Tengiz Abuladze was born on January 31, 1925 in Kutaisi. In 1943-1946, he studied at Shota Rustaveli Theatrical Institute where he studied theatre directing. In 1953, he graduated from Moscow State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK), where he studied filmmaking under Sergei Iutkevich. He made several documentaries and films together with a filmmaker Rezo Chkheidze, “Chveni sasakhle” (Our Palace, 1953), “Qartuli tsekvis sakhelmtsipo ansambli” (State Dance Ensemble of George, now Georgian National Ballet, 1954) and “Magdanas Lurja” (Magdana’s Lurja). The latter earned Special Distinction at Cannes Festival (1956) and Grand Prize of Edinburgh Film Festival. In 1958, he completed the film, which he made independently “skhvisi shvilebi (Other People's Children) which won prizes at the following international film festivals: London and Tashkent (1958), Helsinki (1959) and some Italian festivals. Tengiz Abuladze was a State Prize owner (1979) and People’s Artist of the Soviet Union. He died on March 6, 1994, in Tbilisi