Watch Armenian director Sergei Parajanov’s masterpiece The Colour of Pomegranates online for free

Celebrate the 97th birthday of Armenian filmmaker Sergei Parajanov by watching his masterpiece, The Colour of Pomegranates.

Viewers in the UK can watch the film for free with English subtitles on Eastern European cinema platform Kino Klassika until 12 January.

The poetic film tells the life story of 18th-century Armenian poet Sayat Nova, with visuals rich with poetic symbolism and vivid colour contrasts. The film is also a love letter to traditional Armenian culture, celebrating the country’s music, crafts, churches, and rural life.

Born in Georgia on 9 January 1924, Parajanov worked in Ukraine and Armenia before moving into film in 1954. All of his films made between 1965 to 1973 were banned in the Soviet Union, and the director was ultimately imprisoned for four years on charges of rape, homosexuality, and bribery. He was only able to make more films and have them screened in the mid-80s, due to the increased freedom under glasnost. The director died of lung cancer in 1990, just as his films were beginning to circulate and gain recognition at international festivals.