This special screening of Sergei Parajanov’s The Legend of Suram Fortress is presented by Pushkin House and Klassiki and will be followed by a brief conversation and Q&A with Kira Adibekov of the Armenian Film Society London and Samuel Goff, editorial director at Klassiki.
Marking Sergei Parajanov’s return to filmmaking after 15 years of imprisonment and censorship, The Legend of Suram Fortress is a dazzling reimagining of Georgian national legend. Unfolding across two mirrored storylines, one in the past and one in the present, the film explores religious identity, thwarted romance, and the power of redemption through the tale of a crumbling fortress that can only be saved if a local youth is entombed inside its walls. Parajanov’s syncretic approach to film is as vibrant as ever, drawing on folklore, traditional music and costuming, and medieval painting to construct living tableaux that sing with poetic symbolism. Dedicated to the fight for Georgian independence, this is also the director’s most politically strident film.
Pushkin House is an arts, cultural and social space that explores, challenges and debates Russian culture and identity today. Klassiki is the world’s only film platform dedicated to the cinema of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. Together, they present Parajanov’s dazzling reimagining of Georgian national legend, in which the director’s vibrant visual poetry is combined with a strident political message of independence.
