Sergei Paradjanov
Sergei Paradjanov (1924–1990) was a Soviet director of Armenian descent regarded as one of the most visually inventive filmmakers in the history of cinema. Born in Tiflis (Tbilisi) and trained at VGIK in Moscow, he developed a distinctive style built around frontal compositions, religious and folk iconography, and the visual textures of Armenian, Georgian, and Ukrainian culture. He was imprisoned by Soviet authorities in the 1970s and largely prevented from working for fifteen years. His acclaimed films include Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, The Color of Pomegranates, The Legend of Suram Fortress, and Ashik Kerib.