Zaza Urushadze, Director of 'Tangerines,' Dies at 53

The filmmaker began his career in 1989 and his last project was a drama titled 'Anton.'

Writer and director Zaza Urushadze, best known for the war drama Tangerines, has died, according to local reports in Georgian media. He was 53.

Russian information agency Vestnik Kavkaza indicated the cause of death as a heart attack.

Urushadze, who was born in 1965 in Tbilisi, Georgia, began his film career in 1989 with Matvis vints mamam miatova. In 2009, he directed Three Houses, and also appeared in the film as an actor. His 2013 film Tangerines was nominated for best foreign language film at the 2015 Academy Awards.

Urushadze's follow-up film, the mystery-drama The Confession, was nominated for best feature at the Chicago International Film Festival.

His most recent film project was the drama Anton.