Roman Balayan, an Armenian filmmaker, made most of his films at the legendary Dovzhenko Studios in Kiev, and considers himself a student of Sergei Paradjanov. True to the auteur tradition, Balayan tends to work with a particular ensemble of actors. One of the most celebrated, and always outstanding figures in his films was Oleg Yankovsky. Yankovsky’s untimely death (20 May 2009) left the cinema world devastated.  This showcase will not only be a celebration of this remarkable filmmaker who will travel to London especially for the season, but also a tribute to one of the most distinguished and revered Russian actors.

This season runs in association with the Serguei Paradjanov Festival 2010

www.paradjanov-festival.co.uk

Dream Flights
Russia  | 1982 | col | 92 mins | dir. Roman Balayan, with Oleg Yankovsky, Lyudmilla Gurchenko, Oleg Tabakov | cert. 12A | UK Premiere

On the eve of his fortieth birthday, Sergei Makarov (Oleg Yankovsky) looks back over his life and finds that he has achieved nothing. He has neither found happiness for himself, nor been able to bring it to those closest to him: not to his long-suffering wife, his young mistress, nor friends or work colleagues...

tue 9 mar |  6.15pm
Introduced by dir. Roman Balayan

Birds of Paradise
Ukraine  | 2008 | col | 94 mins | dir. Roman Balayan, with Oleg Yankovsky, Oksana Akinshina, Yegor Pozenko | cert. 15 | UK Premiere

This film is about the possibility of finding and preserving inner freedom during a period in which the Soviet state had total control over every aspect of a person’s life. It tells a story of survival and resistance during the last decade of the Soviet regime.  

tue 9 mar |  8.30pm
Followed by Q&A with dir. Roman Balayan
 

The Spy
Russia | 1987 | col | 83 mins | dir. Roman Balayan, with Oleg Yankovsky, Yelena Safonova, Olga Ostoumova, Aleksandr Zbruev  | cert. 12A | UK Premiere

Set in 1916, the film paints a psychological portrait of a young member of the intelligentsia, caught up in the turbulence of a particularly troublesome period in Russian history.

wed 10 mar | 3.15pm