Telling the story of Sayat-Nova, an eighteenth-century Armenian poet, through an unconventional narrative, Sergei Parajanov uses a series of static, ritualised and painterly tableaux rooted in the poet’s verse. Divided into thematic chapters including Childhood, Youth, the Prince’s Court, the Monastery and Death, the work narrates Sayat-Nova’s internal journey: his introduction to beauty, devotion to a muse, monastic withdrawal and death. Figures, garments, fauna and religious objects are shot in the two-dimensional style of Armenian manuscript illuminations and Persian miniatures. Shot with a static camera, every image looks like a painting. By drawing on Armenian folk customs, craft traditions and heritage through symbolic imagery, Parajanov’s aesthetic directly challenged Soviet socialist realism. Consequently, authorities suppressed, re-cut and restricted the film’s distribution for decades.

This screening will be introduced by Ali Lalfam, the season curator.