>
Sergey Paradzhanov
Born to a well-to-do Armenian family, Paradzhanov played violin and studied in the music conservatory before enrolling in the directing department of VGIK (All-Union Institute of Cinematography), from which he graduated in 1951. Beginning in 1949, he worked as an assistant director, then director at the Kiev film studios. Paradzhanov's first feature as a director, "Andriesh" (1955), co-directed with Y. Bazelyan, was noteworthy for its unusual use of surrealistic elements. In 1957 Paradzhanov made three shorts: "Dumka," "Golden Hands" and "Ataliva Uzhvii," followed by several undistinguished comedies and melodramas of the socialist-realist type: "The First Lad" (1959), "Ukrainian Rhapsody" (1961), "Flower on the Stone" (1963).