Shushanik Mirzakhanyan is an experienced Armenian producer and cinema manager. She is a graduate of the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in Moscow, where she studied film economics. From 1983 to 2004, she served as head of film crews at Hayfilm Studio. She later worked as Deputy Managing Director from 2004 to 2009 and has been the Managing Director of Hayk Documentary Film Studio (NCSO) since 2009. Mirzakhanyan has been a member of the Union of Cinematographers of Armenia since 2004 and has been teaching at the Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography since 2016.
She was a member of the jury of the Eastern Vista Competition at the 43rd Fajr International Film Festival. In this interview with the festival’s press office, she spoke about poetic cinema—the central theme of this edition of the Fajr International Film Festival—Sergei Parajanov, whom she considers the embodiment of poetic cinema, and her experience judging the Eastern Vista section, dedicated to Asian feature films.
Ms. Mirzakhanyan, welcome to the Fajr International Film Festival. We are honored to host you in the city of Shiraz this year.
Thank you to you and your colleagues for inviting me to serve as a jury member. It was an honor for me to be present at such a unique and fascinating festival.
Given your many years of experience in film production, how would you define poetic cinema, and what characteristics do you associate with this type of cinema?
It is a difficult question, but if I were to answer in one short sentence, poetic cinema, for me, means Sergei Parajanov. He was one of a kind, and there has never been another like him. Anyone, anywhere in the world, who has tried to imitate him, has failed; even the best copies have not worked. Of course, we all know that Andrei Tarkovsky is also one of the great figures of poetic cinema, and there are other filmmakers around the world working in this style. But perhaps because I am Armenian myself, whenever poetic cinema is mentioned, the first name that comes to my mind is Parajanov.
During this edition of the Fajr International Film Festival, did you see films that reminded you of Parajanov’s cinema?
During the festival days, we watched films that, if we look at poetic cinema as a prism and view it from different angles were interesting and compelling works. My belief in Parajanov’s uniqueness does not mean that world cinema lacks poetic richness. On the contrary, poetic cinema is like poetry itself. When we look at a prism from different angles, we see different colors. We cannot read different poems and say that one is poetry and the other is not. In cinema as well, poetic vision, poetic expression, and the creation of images with a poetic mindset can generate different forms of poetic cinema.
As a jury member of the Eastern Vista section, what were your most important criteria for evaluating the films? For example, form and style, subject matter, cinematic boldness, or other elements?
In my opinion, all the elements of a cinematic film—both in terms of content and form—must be harmonious and coherent for the film to reach a standard level of quality. When we speak of poetic cinema, both content and form must be truly cinematic for the film to deserve the label “poetic.” Therefore, my criteria in evaluation were cinematic criteria—the same ones that have existed since the birth of cinema. I would like to add one brief point, without mentioning any specific film. A film may be poetic in content, but its structure may not be suitable for the cinematic medium and may instead be more appropriate for television. In that case, for me, it is not cinema, because it is not made for the big screen and serves a different function.
This year, the festival featured diverse films from different countries and cultures. In your opinion, does understanding a film require familiarity with the culture it comes from? And does unfamiliarity with diverse cultures make the jury’s work more difficult?
No, on the contrary. Watching a film from an unfamiliar culture makes it more appealing to me. When I say that every film must have the essential characteristics of a cinematic work, that is sufficient. One of the pleasures of a festival is precisely watching films from cultures that are completely unknown to us and becoming acquainted with new worlds. These are works whose creators try, through artistic and cultural means and via the cinematic medium, to introduce us to new cultures. In fact, this is where the appeal of cinema lies.
Since Parajanov represents poetic cinema for you, what elements in his films make his poetic language understandable to audiences around the world?
Parajanov was unique, and no similar filmmaker has appeared anywhere in the world so far. He presented the alphabet of his films within the films themselves, allowing the audience to enter his world from the very first frames. It is like entering a place you have never been before and beginning to explore it. Parajanov did not only make poetic films; he lived poetically. If you knew him personally, you could see that in his daily life—how he ate, how he treated a guest entering his home, how he set the table—he was constantly creating. For example, if you watch his film “The Color of Pomegranates,” or see the collages from that film displayed in his museum, you realize that each of his shots is, in itself, a painting. He only wanted to create beauty. I have watched Parajanov’s films many times, in different places around the world, with different people, and I have never heard anyone say, “I have seen this film before, I know the story, and now I am tired of watching it.” It is like a painting that you have seen many times and still want to see again.
Of course, people from other cultures may not fully understand Parajanov’s films. Do you agree?
Exactly. It is like not knowing Persian, but feeling that you understand Hafez when someone reads his poetry beautifully beside you. Parajanov did the same in cinema. The viewer feels that they have understood his film. For those of us who are familiar with his culture, Parajanov is actually a storyteller. While he is the poet of cinema, he tells stories on screen—but he tells them using the alphabet of poetry. Before “The Color of Pomegranates,” Parajanov made a short film about Hakob Hovnatanyan, a 19th-century Armenian painter who lived in Georgia. It is a lesser-known film. At first, one might expect a film about a painter to simply show the paintings, but Parajanov chose a different approach. Most of Hovnatanyan’s works were portraits, and Parajanov turned them into a poetic narrative, as if the characters within the portraits were speaking to one another and reciting poetry. In this way, he created a story based on an emotional connection between the portraits. He offered the audience a new understanding of Hovnatanyan—one that could never be achieved by simply viewing the paintings individually in an exhibition. Through short sentences, sound effects, and music layered over the portraits, Parajanov composed a beautiful poem on screen. In fact, he narrated every image poetically.
In your opinion, what is the greatest challenge in producing films with a poetic mode of expression?
I believe that nothing can stop this movement, and in fact, there is no real challenge. If you intend to create a poetic film, there is no obstacle. Budget and audience are concerns for every film, but what truly matters is creative ability. If creativity takes shape in a film, it will undoubtedly affect the soul and spirit of the audience. Since the beginning of human existence, people have always appreciated poetic expression. Therefore, such films cannot be without an audience nor have only a limited one. The only condition is the creation of a genuine and truly poetic work.
Please share your opinion about the Fajr International Film Festival and the extent to which such festivals can promote poetic cinema.
First, let me comment on the festival venue, which I found astonishing, authentic, and perfectly suited to such an event, while also fully aligned with international festival standards. Second, the Fajr International Film Festival is the most important festival in the region. Third, choosing poetic cinema as the theme of this edition was very appealing. However, selecting a concept like “poetic cinema” as the defining theme of a global festival is a difficult task, and maintaining it is even more challenging. If the festival were to accept only films with this theme every year, the selection pool would become limited. For example, this year, very good films were produced in Armenia that unfortunately could not participate in the Fajr International Film Festival because they did not align with the theme of poetic cinema.
What is your suggestion?
Since making poetic films is not easy and only a limited number of such films are produced worldwide each year, if the Fajr International Film Festival were to maintain this approach annually, it might face a shortage of eligible films, which would be unfortunate for such a prestigious and professional festival. Therefore, it might be better to select this theme once every few years. My suggestion is that the festival chooses a different theme each year for film submissions. In conclusion, I would like to say that the Fajr International Film Festival is very grand and magnificent and holds great importance in the region. I sincerely congratulate you and your colleagues for organizing such a professional festival and wish for it to grow stronger and larger year after year.
