Rati Oneli Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorSyndicado Film Sales has boarded Rati Oneli’s “Ulysses,” a working title, as world sales agent and executive producer, and will be looking for financing for the Georgian production at Cannes. Oneli directed “City of the Sun,” which had its world premiere at the Berlinale in 2017, and produced, co-wrote and played a lead role in Dea Kulumbegashvili’s “Beginning,” which was selected in the Official Selection at Cannes, was Georgia’s Official Entry in the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar category, and won best film, director and screenplay at San Sebastian Film Festival in 2020.“Ulysses,” which Oneli says can be viewed as part noir, part thriller, but in essence is “a metaphysical journey of a man without a past to regain the meaning of life,” is in late development, with shooting set to begin in July.

Georgian film Beginning was the big winner at this year's San Sebastian film festival, taking four of the top prizes, including the Golden Shell for Best Film, at the awards ceremony this weekend.

Andreas Wiseman International EditorGeorgian-French drama Beginning (Dasatskisi) was the big winner at the San Sebastian Film Festival, winning the top prize Golden Shell at last night’s awards ceremony.The buzzed-about arthouse film from first-timer Dea Kulumbegashvili also won Best Director, Best Actress and Best Screenplay awards. We debuted first footage for the film earlier this month.Kulumbegashvili wrote the script with Rati Oneli.

Boldy unfolding through a series of fixed shots, Georgian director Dea Kulumbegashvili’s debut feature “Beginning” is a striking portrait of a woman’s internal suffering at the hands of a husband who prioritizes religious devotion over marital equality. Taking place within a small congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Georgia, “Beginning” consists of roughly a week in the life of Yana (Mohsen Makmalbaf), wife to the congregation’s leader David (Rati Oneli, who also co-wrote).