Since childhood, the pomegranate has been for me not just a fruit, but a symbol of beauty and mystery. All thanks to the films of Sergei Parajanov: his The Colour of Pomegranates has forever woven itself into my imagination, becoming a metaphor for freedom and poetry. That is why I awaited Zara Jian’s screening of “I Will Revenge This World with LOVE” at the 2024 Ghent Film Festival with such anticipation.
Zara Jian is a director and artist of Armenian descent, raised outside her homeland. Her work balances between documentary realism and personal poetics. For her, returning to Armenia was not merely an exploration of cultural heritage, but an attempt to redefine what it means to be a free artist in a world full of limitations.
The Studio Sphinx was packed. The atmosphere was almost intimate, yet tense: the audience knew they were about to witness not just a biography or homage, but a confessional film. Through her personal return to her roots, Jian engages with Parajanov’s legacy, transforming his home in Yerevan into a place of inspiration and a symbol of inner freedom.
Parajanov, who was persecuted by the Soviet regime for many years, appears here not as a victim, but as a source of strength. His “The Colour of Pomegranates and Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors” become starting points for a conversation about how art can serve as a weapon against oppression. And while the film reads as Jian’s personal story, it resonates far beyond that – as a manifesto for an entire generation living in a world where walls and fences may have disappeared, yet new boundaries – political, cultural, mental – continue to emerge.
After the screening, the audience lingered long, applauding, asking questions, shedding tears. For a moment, the festival transformed into a space of shared experience: even under pressure and oppression, one can create beauty stronger than any regime.
This film is not so much about the past as it is about the present and the future. Parajanov remains with us because his vision of freedom through art today speaks louder than ever.
