Sergei Parajanov

Known for: The Color of Pomegranates (1969), Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1964)

Sergei Parajanov spent nearly a decade imprisoned by Soviet authorities for charges widely understood to be related to his homosexuality and his uncompromising artistic independence. His films — Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1964), The Color of Pomegranates (1969) — treat narrative as secondary to visual poetry, constructing images from folk art, religious iconography, and Armenian and Ukrainian material culture. The Color of Pomegranates was suppressed by Soviet censors for years before receiving limited distribution.