Sergei Iosifovich Parajanov (January 9, 1924 – July 20, 1990) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter. He is regarded by film critics, film historians and filmmakers to be one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Parajanov was born to Armenian parents in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. He studied in Russia at Moscow's

Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography The Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography, officially the S. A. Gerasimov All-Russian University of Cinematography (, meaning ''All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography named after S. A. Gerasimov''), a.k.a. VGIK, is a film school in Moscow, ...

under the tutelage of Ukrainian filmmakers Igor Savchenko and

Oleksandr Dovzhenko Alexander Petrovich Dovzhenko, also Oleksandr Petrovych Dovzhenko (, ; November 25, 1956), was a Soviet film director and screenwriter of Ukrainian origin. He is often cited as one of the most important early Soviet filmmakers, alongside Sergei ...

, and began his career as professional film director in 1954. Parajanov became increasingly disenchanted of his films as well as the state sanctioned art style of socialist realism, prominent throughout the Soviet Union. His film ''

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors ''Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors'', alternatively translated into English as ''Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors'' or ''Shadows of Our Ancestors'' (), also known in English under the alternative title ''Wild Horses of Fire'' and under the mista ...

'', his first major work which diverged from socialist realism, and gave him international acclaim. He would later disown and proclaim his films made before 1965 as "garbage." Parajanov subsequently directed '' The Color of Pomegranates,'' which was met with widespread acclaim among filmmakers, and is often considered one of the greatest films ever made. Parajanov was a

closeted ''Closeted'' and ''in the closet'' are metaphors for LGBTQ people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior. This metaphor is associated and sometime ...

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

, which exposed him to increased legal scrutiny from Soviet authorities over his personal life, his films, and political involvement surrounding

Ukrainian nationalism Ukrainian nationalism (, ) is the promotion of the unity of Ukrainians as a people and the promotion of the identity of Ukraine as a nation state. The origins of modern Ukrainian nationalism emerge during the Khmelnytsky Uprising, Cossack upri ...

. Nearly all of his film projects from 1965 to 1973 were banned by the Soviet film administrations, many without discussion.

Biography

Parajanov was born to artistically inclined Armenians Iosif Parajanov and Siranush Bejanova on January 9, 1924, in Tiflis (known by

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

since 1936),

, then part of the Soviet Union. Iosif was a merchant who owned an antique shop, trading jewelry and valuables. Due to the Soviet Union's ban on financial

speculation In finance, speculation is the purchase of an asset (a commodity, good (economics), goods, or real estate) with the hope that it will become more valuable in a brief amount of time. It can also refer to short sales in which the speculator hope ...

, Iosif's business was frequently subjected to arbitrary searches by authorities, who often raided his business and seized many of his valuables. Because it was impossible for his father to get his trading business legalised, a young Parajanov was often forced to swallow small jewelry pieces and defecate them once authorities withdrew from their search. Parajanov attended a local railway college before running away to attend the Tbilisi State Conservatoire. He was later transferred to the

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory () is a higher musical educational institution located in Moscow, Russia. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in musical performance and musical research. Th ...

in 1945, where he studied alongside soprano Nina Dorliak. Parajanov left the conservatory to enroll at the directing department at the S. A. Gerasimov All-Russian University of Cinematography; he studied under the tutelage of directors Igor Savchenko and

Alexander Dovzhenko Alexander Petrovich Dovzhenko, also Oleksandr Petrovych Dovzhenko (, ; November 25, 1956), was a Soviet film director and screenwriter of Ukrainian origin. He is often cited as one of the most important early Soviet filmmakers, alongside Sergei ...

. Parajanov was a

. In 1948, he was arrested and charged with illegal

homosexual acts Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...

with MGB officer Nikolai Mikava in Tbilisi. He was sentenced to five years in prison and released under an amnesty after three months. In video interviews, friends and relatives contest the truthfulness of anything Parajanov was charged with; they believe his sentencing was procured through a

kangaroo court Kangaroo court is an informal pejorative term for a court that ignores recognized standards of law or justice, carries little or no official standing in the territory within which it resides, and is typically convened ad hoc. A kangaroo court ma ...

due to his tendency for political retaliation and rebellious views. In 1950, Parajanov married Nigyar Kerimova, who came from a Muslim

Tatar Tatar may refer to: Peoples * Tatars, an umbrella term for different Turkic ethnic groups bearing the name "Tatar" * Volga Tatars, a people from the Volga-Ural region of western Russia * Crimean Tatars, a people from the Crimea peninsula by the B ...

family, in Moscow. After Nigyar converted to

Eastern Orthodox Christianity Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

, she was murdered by her relatives, who disapproved of the marriage. Parajanov subsequently moved to

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, where he produced a few Russian and Ukrainian language documentaries (''Dumka, Golden Hands, Natalia Uzhvy)'' and a handful of narrative films: ''Andriesh,'' ''The Top Guy, Ukrainian Rhapsody, and'' '' Flower on the Stone''. He became fluent in Ukrainian and married Svitlana Ivanivna Shcherbatiuk (1938–2020) in 1956. She gave birth to his son Suran (d. 2021) in 1958The wife of the legendary director Sergei Parajanov has died
, Glavcom (6 June 2020) In a 1988 interview, he stated, "Everyone knows that I have three motherlands. I was born in Georgia, worked in Ukraine and I'm going to die in

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

Break from Socialist Realism

Andrey Tarkovsky Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky (, ; 4 April 1932 – 29 December 1986) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter of Russian origin. He is widely considered one of the greatest directors in cinema history. His films explore spiritual and metap ...

's first film, ''

Ivan's Childhood ''Ivan's Childhood'' (), sometimes released as ''My Name Is Ivan'' in the US, is a 1962 Soviet war drama film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. Co-written by Mikhail Papava, Andrei Konchalovsky and an uncredited Tarkovsky, it is based on Vladimir Bo ...

'', had an enormous impact on Parajanov's self-discovery as a filmmaker. Later the influence became mutual, and he and Tarkovsky became close friends. Another influence was Italian filmmaker

Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, film director, writer, actor and playwright. He is considered one of the defining public intellectuals in 20th-century Italian history, influential both as an artist ...

, whom Parajanov would later describe as "like a God" to him and a director of "majestic style". In 1965 Parajanov abandoned socialist realism and directed the poetic ''

'', his first film over which he had complete creative control. It won numerous international awards well received by the Soviet authorities, who praised the film for "conveying the poetic quality and philosophical depth of

Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky Mykhailo Mykhailovych Kotsiubynsky (; 17 September 1864 – 25 April 1913) was a Ukrainian author whose writings described typical Ukrainian life at the start of the 20th century. Kotsiubynsky's early stories were described as examples of an e ...

’s tale through the language of cinema," and called it "a brilliant creative success of the Dovzhenko film studio." Authorities allowed the release the film with its original Ukrainian soundtrack intact, rather than redub the dialogue into Russian for Soviet-wide release, in order to preserve its Ukrainian integrity. (Russian dubbing was standard practice at that time for non-Russian Soviet films when they were distributed outside the republic of origin.) In 1969, Parajanov moved to

to work on his next film; this was the first time he had visited the country and instilled in him the influence to direct ''Sayat Nova''. It was shot under relatively poor conditions and had a very small budget.Sergei Parajanov – Interview with Ron Holloway, 1988
Unlike ''Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, Sayat Nova'' was not well received by Soviet authorities, who were quick to intervene and ban the film for its allegedly inflammatory content and lack of socialist realism. Parajanov re-edited the film and renamed it '' The Color of Pomegranates.''

Imprisonment, career hiatus, and other artistic ambitions

Since the early 1960s, Parajanov increasingly became the subject of attention by the

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

, for a variety of political activities related to his affinity towards

. He was an active protester following the 1965–1966 Ukrainian purge. In 1969 a report by the Committee for State Security to the Central Committee of the Ukrainian Communist party indicated their belief that Parajanov is a negative influence on his younger colleagues, as well as a key purveyor of ideologically harmful opinion. He was also deemed as someone with a desire to defect if he were to travel abroad. In December 1973, he was arrested in Kyiv, and was accused of homosexuality, sodomy, and propagation of pornography. He was sentenced to five years in a hard labour camp. Three days before Parajanov was due to be sentenced, his friend

Andrei Tarkovsky Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky (, ; 4 April 1932 – 29 December 1986) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter of Russian origin. He is widely considered one of the greatest directors in cinema history. Works by Andrei Tarkovsky, His films e ...

wrote a letter to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, asserting that "In the last ten years Sergei Parajanov has made only two films: ''Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors'' and ''The Colour of Pomegranates''. They have influenced cinema first in Ukraine, second in this country as a whole, and third in the world at large. Artistically, there are few people in the entire world who could replace Paradanov. He is guilty – guilty of his solitude. We are guilty of not thinking of him daily and of failing to discover the significance of a master." An eclectic group of artists, actors, filmmakers and activists protested on behalf of Parajanov, calling for his immediate release. Among them were

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola ( ; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...

Leonid Gaidai Leonid Iovich Gaidai (30 January 192319 November 1993) was a Soviet comedy film director, screenwriter and actor who enjoyed immense popularity and broad public recognition in the former Soviet Union. His films broke theatre attendance records a ...

Eldar Ryazanov Eldar Aleksandrovich Ryazanov (; 18 November 1927 – 30 November 2015) was a Soviet and Russian film director, screenwriter, poet, actor and pedagogue whose popular comedies, satirizing the daily life of the Soviet Union and Russia, are celebrat ...

, Yves Saint Laurent,

Marcello Mastroianni Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni (26 September 1924Come da lui stesso dichiarato a 1'10" dquesta intervista/ref> – 19 December 1996) was an Italian actor. He is generally regarded as one of Italy's most iconic male performers of the 20t ...

Françoise Sagan Françoise Sagan (; born Françoise Delphine Quoirez; 21 June 1935 – 24 September 2004) was a French playwright, novelist, and screenwriter. Sagan was known for works with strong romantic themes involving wealthy and disillusioned bourgeois ch ...

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French and Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as ...

François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French filmmaker, actor, and critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. He came under the tutelage of film critic Andre Bazin as a ...

Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish and Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians and directors to be one of the greatest and ...

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and ...

Michelangelo Antonioni Michelangelo Antonioni ( ; ; 29 September 1912 – 30 July 2007) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor. He is best known for his "trilogy on modernity and its discontents", ''L'Avventura'' (1960), ''La Notte'' (1961), and '' ...

Mikhail Vartanov Mikhail Vartanov (, , February 21, 1937 – December 29, 2009) was a Soviet filmmaker and cinematographer who made significant contribution to world cinema with the documentary films ''Parajanov: The Last Spring'' and ''Seasons''. He is considere ...

, and

. Parajanov served four years out of his five-year sentence, and later credited his early release to the efforts made by the French

Surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

poet and novelist

Louis Aragon Louis Aragon (; 3 October 1897 – 24 December 1982) was a French poet who was one of the leading voices of the Surrealism, surrealist movement in France. He co-founded with André Breton and Philippe Soupault the surrealist review ''Littératur ...

, Aragon's wife

Elsa Triolet Ella Yuryevna Kagan (; – 16 June 1970), known as Elsa Triolet (), was a Russian-French writer and translator. Biography Ella Yuryevna Kagan was born into a Jewish family of Yuri Alexandrovich Kagan, a lawyer, and Yelena Youlevna Berman, ...

, and the American writer

John Updike John Hoyer Updike (March 18, 1932 – January 27, 2009) was an American novelist, poet, short-story writer, art critic, and literary critic. One of only four writers to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once (the others being Booth Tar ...

. His early release was authorized by

Leonid Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (19 December 190610 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1964 until Death and state funeral of Leonid Brezhnev, his death in 1982 as w ...

General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union The General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. was the Party leader, leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). From 1924 until the dissolution of the Soviet Union, country's dissoluti ...

, presumably as a result of Brezhnev's meeting with Aragon and Triolet at the

Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre ( rus, Большо́й теа́тр, r=Bol'shoy teatr, p=bɐlʲˈʂoj tʲɪˈat(ə)r, t=Grand Theater) is a historic opera house in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové. Before the October Revolutio ...

in Moscow. When asked by Brezhnev if he could be of any assistance, Aragon requested the release of Parajanov, which was finalized by December 1977. Parajanov 1994 Oil on Canvas 90cmx80cm

While he was incarcerated, Parajanov produced a large number of miniature doll-like sculptures (some of which were lost) and some 800 drawings and collages, many of which were later displayed in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

at the Sergei Parajanov Museum, where they are now permanently located. His efforts in the camp were repeatedly compromised by prison guards, who deprived him of materials and called him mad, their cruelty only subsiding after a statement from Moscow admitting that "the director is very talented." After his return from prison to Tbilisi, the close watch of the Soviet authorities prevented Parajanov from continuing his cinematic pursuits and compelled him towards other artistic outlets he had nurtured during his time in prison. He crafted extraordinarily intricate collages, created a large collection of abstract drawings and pursued numerous other avenues of non-cinematic art, sewing more dolls and some whimsical suits. In February 1982 Parajanov was once again arrested on charges of bribery, which happened to coincide with his return to Moscow for the premiere of a play commemorating

Vladimir Vysotsky Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky (25 January 193825 July 1980) was a Soviet singer-songwriter, poet, and actor who had an immense and enduring effect on Soviet culture. He became widely known for his unique singing style and for his lyrics, which ...

at the

Taganka Theatre Taganka Theatre (, Театр драмы и комедии на Таганке, "Таганка") is a theater located in the Art Nouveau building on Taganka Square in Moscow. History The Drama and Comedy Theater was founded in 1946. The head di ...

, he was released in less than a year, with his health seriously weakened.

Short return to cinema

In 1985, the slow thaw within the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

spurred Parajanov to resume his passion for cinema. With the encouragement of various Georgian intellectuals, he directed the multi-award-winning film ''

The Legend of Suram Fortress ''The Legend of the Suram Fortress'' ( ka, ამბავი სურამის ციხისა, tr) is a 1985 art film directed by Georgian SSR, Georgian director Sergei Parajanov and Georgians, Georgian actor Dodo Abashidze. Sergei Paraja ...

'', along with

Dodo Abashidze David 'Dodo' Abashidze ( ka, დავით ��ოდოაბაშიძე; ; 1 May 1924 – 26 January 1990) was a Soviet Georgian actor and film Film director, director. He was named People’s Artist of Georgia in 1967. After his de ...

, based on a novella by

Daniel Chonkadze Daniel Giorgis dze Chonkadze ( ka, დანიელ გიორგის ძე ჭონქაძე) (c. 1830 – June 16, 1860) was a Georgian novelist. He is primarily known for his resonant novella A novella is a narrative prose ficti ...

. This was his first return to cinema since ''Sayat-Nova'' fifteen years earlier. In 1988, Parajanov and Abashidze directed '' Ashik Kerib'', based on a story by

Mikhail Lermontov Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov ( , ; rus, Михаи́л Ю́рьевич Ле́рмонтов, , mʲɪxɐˈil ˈjʉrʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈlʲerməntəf, links=yes; – ) was a Russian Romanticism, Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called ...

. It is the story of a wandering minstrel, set in the

Azerbaijani culture Azerbaijani culture may refer to: Regions *Culture of Azerbaijan The culture of Azerbaijan () combines a diverse and heterogeneous set of elements which developed under the influence of Iranian peoples, Iranic, Turkic peoples, Turkic and Peo ...

. Parajanov dedicated the film to his close friend

and "to all the children of the world".

Death

Parajanov died of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

on July 20, 1990, aged 66. His final work, ''The Confession'', was left unfinished. It survives in its original negative as '' Parajanov: The Last Spring'', created by his close friend

in 1992.

Tonino Guerra Antonio "Tonino" Guerra (16 March 1920 – 21 March 2012) was an Italian poet, writer and screenwriter who collaborated with some of the most prominent film directors, such as Andrei Tarkovsky, Michelangelo Antonioni, Theo Angelopoulos, and Fede ...

Francesco Rosi Francesco Rosi (; 15 November 1922 – 10 January 2015) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. His film '' The Mattei Affair'' won the Palme d'Or at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival. Rosi's films, especially those of the 1960s and 1970s, of ...

Alberto Moravia Alberto Pincherle (; 28 November 1907 – 26 September 1990), known by his pseudonym Alberto Moravia ( , ), was an Italian novelist and journalist. His novels explored matters of modern sexuality, social alienation and existentialism. Moravia i ...

Giulietta Masina Giulia Anna "Giulietta" Masina (; 22 February 1921 – 23 March 1994) was an Italian film actress best known for her performances as Gelsomina in ''La Strada'' (1954) and Cabiria in '' Nights of Cabiria'' (1957), for which she won the Cannes Fi ...

and

Bernardo Bertolucci Bernardo Bertolucci ( ; ; 16 March 1941 – 26 November 2018) was an Italian film director and screenwriter with a career that spanned 50 years. Considered one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema, Bertolucci's work achieved inte ...

were among those who publicly mourned his death. They sent a

telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...

to Russia with the following statement: "The world of cinema has lost a magician. Parajanov’s fantasy will forever fascinate and bring joy to the people of the world…”.

Legacy

Parajanov's films are ranked among the greatest films of all time by ''

Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (formerly written ''Sight & Sound'') is a monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). Since 1952, it has conducted the well-known decennial ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time. ...

.'' He won prizes at

Mar del Plata Film Festival The Mar del Plata International Film Festival () is an List of film festivals, international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina. It is the only competitive feature festival recognized by the FIAPF ...

Istanbul International Film Festival The Istanbul Film Festival () 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, Turkey. As mentioned in its reg ...

Nika Awards The Nika Award (sometimes styled NIKA Award) is the main annual national film award in Russia, presented by the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Science, and seen as the national equivalent of the Oscars. In 2022 nominees were announced, b ...

Rotterdam International Film Festival International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, focused on independent and experimental films. The inaugural festival took place in June 1972, ...

Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival SITGES - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia () is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Catalonia, Spain. It specializes in fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernat ...

São Paulo International Film Festival The São Paulo International Film Festival (), also known internationally as Mostra, is an annual film festival held in the city of São Paulo, Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South Ame ...

and others. A comprehensive retrospective in the UK took place in 2010 at

BFI Southbank BFI Southbank (from 1951 to 2007, known as the National Film Theatre) is the leading repertory cinema in the United Kingdom, specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films. It is operated by the British Film Inst ...

. The retrospective was curated by Layla Alexander-Garrett and the Parajanov specialist Elisabetta Fabrizi who commissioned a Parajanov inspired new commission in the BFI Gallery by the contemporary artist Matt Collishaw ('Retrospectre'). A symposium was dedicated to Parajanov's work, bringing together experts to discuss and celebrate the director's contribution to cinema and art. Parajanov was highly appreciated by

himself in the biographical film " Voyage in Time" ("Always with huge gratitude and pleasure I remember the films of Sergei Parajanov, which I love very much. His way of thinking, his paradoxical, poetical... ability to love beauty and the ability to be absolutely free within his own vision"). In the same film Tarkovsky stated that Parajanov is one of his favorite filmmakers. Italian filmmaker

stated that “The Color of Pomegranates by Parajanov, in my opinion one of the best contemporary film directors, strikes with its perfection of beauty.” Parajanov was also admired by the American filmmaker

. The French film director

also stated that "In the temple of cinema, there are images, light, and reality. Sergei Parajanov was the master of that temple". Despite having many admirers of his art, his vision did not attract many followers. "Whoever tries to imitate me is lost", he reportedly said. However, directors such as

Theo Angelopoulos Theodoros "Theo" Angelopoulos (; (27 April 1935 – 24 January 2012) was a Greek filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer. He dominated the Greek art film industry from 1975 on, and Angelopoulos was one of the most influential and widely respect ...

Béla Tarr Béla Tarr (born 21 July 1955) is a Hungarian filmmaker. Debuting with the film '' Family Nest'' (1979), Tarr began his directorial career with a brief period of what he refers to as "social cinema", aimed at telling everyday stories about ordi ...

and

Mohsen Makhmalbaf Mohsen Makhmalbaf (, ) (born May 29, 1957) is an Iranian film director, writer, film editor, and producer. He has made more than 20 feature films, won 50 awards, and served as a juror in more than 15 major film festivals. His award-winning films ...

share Parajanov's approach to film as a primarily visual medium rather than as a narrative tool. The

Parajanov-Vartanov Institute The Parajanov-Vartanov Institute is an American film organization based in Los Angeles, California, that works to study, preserve and promote the legacy of filmmakers Sergei Parajanov and Mikhail Vartanov Mikhail Vartanov (, , February 21, 1937 ...

was established in Hollywood in 2010 to study, preserve and promote the artistic legacies of Sergei Parajanov and

. In 2024, marking the 100th anniversary of Parajanov's birth, Ukrainian film maker Taras Tomenko made the documentary "A Sentimental Journey to the Parajanov Planet". The film premiered internationally at the 40th

Warsaw Film Festival Warsaw Film Festival (; WFF), also known as Warsaw International Film Festival, is an annual international film festival held every October in Warsaw, Poland. The 40th edition of the festival will take place from 11 to 20 October 2024. Histor ...

where it won the 3rd place in the Audience Award for documentary films.

References in popular culture

* Parajanov's life story provides (quite loosely) the basis for the 2006 novel '' Stet'' by the American author James Chapman. *

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

's video for "

911 911, 9/11 or Nine Eleven may refer to: Dates * AD 911 * 911 BC * September 11 ** The 2001 September 11 attacks on the United States by al-Qaeda, commonly referred to as 9/11 ** 11 de Septiembre, Chilean coup d'état in 1973 that ousted the ...

" visually references '' The Color of Pomegranates'' through much of the video. The film poster also appears on the street scene at the end of the video. Gaga's video presents the film's symbols in her own allegory of pain. *

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

's 1995 music video ''

Bedtime Story A bedtime story is a traditional form of storytelling, where a story is told to a child at bedtime to prepare the child for sleep. The bedtime story has long been considered "a definite institution in many families".Dickson, Marguerite Stockm ...

'' restages some of the content from the movie (such as the scene of a young child lying in a fetal position on a pentagram on the floor while an adult covers it with a blanket, and another where a naked foot crushes a bunch of grapes lying on an enscribed tablet), among other artistic inspiration depicting dreams and surrealist artwork in the video. *Without permission

Nicolas Jaar Nicolas Jaar (, ; né Nicolás Jaar; born January 10, 1990) is a Chilean-American composer and musician. Among his notable works are the albums '' Space Is Only Noise'' (2011), ''Sirens'' (2016), and '' Cenizas'' (2020). He has also released th ...

released, in 2015, the album ''Pomegranates'', intended as an alternative soundtrack for ''The Color of Pomegranates'' and was asked by the Parajanov-Vartanov Institute to cancel the performance in Los Angeles. *''The Color of Pomegranates'' also influenced the alternative rock group

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

's music video for "

Losing My Religion "Losing My Religion" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on February 19, 1991 by Warner Bros. as the first single from their seventh album, '' Out of Time'' (1991). It developed from a mandolin riff improvised by the ...

Filmography

Screenplays

Partially produced screenplays

*''Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors'' (''Тіні забутих предків'', 1965, co-written with Ivan Chendei, based on the novelette by

) *''Kyiv Frescoes'' (''Київські фрески'', 1965) *''Sayat Nova'' (''Саят-Нова'', 1969, original production screenplay of ''The Color of Pomegranates'') *''The Confession'' (''сповідь'', 1969–1989) *''Studies About Vrubel'' (''Этюды о Врубеле'', 1989, depiction of

Mikhail Vrubel Mikhail Aleksandrovich Vrubel (; – ) was a Russian painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. A prolific and innovative master in various media such as painting, drawing, decorative sculpture, and theatrical art, Vrubel is generally character ...

's Kyiv period, co-written and directed by Leonid Osyka) *''Swan Lake: The Zone'' (''Лебедине озеро. Зона'', 1989, filmed in 1990, directed by Yuriy Illienko, cinematographer of ''Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors'')

Unproduced screenplays

*''The Dormant Palace'' (''Дремлющий дворец'', 1969, based on

Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is conside ...

's poem ''

The Fountain of Bakhchisaray ''The Fountain of Bakhchisaray'' (, ''Bakhchisaraiskiy fontan'') is a narrative poem by Alexander Pushkin, written from 1821 to 1823. Pushkin began writing ''The Fountain of Bakhchisaray'' in the spring of 1821, after having visited The ...

'') *''Intermezzo'' (1972, based on Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky's short story) *''Icarus'' (''Икар'', 1972) *''The Golden Edge'' (''Золотой обрез'', 1972) *''Ara the Beautiful'' (''Ара Прекрасный'', 1972, based on the poem by 20th century Armenian poet Nairi Zaryan about

Ara the Beautiful Ara the Handsome (or the Beautiful, ) is a legendary Armenians, Armenian hero and king. He is the son of the legendary king Aram and a descendant of the Armenian patriarch Hayk. Scholars believe that Ara, Aram and Hayk were originally deities who ...

) *''Demon'' (''Демон'', 1972, based on Lermontov's eponymous poem) *''The Miracle of Odense'' (''Чудо в Оденсе'', 1973, loosely based on the life and works of

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...

) *''David of Sasun'' (''Давид Сасунский'', mid-1980s, based on Armenian epic poem '' David of Sasun'') *''The Martyrdom of Shushanik'' (''Мученичество Шушаник'', 1987, based on Georgian

chronicle A chronicle (, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events ...

by Iakob Tsurtaveli) *''The Treasures of Mount Ararat'' (''Сокровища у горы Арарат'') Among his projects, there were also plans for adapting Longfellow's ''

The Song of Hiawatha ''The Song of Hiawatha'' is an 1855 epic poem in trochaic tetrameter by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow which features Native American characters. The epic relates the fictional adventures of an Ojibwe warrior named Hiawatha and the tragedy of his lo ...

'',

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'',

Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

's ''

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

'', the

Old East Slavic Old East Slavic (traditionally also Old Russian) was a language (or a group of dialects) used by the East Slavs from the 7th or 8th century to the 13th or 14th century, until it diverged into the Russian language, Russian and Ruthenian language ...

poem ''

The Tale of Igor's Campaign ''The Tale of Igor's Campaign'' or ''The Tale of Ihor's Campaign'' () is an anonymous epic poem written in the Old East Slavic language. The title is occasionally translated as ''The Tale of the Campaign of Igor'', ''The Song of Igor's Campaign'' ...

'', but the film scripts for these were never completed.

Awards and recognition

* There is a statue of Parajanov in Tbilisi. * There is a plaque on the wall of Parajanov's childhood home. * The street where Parajanov grew up, Kote Meskhi street, was renamed Parajanov Street in 2021. * There is a house museum dedicated to Parajanov in Yerevan, Armenia. * National Legend of Ukraine (2024).

Notes

References

Bibliography

Selected bibliography of books and scholarly articles about Sergei Parajanov.

English language sources

* Dixon, Wheeler & Foster, Gwendolyn. "A Short History of Film." New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2008. * Cook, David A. "''Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors'': Film as Religious Art." ''Post Script'' 3, no. 3 (1984): 16–23. * First, Joshua. Sergei Paradjanov: Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors. London and Chicago: Itellect; University of Chicago Press, 2016. * Jayamanne, Laleen. ''Poetic Cinema and the Spirit of the Gift in the Films of Pabst, Parajanov, Kubrick and Ruiz''. Amsterdam University Press 2021. * Kim, Olga. “Cinema and Painting in Parajanov’s Aesthetic Metamorphoses.” ''Studies in Russian & Soviet Cinema'' 12, no. 1 (March 2018): 19–36. doi:10.1080/17503132.2017.1415519. * Nebesio, Bohdan. "''Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors'': Storytelling in the Novel and the Film." ''Literature/Film Quarterly'' 22, no. 1 (1994): 42–49. * Oeler, Karla. "A Collective Interior Monologue: Sergei Parajanov and Eisenstein's Joyce-Inspired Vision of Cinema." ''The Modern Language Review'' 101, no. 2 (April 2006): 472–487. * Oeler, Karla. "''Nran guyne/The Colour of Pomegranates'': Sergo Parajanov, USSR, 1969." In ''The Cinema of Russia and the Former Soviet Union'', 139–148. London, England: Wallflower, 2006. ook chapter* Papazian, Elizabeth A. "Ethnography, Fairytale and ‘Perpetual Motion’ in Sergei Paradjanov's ''Ashik- Kerib''." ''Literature/Film Quarterly'' 34, no. 4 (2006): 303–12. * Paradjanov, Sergei. ''Seven Visions.'' Edited by Galia Ackerman. Translated by Guy Bennett. Los Angeles: Green Integer, 1998. , * Parajanov, Sergei, and Zaven Sarkisian. ''Parajanov Kaleidoscope: Drawings, Collages, Assemblages.'' Yerevan: Sergei Parajanov Museum, 2008. * Razlogov, Kirill. “Parajanov in Prison: An Exercise in Transculturalism.” ''Studies in Russian & Soviet Cinema'' 12, no. 1 (March 2018): 37–57. doi:10.1080/17503132.2018.1422223. * Steffen, James. ''The Cinema of Sergei Parajanov.'' Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2013. * Steffen, James, ed. Sergei Parajanov special issue. ''Armenian Review'' 47/48, nos. 3–4/1–2 (2001/2002). Double issue
publisher website
* Steffen, James. "''Kyiv Frescoes'': Sergei Parajanov's Unrealized Film Project." ''KinoKultura'' Special Issue 9: Ukrainian Cinema (December 2009), online. URL
KinoKultura
* Schneider, Steven Jay. "501 Movie Directors." London: Hachette/Cassell, 2007.

Foreign language sources

* Vartanov, Mikhail. "Les Cimes du Monde." Cahiers du Cinéma" no. 381, 1986 (French language) * Bullot, Érik. ''Sayat Nova de Serguei Paradjanov: La face et le profil.'' Crisnée, Belgium: Éditions Yellow Now, 2007. (French language) * Cazals, Patrick. ''Serguei Paradjanov.'' Paris: Cahiers du cinéma, 1993. (French language) , * Chernenko, Miron. ''Sergei Paradzhanov: Tvorcheskii portret.'' Moskva: "Soiuzinformkino" Goskino SSSR, 1989. (Russian language
Online version
* Grigorian, Levon. ''Paradzhanov.'' Moscow: Molodaia gvardiia, 2011. (Russian language) , * Grigorian, Levon. ''Tri tsveta odnoi strasti: Triptikh Sergeia Paradzhanova.'' Moscow: Kinotsentr, 1991. (Russian language) * Kalantar, Karen. ''Ocherki o Paradzhanove.'' Yerevan: Gitutiun NAN RA, 1998. (Russian language) * Katanian, Vasilii Vasil’evich. ''Paradzhanov: Tsena vechnogo prazdnika.'' Nizhnii Novgorod: Dekom, 2001. (Russian language) * Liehm, Antonín J., ed. ''Serghiej Paradjanov: Testimonianze e documenti su l’opera e la vita.'' Venice: La Biennale di Venezia/Marsilio, 1977. (Italian language) * Mechitov, Yuri. ''Sergei Paradzhanov: Khronika dialoga.'' Tbilisi: GAMS- print, 2009. (Russian language) * Paradzhanov, Sergei. ''Ispoved’.'' Edited by Kora Tsereteli. St. Petersburg: Azbuka, 2001. (Russian language) * Paradzhanov, Sergei, and Garegin Zakoian. ''Pis’ma iz zony.'' Yerevan: Fil’madaran, 2000. (Russian language)
Simyan, Tigran Sergei Parajanov as a Text: Man, Habitus, and Interior (on the material of visual texts) // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics 2019, N 3, pp. 197–215
*Schneider, Steven Jay. "501 Directores de Cine." Barcelona, Spain: Grijalbo, 2008. * Tsereteli, Kora, ed. ''Kollazh na fone avtoportreta: Zhizn’–igra.'' 2nd ed. Nizhnii Novgorod: Dekom, 2008. (Russian language) * Vartanov, Mikhail. "Sergej Paradzanov." In "Il Cinema Delle Repubbliche Transcaucasiche Sovietiche." Venice, Italy: Marsilio Editori, 1986. (Italian language)

External links

Parajanov.com official site

Sergej Parajanov Museum
*
Hollywood Reporter

Deadline Hollywood

The Moscow Times

ENCI.com

The Parajanov Case, March 1982

Museum of Sergei Parajanov on GoYerevan.com

*
Actress Sofiko Chiaureli and many others about him

Arts: Armenian Rhapsody
*

* * * ''Evening Moscow Newspaper'
Spouses of Sergei Parajanov and Mikhail Vartanov received awards in Hollywood

Sergei Parajanov. Collages. Graphics. Works of Decorative Art. Kyiv, 2008.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parajanov, Sergei 1924 births 1990 deaths 20th-century male artists Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic people Bisexual men Burials at the Komitas Pantheon Deaths from lung cancer in the Soviet Union Ethnic Armenian painters European Film Awards winners (people) Film people from Tbilisi Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic people Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography alumni LGBTQ film directors Moscow Conservatory alumni People prosecuted under anti-homosexuality laws Recipients of the Nika Award Recipients of the Shevchenko National Prize Soviet film directors Soviet LGBTQ people Soviet male screenwriters Soviet painters Soviet screenwriters Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic people