Cinema as one of the most important arts allows a talented person to open up in various spheres of creativity. Georgy Shengelaya is known not only as a distinctive actor. He devoted a lot of his time to scripting and directing.
Starting conditions
In the first half of the road, the earthly biography of Georgy Nikolaevich Shengelai took shape according to previously prepared templates. The boy was born on May 11, 1937 in a family of creative intelligentsia. Parents at that time lived in Moscow. Father is a famous Soviet director. Mother is a famous film and theater actress. The child grew up sociable and relaxed. The house was often visited by guests. The feasts could continue well into the night. The future screenwriter listened to the conversations of adults and memorized instructive stories.
Georgy studied well at school. Participated in social events. He wrote poetry and notes for the student wall newspaper. When the age came, he joined the Komsomol. After school he entered the directing department of the famous VGIK. In 1961 he received a specialized education and left for Tbilisi to work at the Georgia-Film studio. From the first weeks Shengelaya joined the production process. He was preparing to start filming his debut film. At the same time, he agreed to lead a director's workshop at the local theater and cinema institute.
Professional activity
George, by virtue of his character, was an addicted person. He did not like empty pastime. From under his pen came out ten scripts. The films "Melodies of the Veria Quarter", "He Didn't Want to Kill", and "Pirosmani" received all-Union fame. For the film about the fate of the legendary Georgian artist Niko Pirosmani, the director received the Golden Hugo prize of the international festival in Chicago. Shengelaya starred in five films at the Georgian Film Studio. Not all of them were successful with the audience. In the film Our Yard, the young actor met his future wife, Sofiko Chiaureli.
The creative career of the director and screenwriter was quite successful. Georgy Nikolaevich in his paintings tried to find those points of contact between people growing bread and representatives of the intelligentsia. The first attempt was the film The Journey of a Young Composer. The picture received positive reviews from critics, but did not become popular with viewers. The next project, which took a lot of time and effort, was called The Death of Orpheus. The film was a success in Russia.
Recognition and privacy
For his great contribution to the development of interethnic relations, Shengelaya was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor. In 1986 he won the director's nomination at the Berlin Film Festival.
The personal life of Georgy Nikolaevich developed dramatically. During his student years, he married a young actress Sofiko Chiaureli. The husband and wife raised two sons. However, in 1985, the wife left for another. Shengelaya was very upset about parting.
