Press conference for Chantrapas by Otar Iosseliani

Otar Iosseliani, whose latest film Chantrapas was presented Out of Competition today, answered journalists’ questions. He was accompanied by his producer for the past 18 years, Martine Marignac, and the film’s young actor Dato Tarielashvili. Here are some extracts.

On Chantrapas

I wanted to make a film about someone who was stubborn in his profession. I was thinking about a scholar or a dentist, but my producer Martine Marignac convinced me to choose a filmmaker. But it has nothing to do with my professional experience. My films were banned, but it didn’t hurt me.

On the world today

We thought everything would get better after Bolshevism. But unbridled capitalism came: disgusting, dirty, revolting. As soon as this wild beast appeared, there was nothing that we could do.

 I start to get very worried when the word “democracy” is pronounced often. I start to get very worried when the majority wins. I’m very worried to see the number of cretins on this planet increase.

On the difficulty of making “alternative films”

Martine Marignac: If I were to quote Malraux, I would say there has always been a pendulum swaying between art and Industry, but today Industry has beaten art. For Chantrapas, if there hadn’t been private funding from several Russian sponsors, we wouldn’t have been able to make the film, and that would have been a first in 20 years. We made this film thanks to Otar’s reputation and some friends, against the odds in the European market.