Merab Ninidze was born in Georgia and grew up in a theatre family. He played hisfirst stage role as a teenager. He graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts and Film in Tbilisi from 1982 to 1984. Until 1991 he was a member of the Schota Rustaveli State Academic Theatre in Tbilisi. In addition to his stage engagement, Merab Ninidze shot six films at the state film studios Gruzia-Film. His actor’s debut was under the direction of his compatriot Tengis Abuladse in Repentance in 1984. Merab Ninidze became known to a wide audience in Caroline Links’ Nowhere in Africa (2001). The film won an Oscar in the category Best Foreign Language Film in 2003. Since 2002, Merab Ninidze has appeared in German television as well as international productions, such as BBC1 series MсMafia,in 2 seasons of Homeland, TV series Freud (2020) and played a main part in the British thriller The Spy, with Benedict Cumberbatch. Since 2008 Merab have been working with Aleksey German Jr. Started from The Paper Soldier Merab acted German’s movies like From Tokyo and Under Electric Clouds. Their recent cooperation is House Arrest was selected to Un Certan Regard competition of Cannes Film Festival in 2021.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and present. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
