Georgia: The Georgian Ministry of Culture and Sports honors Leo Esakia’s bright memory and his great contribution to Georgian culture on 27 February 2024, Tuesday. 125 years have passed since the birth of Leo Esakia who was a famous Georgian filmmaker.
Leo Esakia was born on 27 February 1890 in Kutaisi, Russian Empire [now Georgia]. Leo was a director and writer, known for Prtosani Mgebavi (1937), Absalom da Eteri (1967), and Bashi-Achuki (1956). Leo died on 27 June 1969 in Kutaisi, Georgian SSR, USSR [now Georgia].
After the end of World War I Leonard Esakia collaborated with Georgian magazines, publishing poems, critical letters, and reviews. He started working in Georgian cinema as a screenwriter in 1927 the same year the film studio “Khkinmretsvi” was operating.
Leo Esakia started directing in 1929, he came to Georgian cinema with famous filmmakers such as Kote Mikaberidze, Mikheil Chiaureli, Nikoloz Shengelaia, and others.
Leo Esakia belonged to the group “Lefi” (“Lefeli” radicalized the principles of fiction and believed that only chronicles could tell the truth). Innovative films – “Holtze” (1928) and “Americana” (1930) have shown a kind of protest against ethnographic-orientalist cinematography by stylistics based on the synthesis of documentary and fun materials. Strove to prove a realistic artistic method.
In 1932, the first Georgian feature film “Shakiri” was shot. In 1936, the comedy “The Winged Painter” (the first Georgian movie about the life of aviators, 1936), was released, which is notable for its plastic concept of interior (directed by painter Petre Otskheli), and in 1941 the drama “Kalishvili from Gaghmi” was shot.
In 1941-1955 he was Deputy Minister of Cinema of the USSR and General Director of Tbilisi Film Studio.
In 1955 he returned to directing again and brought famous literary works to the screen.
Leo Esakia’s historical genre adventure film “Bashi-Achuki” (according to the story of Akaki Tsereteli, 1956). The film was participated by the co-stars of Georgian actors: Lia Eliava, Otar Koberidze, Dodo Abashidze, Medea Chakhava, Dodo Chichinadze, Kote Daushvili and others.
The music of the film was written by Sulkhan Tsintsadze. “Bashi-Achuki” is one of the most famous and popular Georgian movies since 1956.
His later works were also successful: the Melodrama “Nino” (1959) and “Glakhi’s Naambobi” (according to the story of Ilia Chavchavadze, 1961).
Leo Esakia was also a translator. He has received several state awards. The Screening of Zakaria Paliashvili’s opera “Absalom and Ether” (1966) turned out to be Leo Esakia’s last directorial work.
The renowned director died on June 27, 1969, and was buried in the Pantheon of Didube writers and public activists.
