურუშაძე; 30 October 1965 — 7 December 2019) was a talented Georgian film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was known for creating powerful and meaningful movies.
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About Zaza Urushadze
Zaza Urushadze was born on October 30, 1965, in Tbilisi, Georgia. His father, Ramaz Urushadze, was a famous football goalkeeper in the Soviet Union.
Zaza studied directing at the Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgian State University from 1982 to 1988. Later, from 2002 to 2004, he was in charge of the Georgian National Film Centre.
Early Films and TV Shows
Zaza's first full-length movie was Here Comes the Dawn (1998). It was very successful and shown at many international film festivals. Georgia even submitted it for the 72nd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.
From 2003 to 2006, Zaza Urushadze directed a TV series called Hot Dog. The show became very popular. However, the fourth season was stopped by the Georgian government. This happened because the show talked about sensitive topics related to politics. After this, Zaza left his job to start working on a new movie.
His second full-length film, Three Houses, was finished in 2008. It was also shown at international film festivals, including the Montreal World Film Festival. In 2009, this film opened a special Georgian Filmweek in Tallinn, Estonia. During this event, Zaza got the idea for his most famous film, Tangerines.
The Movie Tangerines
Tangerines was a special movie because it was the first film made together by Estonia and Georgia. It was completed in 2013. This movie became one of the most successful and praised films in Georgian history.
The story of Tangerines takes place during a war in Georgia in the 1990s. In the Apkhazeti region, an Estonian man named Ivo has stayed behind to pick his tangerine crops. When a wounded soldier is left at his door, Ivo has to take him in.
Over three years, Tangerines won many awards at different festivals around the world. These awards included:
- The Satellite Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
- An Audience Award for best film at the Warsaw International Film Festival.
- Special prizes and Audience Prizes at the International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg in 2013.
- It was named the best film with the best script at the Fajr International Film Festival.
- At the Bari International Film Festival, it was recognized as one of the best films of 2014.
- At the International Film Festival in Tallinn, Tangerines was named the Best Estonian Film.
The film also received the Estonian Film Critics' Award for Best Film in 2013. It also got an Estonian State Award for helping to promote Estonia. The Estonian Ministry of Culture also called Mandarinebi (the Georgian name for Tangerines) the best film.
Tangerines was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards. It was one of the five films nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards.
Later Work: The Confession
In 2016, Zaza Urushadze started working on his next film, The Confession. This movie was made with Ivo Felt from Estonia and Zaza's own company, Cinema24.
The Confession tells the story of a film director who becomes a priest. His quiet life in a small mountain village changes when he meets a music teacher who has a secret. Zaza said that this film would be "lighter and maybe even more sensitive" than Tangerines. Filming took place in Kakheti, Georgia, and the movie premiered in early 2017.
Zaza Urushadze sadly passed away from a heart attack on December 7, 2019.
Filmography
Zaza Urushadze worked on many films and TV shows. Here is a list of his main works:
| Year | Film | Director | Producer | Writer | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Mattvis vints mamam miatova | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film |
| 1998 | Here Comes the Dawn | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2003-2006 | Hot Dog | Yes | TV series | ||
| 2008 | Three Houses | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2011 | Stay with Me | Yes | |||
| 2012 | The Guardian | Yes | Third film of Karabakh Trilogy | ||
| 2013 | Tangerines | Yes | Yes | Yes | Nominated - Best Foreign Language Film in Academy Awards |
| 2017 | The Confession | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2019 | Anton, his friend and the Russian revolution | Yes | Yes | post-production |
Awards and Recognition
Zaza Urushadze received several awards for his film Tangerines:
- He won the Best Director Award in the International Competition at the 29th Warsaw Film Festival.
- He also received the Audience Poll at the 29th Warsaw Film Festival.
- The film won the Special Award of Mannheim-Heidelberg.
- It also won the Audience Award at the International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg in 2013.
