Sergei Parajanov

"Parajanov" redirects here. For other uses, see Parajanov (disambiguation).

Sergei Parajanov
Parajanov in 1978
Born
Sergei Iosifovich Parajanov

(1924-01-09)January 9, 1924
Tiflis, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
DiedJuly 20, 1990(1990-07-20) (aged 66)
Yerevan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union
Resting placeKomitas Pantheon, Yerevan, Armenia
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
Years active1951–1990
Spouses
  • Nigyar Kerimova
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1950⁠–⁠1951)​
  • Svetlana Shcherbatiuk
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1956⁠–⁠1962)​
Children1
Websitehttps://www.parajanov.com

Sergei Iosifovich Parajanov[a][b] (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.[1][2]

Parajanov was born to ethnically Armenian parents in Georgia. He studied at Moscow's VGIK under the tutualge of Ukrainian filmmakers Igor Savchenko and Oleksandr Dovzhenko, 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. After moving to Ukraine and directing Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, his first major work which diverged from socialist realism and gave him international acclaim,[3] he would later disown and proclaim his films made before 1965 as "garbage."[1] 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.[4]

Parajanov was bisexual, which exposed him to increase legal scrutiny from Soviet authorities over his personal life, his films, and political involvement surrounding Ukrainian nationalism.[5][6][7] Nearly all of his film projects from 1965 to 1973 were banned by the Soviet film administrations, both locally in Kyiv, Yerevan and federally in the Soviet Union, many without discussion.

Parajanov's films are ranked among the greatest films of all time by Sight & Sound. He won prizes at Mar del Plata Film Festival, Istanbul International Film Festival, Nika Awards, Rotterdam International Film Festival, Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival, São Paulo International Film Festival and others. A comprehensive retrospective in the UK took place in 2010 at BFI Southbank. The retrospective was curated by Layla Alexander-Garrett and Parajanov specialist Elisabetta Fabrizi who commissioned a Parajanov inspired new commission in the BFI Gallery by 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.[8]


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  1. ^ a b "Where to begin with Sergei Parajanov". BFI. December 2, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  2. ^ Peter Rollberg (2009). Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema. US: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 517–521. ISBN 978-0-8108-6072-8.
  3. ^ Steffen, James (2013). The cinema of Sergei Parajanov. Wisconsin film studies. Madison, Wis: The University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0-299-29654-4.
  4. ^ "Critics' top 100 | BFI". February 7, 2016. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  5. ^ "Out of the shadows: Sergei Parajanov". BFI. January 4, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  6. ^ "Arminfo: Ukraine exonerates Sergei Parajanov". arminfo.info. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  7. ^ "Celebrating 100 Years of Soviet Filmmaker Sergei Parajanov". International Relations Review. February 13, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  8. ^ Fabrizi, Elisabetta, 'The BFI Gallery Book', BFI, London, 2011.