Between 1966 and 1985, Armenian filmmaker Sergei Parajanov made three remarkable short films: Kyiv Frescoes (1967), Hakob Hovnatanyan (1967), and Arabesques on the Theme of Pirosmani (1985). However, in 2018 all three titles were in danger of disappearing from film history.

Join us for an illustrated talk by Daniel Bird, one of the world’s leading scholars on Eastern European cult cinema. Hear him share the story of the search for these films in Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine, and Russia, as well as the stories of the people who made them—not least Parajanov himself. Bird will also speak about the people safeguarding the material legacy of Soviet-era cinema in times of international conflict.

Bird is an archivist, curator, and filmmaker. He has worked with Polish film director Andrzej Żuławski, is the co-founder of Friends of Walerian Borowczyk, and directs a film-preservation and film-restoration project concerning films from the South Caucasus, Central Asia, and Ukraine.