"Parajanov Days" in the Greek Capital of Athens

05 December, 2024

On December 3-4, at the initiative of the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Greece and with the participation of the Michalis Cacoyannis Foundation (MCF), in collaboration with the Greek Directors Guild (GDG), and with the support of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Armenia, “Parajanov Days” were organized in the Greek capital of Athens, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Sergey Parajanov.

The series of events kicked off on December 3 at the Michalis Cacoyannis Foundation Hall, where Alexandra Georgopoulou, the Foundation’s Coordinator of Cultural Programs and International Cooperation, offered opening remarks, followed by the screening of film-essay “In My World” by director Ruben Gevorgyan (1979, 1989) and Parajanov’s (1967) “Hakob Hovnatanyan” documentary film.

During the second part of the event the attendees had the opportunity to view a photo exhibition of the great artist’s works in the central hall of the foundation, which included Parajanov’s paintings from different periods and photos of exclusive sketches for the performance of “Hamlet”. The latter were being shown outside of Armenia for the first time.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia Tigran Mkrtchyan noted in his speech that exhibitions of Parajanov’s paintings were organized in Greece in 1994 during the 35th Thessaloniki International Film Festival and in 2001 at the Melina Merkour Cultural Center in Athens.

He added that one of Parajanov’s masterpieces – the “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors”, was awarded a gold medal in the “Best Direction” nomination at the First Thessaloniki International Film Festival in 1966.

“Sergey Parajanov is undoubtedly one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. The cultural heritage he left behind is an inexhaustible wealth that not only does not lose its interest, but also increases its geography day by day, and, most importantly, all this happens naturally. It is difficult to relate to his art once and not want to return to it again and again. I know many people who, when visiting Armenia, consider it a priority to visit his house-museum,” the Ambassador said.

“Parajanov has become one of the main visiting cards of our country. I think that this has its own deep and yet undiscovered mystery. Parajanov is the type of artist who overcame his time, the environments in which he found himself, willy-nilly, and became a true pioneer, a leader towards new, yet undiscovered spaces and times,” Ambassador Mkrtchyan noted in his speech.

The reception was followed by hospitality and tasting of Armenian drinks.

On December 4, Sergey Parajanov’s film “The Color of the Pomegranate” was screened. Christos Xenos, a representative of the Greek Film Directors Association, spoke about the peculiarities of S. Parajanov’s films and their unique nature. This was followed by a discussion on Parajanov’s art and especially the film “The Color of the Pomegranate.”

Ilze Paegle-Mkrtchyan, co-author and translator of the book “Parajanov’s Worlds and Scenarios: Letters from Prison”, presented the background of the creation of the film and provided comments on some episodes of the film.

At the same time, she referred to Parajanov not only as a director and artist, but also as a writer, presenting excerpts from his scripts and letters.

Film director, journalist for the Greek Public Radio and Television and author of the documentary “The Pomegranates of Nagorno-Karabakh” Thomas Sideris spoke about Parajanov’s character, especially noting Parajanov’s use of space in “The Color of the Pomegranate.”

“Instead of depicting realistic environments, Parajanov constructs spaces loaded with symbolic meaning. The film’s visual language uses objects, colors and the arrangement of physical space to reflect the inner emotional and spiritual world of the main character, the Armenian poet Sayat-Nova,” the director noted.

The digital restoration of the film “The Color of Pomegranate” was carried out (2004) by the World Film Foundation (Martin Scorsese Foundation) with the funding of the “Material World” Center, and the exclusive screening took place with the permission of that foundation.

The screenings of the films were carried out with the support of the Armenian Film Center and the World Film Fund. The exhibition of Parajanov’s paintings and sketches was made possible thanks to the support of the Parajanov Museum.

The events were attended by the Primate of the Greek-Armenian Diocese, His Eminence Bishop Khoren Arakelyan, representatives of the clergy, members of the Greek Parliament, diplomats accredited in Greece, representatives of Armenian community structures, intellectuals, and journalists.

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