I Died In Childhood... (ya Umer V Detstve) (2004)

Sergei Parajanov

Soviet filmmaker Sergei Paradjanov burst into international recognition in 1964 with the release of Tini Zabutykh Predkiv (aka Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors), a widely acclaimed screen adaptation... read more  of Mikhaylo Kotsyubinsky's stories about life and love in the Western Ukraine. In 1969, Paradjanov created another masterwork with Tsvet Granata (aka The Color of Pomegranates or Red Pomegranate), but while many directors so gifted would have a long and successful career ahead of them, it was Paradjanov's poor fortune to be living in the Soviet Union. Soviet leaders made no secret of their dislike for Paradjanov's themes, or their belief that his style did not reflect a proper Soviet creative viewpoint. Tsvet Granata was never released outside of Armenia until 1977 when a smuggled print was screened in Paris. By that time, Paradjanov had not only been prevented from making films, but had been imprisoned on false charges for several years, and while international attention to his plight led to his release in 1978, it wasn't until 1985 that he was able to make another movie. He completed three more features before succumbing to cancer in 1990. I Died in Childhood ... is a documentary directed by Georgiy Paradjanov, Sergei Paradjanov's nephew, who chronicles his uncle's life and times, and his struggle to win his freedom and express himself through his art. Along with interviews, rare photographs, and samples of Paradjanov's artwork, the film also includes rarely seen excerpts from The Confession, his final uncompleted picture. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi