Rati Oneli was born born in Tbilisi, Georgia. He has lived in New York from 1999 to 2014 when he moved to Georgia in order make his documentary City of the Sun. He specialized in Middle East Studies, as well as International affairs both at Free University Tbilisi and Columbia University in New York. He currently pursues PhD in Philosophy at the European Graduate School.
In 2014, he produced and co-edited Invisible Spaces, a short film that premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival and was nominated for Palme d'Or. In 2016 his next production, Lethe premiered at the Director’s Fortnight, Cannes International Film Festival.
City of the Sun is Oneli’s first feature-length documentary.