On the 100th anniversary of the birth of legendary film director Sergey Parajanov, which coincides with the centenary of the Armenian film industry, the Armenian Institute is proud to partner with the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), the National Cinema Center of Armenia (NCCA), and the British Film Institute (BFI) to host an enriching evening of Armenian film screenings at the renowned film theatre at BFI Southbank.
Born on 9 January 1924 in Tbilisi, Georgia to ethnic Armenian parents, Parajanov rose to become the icon of Armenian cinema. His most famous work, the 1969 film The Color of Pomegranates, loosely based on the life of 18th-century Armenian bard and poet Sayat Nova, has inspired countless artists since, among them Godard, Madonna, and Lady Gaga. A year before his birth, the Armenian film industry was officially nationalised as a key industry of Soviet Armenia, ushering in a prolific era in cinematic production. To celebrate this dual milestone, please join us for the rare opportunity to view two lesser-known masterpieces of Armenian cinema:
Shor & Shorshor by Hamo Bek-Nazaryan - this 1926 silent film comedy features live accompaniment on electric cello by the internationally acclaimed cellist Artyom Manukyan. The film hilariously follows the adventures of two peasants sent by their wives to fetch food, who wind up exploiting superstitious villagers only for procuring drinks. Knowing that much of the acting and directing was improvised only adds to the charm of this hugely successful film in Armenia and abroad.
Hakob Hovnatanyan by Sergei Parajanov - this 1967 short film is about the Armenian painter nicknamed “the Raphael of Tiflis,” who was a founder of modern Armenian painting and a master in portraiture and miniature. In this short, Parajanov brilliantly reveals the thriving culture of 19th century Tbilisi.
This event is held in partnership with the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), the Cinema Foundation of Armenia (CFA), and the British Film Institute (BFI).
Image credit: Film still from Hakob Hovnatanyan by Parajanov, courtesy of CFA.
About Artyom Manukyan
Cellist Artyom Manukyan first made his name as a musician to watch in his native Armenia and travelled the world as the youngest member of the BBC World Music Award-winning Armenian Navy Band.Currently living in Los Angeles, Artyom is equally at home on the stages of jazz clubs, concert halls and rock festivals, performing with major international artists. Artyom’s genre-defying approach to playing the cello like a bass emerged from a combination of his conservatory training and exposure to the music of hallmark jazz bassists including Jaco Pastorius and Marcus Miller. A native of Yerevan, the Armenian capital, Artyom was influenced as a child by the music of both his mother, a classical piano teacher, and his father, a part-time DJ known as the biggest collector of jazz vinyl in Armenia. Artyom spent five years completing his classical cello education at the State Conservatory and began playing in jazz bands. Since moving to Los Angeles in 2010, Artyom has been in demand as a session musician and soundtrack composer. After the success of his debut solo album, “Citizen”, Artyom has gone on to release two additional albums, “Alone” in 2019 and “Rap-ertoire” in 2021. In his free time, Artyom teaches private lessons and has been an invited guest teacher at the world-renowned Tumo Center for Creative Technologies.