Otar Iosseliani, The Whistling Blackbird (2007)

Though far better known in Europe than in the United States, Eastern European director Otar Iosseliani (who hails from Georgia) claims a bevy of international awards and a devoted fanbase, and commands a formidable amount of respect in film circles for his meticulous cinematic craftsmanship. Almost uniquely for a contemporary filmmaker of his stature, Iosseliani (best known for his 2002 Berlinale Silver Bear winner Lundi Matin) states that an integral part of his creative process involves receiving divine intervention from the Almighty - his everpresent muse. With the documentary Otar Iosseliani: The Whistling Blackbird, filmmaker Julie Bertucelli - a longtime friend of Iosseliani's - follows the 73-year-old director around, camera in tow, and explores his creative process, gaining unparalleled insight into a mind so flooded with projects and plans and visions that most, as he readily admits, will never see fruition. The film observes Iosseliani as he orchestrates preproduction of a film, by collaborating diligently with storyboard artists and his Director of Photography, William Lubtchansky, and engaging in discussions of creative difference that run the gamut from light and witty to heated and caustic. The picture also unveils the degree to which Ioselliani insists on casting his pictures with lay men and women, and his enormous emphasis on the kinesthetics of movement, visual artistry and camera balletics, often at the expense of dialogue - a preference that cannot be tagged with a value judgement, for it is part and parcel of Iosseliani's unique filmic voice. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi