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ArmenPress
March 22 2004
PARAJANOV WEEK TO START IN MOSCOW MARCH 23
MOSCOW, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS: A week of extensive events will
start in the Russian capital, Moscow, on March 23 to commemorate what
would have been influential Armenian filmmaker Sergey Parajanov's
80th birthday and to once again remind of the great film director,
artist and sculptor's art. The week will begin with an exhibit of
items from the Parajanov Museum, including his latest films, unique
art collages, posters from his films, videos about his work, and
photographs by Yuri Mechitov. The event will be attended by many
prominent Armenian, Russian, Ukrainian and Georgian figures.
Beauty as the highest value and the truth as a creative principle
were the most important components of Parajanov's art which gave
birth to a legend that became known to the world as Parajanov's film.
Born and raised in a traditional Armenian family in Tiflis
(Tbilisi), Parajanov lived his childhood very close to the tight
Armenian community. These images of childhood later got reflected in
his work "The colors of a pomegranate".
In 1945 with the end of the second world war Parajanov moved to
Moscow and enrolled into the Institute of Cinematography. In 1952 he
moved to Kiev, Ukraine, to start working at the Dovzhenko studios.
After a number of short films and side projects, Parajanov finally
started working on his first movie. The movies was "The Shadows of
forgotten ancestors", which turned out to be one of the biggest
masterpieces in the history of cinematography.
In a few years Parajanov moved to Armenia, his true motherland and
started working on the "Armenfilm" studio, where some of his short
movies like "Hakob Hovnatyan" were born and where he screened his
biggest masterpiece: "The Colors of a pomegranate," that made him
famous all over the world by causing a furor in cinematography and
the movie that got no attention from the Soviet authorities. After
forcefully cutting 20 minutes out of the movie and re-releasing the
short version for the Soviet audience, Parajanov said: "My
masterpiece no longer exists". And that was the movie that started
the chain of events in his life. The Soviet censure didn't
particularly like all the religious images he portrayed in
"Colors...". This subsequently resulted in a number of screenplays
being rejected and later led to the imprisonment under a fake
incrimination. Parajanov was sent to Gulag, one of the most horrible
concentration camps in Russia.
After serving a number of years he was released due to the protest
movement among cultural workers across the globe . In 1977 he was
back to Georgia without any money, job and little hope. That wasn't
the end yet: in a few years he was imprisoned again, this time
without even a trial.
"The Legend of the Souram Fortress" was completed in 1986. Next
year work on "Ashik Kerib" was started. Both movies became
world-renowned masterpieces and received a number of awards at movie
festivals. Parajanov didn't get to see many of them. After
unsuccessful treatment in France, he passed away in 1989 in Yerevan
from lung cancer.
March 22 2004
PARAJANOV WEEK TO START IN MOSCOW MARCH 23
MOSCOW, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS: A week of extensive events will
start in the Russian capital, Moscow, on March 23 to commemorate what
would have been influential Armenian filmmaker Sergey Parajanov's
80th birthday and to once again remind of the great film director,
artist and sculptor's art. The week will begin with an exhibit of
items from the Parajanov Museum, including his latest films, unique
art collages, posters from his films, videos about his work, and
photographs by Yuri Mechitov. The event will be attended by many
prominent Armenian, Russian, Ukrainian and Georgian figures.
Beauty as the highest value and the truth as a creative principle
were the most important components of Parajanov's art which gave
birth to a legend that became known to the world as Parajanov's film.
Born and raised in a traditional Armenian family in Tiflis
(Tbilisi), Parajanov lived his childhood very close to the tight
Armenian community. These images of childhood later got reflected in
his work "The colors of a pomegranate".
In 1945 with the end of the second world war Parajanov moved to
Moscow and enrolled into the Institute of Cinematography. In 1952 he
moved to Kiev, Ukraine, to start working at the Dovzhenko studios.
After a number of short films and side projects, Parajanov finally
started working on his first movie. The movies was "The Shadows of
forgotten ancestors", which turned out to be one of the biggest
masterpieces in the history of cinematography.
In a few years Parajanov moved to Armenia, his true motherland and
started working on the "Armenfilm" studio, where some of his short
movies like "Hakob Hovnatyan" were born and where he screened his
biggest masterpiece: "The Colors of a pomegranate," that made him
famous all over the world by causing a furor in cinematography and
the movie that got no attention from the Soviet authorities. After
forcefully cutting 20 minutes out of the movie and re-releasing the
short version for the Soviet audience, Parajanov said: "My
masterpiece no longer exists". And that was the movie that started
the chain of events in his life. The Soviet censure didn't
particularly like all the religious images he portrayed in
"Colors...". This subsequently resulted in a number of screenplays
being rejected and later led to the imprisonment under a fake
incrimination. Parajanov was sent to Gulag, one of the most horrible
concentration camps in Russia.
After serving a number of years he was released due to the protest
movement among cultural workers across the globe . In 1977 he was
back to Georgia without any money, job and little hope. That wasn't
the end yet: in a few years he was imprisoned again, this time
without even a trial.
"The Legend of the Souram Fortress" was completed in 1986. Next
year work on "Ashik Kerib" was started. Both movies became
world-renowned masterpieces and received a number of awards at movie
festivals. Parajanov didn't get to see many of them. After
unsuccessful treatment in France, he passed away in 1989 in Yerevan
from lung cancer.