Posters for the films of Sergei Parajanov

This post is a collection of 31 posters of films directed or co-directed by Sergei Parajanov (1924-1990).

He is seen working at his home in Tbilisi in the above black and white photo. In the background is a poster for his 1969 film, Sayat Nova, more commonly titled as The Colour of Pomegranates. The posters are in Russian, Ukrainian, Japanese, French, Georgian and surprisingly none are in Armenian.

I’ve provided legal advice on film and tv works since 1983. This post is a novelty. I don’t think anyone, anywhere has put onto one webpage posters of all of the films of Sergei Parajanov. These 31 posters of 13 of his films are all I could find online.

Soviet film poster design

Soviet period design, as I’ve seen it, used flat blocks of strong colour, often massively evident thick lines drawing faces, iconography not fixated on film actor or celebrity worship, and of course bold use of novel typography.

Research materials on his life and work

In late 1992, two years after the death of Parajanov, for about a month I researched, with a friend, Parajanov’s life and work in Yerevan and Tbilisi in late 1992.

The unpublished research materials include hundreds of photos and mini cassette tape audio recordings of interviews with actors, a doctor, composers, photographers and others who worked with Parajanov. Many have returned to the earth, such as photographer Zaven Sargsyan and the Georgian actors Sofiko Chiaureli (who starred in The Colour of Pomegranates) and Ramaz Chkhikvadze (who featured in Ashik Kerib).

Director of 17 films

Parajanov is associated as a director or co-director with 17 films listed below. Most are feature films, a few shorts, two documentaries and one banned, unfinished work, Kiev Frescoes.

Moldavian Tale – graduate short film, no poster, lost film
Andriesh (1954) – feature length remake of Moldavian Tale
Dumka (1958) – no poster found
The First Lad (1958)
Natalya Ushvij (aka Natlai Uzhvy) (1959)
Golden Hands (1960) – documentary
Ukrainian Rhapsody (1961)
Flower on the Stone (1962)
Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors (1965)
Kiev Frescoes (1966) – no poster, a short film, banned, only 15 minute audition footage survives
Hagop Hovnatanian (1967) – short film on the Armenian painter
Children of Komitas (1968) – no poster, documentary for UNICEF, lost
The Colour of Pomegranates (1969)
The Legend of Suram Fortress (1985)
Arabesques on the Pirosmani Theme (1985) – short film on the Georgian painter
Ashik Kerib (1988)
The Confession (1992) – unfinished authobiographical work, negatives survive in Mikhail Vartanov’s “Parajanov: The Last Spring” (1992)

The following film works by Parajanov appear not to have any available posters:

Moldavian Tale – graduate short film, no poster, lost film
Dumka (1958) – no poster found
Kiev Frescoes (1966) – no poster, a short film, banned, only 15-minute audition footage survives
Children of Komitas (1968) – no poster, documentary for UNICEF, lost

Andriesh (1954) – feature length remake of Moldavian Tal

The First Lad (1958

The First Lad (1958)

Natalya Ushvij (aka Natlai Uzhvy) (1959)

Golden Hands (1960) – documentary

Ukrainian Rhapsody (1961)

Ukrainian Rhapsody (1961)