The Filmmaker’s Philosopher: Merab Mamardashvili and Russian Cinema

• Shortlisted for the 2020 AATSEEL Best Book in Cultural Studies award

• The first study of Mamardashvili’s significant influence on cinema, culture and philosophy in Russia
• Offers a compelling analysis of contemporary Russian filmmakers, including Alexander Sokurov, Andrey Zvyagintsev and Alexei Balabanov
• Provides a carefully researched study of Mamardashvili’s philosophy and intellectual biography, written for scholars from all disciplines

Known as the ‘Georgian Socrates’ of Soviet philosophy, Merab Mamardashvili was a defining personality of the late-Soviet intelligentsia. In the 1970s and 1980s, he taught required courses in philosophy at Russia’s two leading film schools, helping to educate a generation of internationally prolific directors.

Exploring Mamardashvili’s extensive philosophical output, as well as a range of recent Russian films, Alyssa DeBlasio reveals the intellectual affinities amongst directors of the Mamardashvili generation – including Alexander Sokurov, Andrey Zvyagintsev and Alexei Balabanov. This multidisciplinary study offers an innovative way to think about film, philosophy and the philosophical potential of the moving image.