Roman Gurgenovich Balayan ( hy, Ռոման Գուրգենի Բալայան, russian: Рома́н Гурге́нович Балая́н; born 15 April 1941,
Nerkin Horatagh,
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), DQMV, hy, Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի Ինքնավար Մարզ, ԼՂԻՄ was an autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic that was created on July 7, 1923. Its cap ...
,
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
) is a Ukrainian-Armenian film director.
In 1997 Balayan was awarded the title People’s Artist of Ukraine.
Career
Balayan worked as an actor in the theater of Stepanakert (located in the
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh ( ) is a landlocked country, landlocked region in the Transcaucasia, South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh, lying between Lower Karabakh and Syunik Province, Syunik, and covering the southeastern range o ...
region) in 1959–1961. He studied directing at the
Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography
The Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography (YSITC; hy, Երևանի թատրոնի և կինոյի պետական ինստիտուտ) is a state university and higher education institution based in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. ...
and film directing at the
, graduating
in 1969. Since 1970, he has worked at the
Dovzhenko Film Studios in Kiev.
Balayan calls himself a student of
Sergei Parajanov
Sergei Parajanov, ka, სერგო ფარაჯანოვი, uk, Сергій Параджанов (January 9, 1924 – July 20, 1990) was an Armenian filmmaker. Parajanov is regarded by film critics, film historians and filmmakers t ...
. He was nominated and won several international prizes.
He is well-known for his literary adaptations; authors whom Balayan has adapted for the screen are Anton Chekhov (''Kashtanka'', 1975; ''The Kiss'', 1983, TV), Ivan Turgenev (''
The Lone Wolf The Lone Wolf may refer to:
* ''The Lone Wolf'', a 1914 novel by Louis Joseph Vance
Louis Joseph Vance (September 19, 1879 – December 16, 1933) was an American novelist, screenwriter and film producer. He created the popular character M ...
'',
1977; ''First Love,'' 1995), and Nikolai Leskov ''(
Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, 1989).''
His film ''
Flights in Dreams and Reality'' (1982), a drama about depression and a midlife crisis, is one of his most well-known works. Oleg Yankovsky portrays a creative man in his 40s who feels alienated in society. At the time of its release, politically minded viewers perceived it as a critique of Brezhnevian “stagnation”.
His 1986 film ''
Guard Me, My Talisman'' was entered into the main competition at the
43rd edition of the
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...
and won the Golden Tulip at the 1987
International Istanbul Film Festival
The Istanbul Film Festival ( tr, İstanbul Film Festivali) is the first and oldest international film festival in Turkey, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts. It is held every year in April in movie theaters in Istanbul, Tu ...
. His 1977 film ''
Lone Wolf
A lone wolf is a wolf not belonging to a pack.
Lone wolf or Lone Wolf may also refer to:
Literature
*''Lone Wolf'', a book by Kathryn Lasky, part of the series called ''Wolves of the Beyond''
*''Lone Wolf and Cub'', a 1970 Japanese graphic nov ...
'' was entered into the
28th Berlin International Film Festival and his 2008 film ''
Birds of Paradise
The birds-of-paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes. The majority of species are found in eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia. The family has 44 species in 17 genera. The members of ...
'' was shown at the
30th Moscow International Film Festival.
In 2018 he announced, that he may be shooting his next film in Ukrainian language.
[https://www.novayagazeta.ru/articles/2018/09/07/77753-roman-balayan-amerika-mne-dolzhna-skazat-es-ukazat-rossiya-dolzhna-kakogo-cherta Novaya Gazeta]
Filmography
*1978 –
Lone Wolf
A lone wolf is a wolf not belonging to a pack.
Lone wolf or Lone Wolf may also refer to:
Literature
*''Lone Wolf'', a book by Kathryn Lasky, part of the series called ''Wolves of the Beyond''
*''Lone Wolf and Cub'', a 1970 Japanese graphic nov ...
*1983 –
Flights in Dreams and Reality
*1983 –
The Kiss (based on a story by
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...
)
*1986 –
Guard Me, My Talisman
*1989 -
Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District
*2008 –
Birds of Paradise
The birds-of-paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes. The majority of species are found in eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia. The family has 44 species in 17 genera. The members of ...
References
External links
*
Balayan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balayan, Roman
1941 births
Living people
People from Martakert Province
Armenian film directors
Ukrainian film directors
Ukrainian people of Armenian descent