The documentary film “I Will Take Revenge on the World Through Love – S. Parajanov,” directed by Zara Djian, has been a great success, being included in the official program of the 81st Venice International Film Festival in the competition section of the VENICE CLASSICS group. The film’s world premiere dedicated to Metsn Parajanov will take place on September 6 in Venice. The film’s characters, creative and production staff, representatives of the RA Embassy in the Republic of Italy, representatives of the RA Consulate in the Veneto Province of the Republic of Italy, representatives of the Mkhitaryan Congregation, festival guests and international partners will be present at the inaugural screening.
The film begins with the author, a modern director, deciding to leave the country where he lives due to the outbreak of dramatic events, return to his homeland, Armenia, and search for solutions to continue living. The Parajanov House Museum becomes a place of inspiration (based on actual events).
In the film, the past meets the present. Through Parajanov’s life and work and with him, such questions as the theme of human freedom in unfree conditions, how barbed wire and wars affect culture and cultural figures, what is perhaps the only right choice in toxic reality, etc., will be explored. Life and creativity must exist despite prohibitions and dictatorships.
They are searching for shared ideas, goals, and solutions with heroes who find themselves in different barricades, united by their love for Parajanov. The author of the film’s image is Canadian-Armenian Norayr Kasper. The film leads from reality to abstraction and vice versa. The shooting style contains both academic and authorial techniques.
The film is an Armenian-French joint production in which Great Britain also participated. The producers are Ani Vorskanyan and Zara Jyan. The French co-producer is Stéphane Jourdin. The project was supported by the National Cinema Center of Armenia, the Ministry of CGMS, the film’s co-producer, the French CNC, and Cine+ organizations.
Parajanov was world-famous and is still a benchmark and role model. The geography of this film is also huge. Filming took place in Armenia, Serbia, Latvia, and Germany; in Serbia in June 2023, where an interview with Emir Kusturica was filmed; in Riga (Latvia) in August 2023, where interviews with Chulpan Khamatova and Laura Guerra were filmed; in Berlin in February 2024, where an interview with Atom Egoyan was filmed, and in Yerevan, in July-October 2023 and February 2024, interviews with Artavazd Peleshyan, Joel Shapron, Ali Hamraev, Levon Abrahamyan. In January 2024, Tarsem Singh also made a memorable trip to Yerevan to shoot the film. The feature part of the film was also shot in Yerevan.
