Acclaimed Georgian film director Zaza Khalvashi dies at 62

Internationally recognised Georgian film director Zaza Khalvashi has passed away at the age of 62.

Khalvashi’s drama fantasy Namme about a girl guardian of a healing spring in a mountainous Georgian village was selected as Georgia's bid for the Academy Awards in 2019.

• ‘Namme’ picked as Georgia’s bid for 2019 Oscars

Reportedly, the Georgian film director, who was born in the Georgian Black Sea town of Batumi on May 17, 1957, died of heart attack.

A cast of Georgian actors tells the story via Khalvashi’s screenplay in the Georgian-Lithuanian co-production:

Khalvashi worked at the state film studio Georgian Film from 1977-2004 and taught film direction at the Batumi Art State Teaching University.

His features include Solomon (2015), Miserere (1996) and There Where I Live (1990).

Sharing its condolences over Khalvashi’s “sudden death” the Georgian National Cinema Centre said he recently finished working on a new film called Rain on Two Sides.