Born in Tibilisi, Georgia in 1924 to Armenian parents. After studying film and music, he became an assistant director at the Dovzhenko Studios in Kiev, making his directorial debut in 1954. In 1964 with <Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors>, he was recognized a startling genius. Followed this up with the even more innovative <Color of the Pomegranate> (1968), but he was imprisoned most of the 1970s with the conflict with the authority. Returned with <Legend of Suram Fortress> (1986), he proved that he is indeed the greatest master of the 20th Century. He passed away in 1990 with cancer.