Directed by Sergei Parajanov and Dodo Abashidze • 1985 • USSR/Georgia

Marking Sergei Parajanov’s return to filmmaking after 15 years of imprisonment and censorship, The Legend of Suram Fortress is a dazzling reimagining of Georgian national legend. Unfolding across two mirrored storylines, one in the past and one in the present, the film explores religious identity, thwarted romance, and the power of redemption through the tale of a crumbling fortress that can only be saved if a local youth is entombed inside its walls. Parajanov’s syncretic approach to film is as vibrant as ever, drawing on folklore, traditional music and costuming, and medieval painting to construct living tableaux that sing with poetic symbolism. Dedicated to the fight for Georgian independence, this is also the director’s most politically strident film.

THE LEGEND OF SURAM FORTRESS • ამბავი სურამის ციხისა
Directed by Sergei Parajanov and Dodo Abashidze
Written by Vaja Gigashvili
From the novel Suramis Tsikhe by Daniel Chonkadze
Cinematography by Yuri Klimenko
Music by Jansuh Kakhidze
Starring: Zurab Kipshidze, Dodo Abashidze, Sofiko Chiaureli

In Georgian and Russian with English subtitles