Artavazd Ashoti Peleshyan (born November 22, 1938, Leninakan) is an Armenian director of film-essays, a documentarian in the history of film art and a film theorist. However his work unlike Maya Deren's is not avant-garde nor tries to explore the absurd, is not really art for the art's sake like Stan Brakhage's but should be rather acknowledged as a poetic view on life embedded on film. In the words of the filmmaker Sergei Parajanov, his is "one of the few authentic geniuses in the world of cinema". Renowned Master of the Armenian SSR arts title (1979).
He is renowned for developing a style of cinematographic perspective known as distance montage, combining perception of depth with oncoming entities, such as running packs of antelope or hordes of humans. Characteristic to him is also the use of archive footage alongside with his own shots and, especially, fast intercutting between these two. Telephoto lens are often used to get "candid camera" shots of people engaging in mundane tasks.
His films are on the border between documentary and feature, rather reminding of the work of such avant-garde filmmakers as Bruce Connor than of any kind of conventional documentaries. Most of his films are short, the longest being 60 minutes and the shortest 6 minutes long. His films feature no dialogue; however, music and sound effects play nearly as important a role in his films as the visual images in contributing towards the artistic whole. Nearly all of his films were shot in black and white.
Already his student films he made while he was studying at VGIK were awarded several prizes. As for now, 12 films by Peleshyan are known to exist. The Beginning (Skizbe) (1967) is a cinematographical essay about the October Revolution of 1917. One of the unique visual effects used in this film is achieved by holding snippets of film still on one frame, then advancing only for a second or two until again pausing on another, resulting in a stuttering visual effect. Other important films by him are We (Menq) (1967, a poetically told history of Armenia and its people and Inhabitant (Obitateli) (1970), a reflection on the relationship between wildlife and humans. Artavazd Peleshian's most brilliant film is "The Seasons" (1975), exquisitely cinematographed by another great Armenian documentarian Mikhail Vartanov (Vardanov) - it is an outstanding look at the contradiction and harmony between the humans and nature.
Peleshyan is also the author of a range of theoretical works, such as his 1988 book Moyo kino (My Cinema).
Being from a country far away from internationally significant cinema circles, Peleshyan's efforts were never been properly recognized by world cinema until very recently. After the fall of Soviet Union, he has been able to make two more short films, Life (1993) and The End (1994). He is now living in Moscow. His most recent film was edited at the ZKM | Karlsruhe Film Institute in 2005-2006 and has not yet been released.
Verj (1994)
IMDb URL:
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| http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104263/ |
Genre: Short | Documentary
Also Known As: End , Fin.
Runtime: 10 min
Country: Armenia
Color: Black and White
Minimum expression, maximum effect, great montage!
This film is some kind of a Revelation. Quite simple, but ultimately strict structure of the film is dedicated to one clear concept: Life is short, you are send somewhere you can never know,while you are wasting your life, and the End will come suddenly, no one can escape from the death and the judgment of God. Amazingly enough, this film is made up of the most ordinary images, that can be seen anywhere in the world, if the railway goes among the rocky mountains,if the passengers are from various nationalities. In fact, the film was shot in Armenia, the motherland of the director, but here it is not so important, unlike in his other films,for example, "Four Seasons". All the images, shot in black and white, are "real", without any special effect, sometimes by trembling handy camera,but they are all under strict control of the author. Namely, he knew exactly what must be shot and how they must be composed.
This film must be seen. Any attempt to analyze it is vain, because it contains minimum components,which can have meanings only by the magic of montage by the Master.
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| http://rapidshare.com/files/130085573/Verj.rar |
Kyanq (1993)
IMDb URL:
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| http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108491/ |
Genre: Short | Documentary
Also Known As: Life
Runtime: 7 min
Country: Armenia
Color: Color
Poetic essay about the beginning of life from labor pains and birth and about its symbolic meaning.
About the beginning of life from labor pains and birth and about its symbolic meaning. Pelechian's first color picture.
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| http://rapidshare.com/files/130074642/Kyanq.rar |
Mer dare (1983)
IMDb URL:
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| http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298466/ |
Genre: Documentary
Also Known As: Our Century
Runtime: 50 min
Country: Soviet Union
Color: Color
A man paves his own way to his own soul through an intellectual quest, tragedies of nations and personal drama. The road moving through the cosmic distances is a flight into one's internal world. This flight and this drama are revealed in this philosophical film-poem.
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| http://rapidshare.com/files/130108585/Mer_dare.part1.rar http://rapidshare.com/files/130108665/Mer_dare.part2.rar http://rapidshare.com/files/130108677/Mer_dare.part3.rar http://rapidshare.com/files/130108884/Mer_dare.part4.rar http://rapidshare.com/files/130113832/Mer_dare.part5.rar http://rapidshare.com/files/130113856/Mer_dare.part6.rar http://rapidshare.com/files/130109738/Mer_dare.part7.rar |
Vremena goda (1975)
IMDb URL:
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| http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298597/ |
Genre: Documentary | Short
Also Known As: The Seasons , Four Seasons ,Seasons of the Year
Runtime: 28 min
Country : Soviet Union
Color: Black and White
The last collaboration of Armenia's two most important documentary auteurs, Mikhail Vartanov and Artavazd Peleshian. The first was Osennyaya pastoral (1971) which Artavazd Peleshian wrote and Vartanov directed and this film the "Seasons of the Year" (1975) which Pelechian directed and for the first time used no archive footage likely due to the exquisite cinematography by Vartanov. Peleshian's brilliant "Seasons" is probably one of the 3 most important documentary films made in Armenia, along with Paradjanov's Hakob Hovnatanyan (1967) and Vardanov's Parajanov: The Last Spring (1992). "Seasons" is an outstanding look at the co-existence of Nature and People and is perhaps Peleshian's best film after which 8 years passed before he made another one.
Peleshian's outstanding look at the co-existence of nature and people, lensed in black and white by Mikhail Vardanov. Music: Vivaldi's Four Seasons and Armenian folk.
Artavazd Pelechian's Seasons of the Year (1975), a film-essay about the contradiction and the harmony between man and nature, was the the 2nd and the last collaboration with Vartanov, who had directed Autumn Pastoral (1971) from Peleshian's screenplay. In the Seasons of the Year (1975), for the first time, Artavazd Pelechian did not use any archival footage likely due to the exquisite cinematography by Vartanov. Peleshian's Seasons of the Year (1975) is one of the 3 most important documentary films made in Armenia, along with Sergei Parajanov's Hakop Hovnatanian (1967) and Vartanov's Paradjanov: The Last Spring (1992).
The crew of the 30 minute black and white picture, also known as Four Seasons, Seasons of the Year, Tarva Yeghanakner and Vremena Goda, reportedly included Tigran Mansurian, who frequently worked with Parajanov, Vartanov and Peleshian.
Creator of the "distance montage," Artavazd Pelechian, one of the key Soviet documentarians, removed the boundaries of feature and documentary films, editing both sequences as a real poetical unity - it was a new step in the development of film editing. Even Peleshian's student work The Earth of the People 1966 and The Begining (1967) shot at VGIK, the prestige film school in Moscow, were awarded numerous prizes and he gained recognition among filmmakers, such as Jean-Luc Godard. Artavazd Pelechian is the author of a range of theoretical works, including his 1988 book "Moyo kino" ("My Cinema").
Artavazd Ashoti (Ashotovich) Peleshyan was born on the 22nd of February, 1938 in Leninakan, Armenia, Soviet Union (USSR). Pelechian studied at the legendary Russian film school VGIK from 1963 to 1968 and now lives in both Armenian capital Yerevan and Russian capital Moscow.
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| http://rapidshare.com/files/130095442/Vremena_goda.part1.rar http://rapidshare.com/files/130095493/Vremena_goda.part2.rar http://rapidshare.com/files/130095496/Vremena_goda.part3.rar http://rapidshare.com/files/130099193/Vremena_goda.part4.rar |
Obitateli (1970)
IMDb URL:
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| http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298373/ |
Genre: Short | Documentary
Also Known As: Inhabitants
Runtime: 9 min
Country: Soviet Union
Color: Black and White
Peleshian's perception of the inhabitants of the Earth.
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| http://rapidshare.com/files/130084580/Obitateli.rar |
Menq (1969)
IMDb URL:
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| http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298452/ |
Genre: Short | Documentary
Also Known As: We
Runtime: 24 min
Country: Soviet Union
Color: Black and White
Monumental picture exploring the identity and fate of the Armenian nation.
Explores the identity and fate of the Armenian nation. Directed by Artavazd Pelechian.
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| http://rapidshare.com/files/130075589/Menq.part1.rar http://rapidshare.com/files/130085131/Menq.part2.rar http://rapidshare.com/files/130079247/Menq.part3.rar |
Skizbe (1967)
IMDb URL:
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| http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298462/ |
Genre: Short | Documentary
Also Known As: Beginning
Runtime: 10 min
Country: Soviet Union
Color: Black and White
Philosophical essay about the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia, its influence on the destiny of the world in the 20th century.
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| http://rapidshare.com/files/130088226/Skizbe.part1.rar http://rapidshare.com/files/130119713/Skizbe.part2.rar |
Mardkants yerkire (1966)
IMDb URL:
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| http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0420764/ |
Genre: Documentary | Short
Also Known As: Earth of People
Runtime:10 min
Country: Soviet Union
Color: Black and White
Essay praising human life and work, the everlasting beauty and expression of human thought.
Praises human life and work, the everlasting beauty and expression of human thought. Directed by Artvazd Pelechian.
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| http://rapidshare.com/files/130075475/Mardkants_yerkire.part1.rar http://rapidshare.com/files/130073531/Mardkants_yerkire.part2.rar |
Lernayin parek (1964)
IMDb URL:
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| http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298448/ |
Genre: Documentary | Short
Also Known As: Mountain Vigil
Runtime: 10 min
Country: Soviet Union
Color: Black and White
About the struggle of man's will and muscles against nature, about the rock-climbers who prevent landslides and eliminate their consequences. Director Artavazd Peleshian.
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