Sergei Parajanov once said that he was born not on January 9, 1924, as is generally accepted, but rather in November 1923. He said that his father, overjoyed to have finally had a son, spent several weeks partying and drinking before deciding to go and record the birth of his son at the civil registry office. Consequently, according to this true or invented story, Parajanov’s centenary coincides with the centenary of Armenian cinema, which was celebrated in Yerevan in November 2023, and to which this article was written. In the Western world, presenting Parajanov as an “Armenian filmmaker” is not always self-evident, since he is rather characterized as of Armenian “origin”, or Armenian “decent”, and even sometimes as a “Georgian”, “Russian”, or “Soviet” artist. Parajanov’s work can be comprehended within a global Paradox, which consists in freely and unexpectedly crossing the conventional borders and limits, including semantic definitions. This principle theoretically and visually focuses on Parajanov’s masterpiece The Color of Pomegranates, which is arguably the best film of the Armenfilm studio. It was also described by some critics as a “non-film”, since it disrupts the very essence of cinema: the movement. Thus, the terms “Armenian” and “filmmaker” are simultaneously exact and problematic. Hence, Parajanov’s paradox can be defined as his unique ability to stand on both sides of the borders (or the definitions) at the same time. The article investigates this fundamental paradox regarding Sergei Parajanov’s Armenian identity.

KeywordsParajanov cinema Armenian filmmaker paradox idiot Godard Pasolini