Synopsis:

Based on a story by the Russian author Mikhail Lermontov, Ashik Kerib has the texture of an ancient, oft-told bed time story. Kerib, a poor but kind-hearted man is in love with Magul-Megeri, beautiful daughter of a local rich man. The feeling is mutual, but Magul-Megeri’s father would rather she married Kurshudbek, a brutish rich man. Ashik Kerib makes a deal: he’ll wander the world for 7 years hoping to accumulate enough money to afford the wedding. The film uses a frontal approach which avoids depth. Thus, it creates the effect of the iconographic paintings of the Islamic miniatures, presenting the characters as if they were masks. These can be seen in the dedicated Parajanov museum in Yerevan, in the Armenian Republic. Godard said:”In the temple of cinema, there are images, light and reality. Sergei Parajanov was the master of that temple”. The film about the troubadour Kerib is a sensual delight and an encounter with the past. It presents the rites of the Zaherí culture through profane and sacred objects, prodigiously accompanied by the saz or kopuz, a string musical instrument. The second Parajanov film to be accompanied live music in the Cineclube of Tavira.

“Los Ninõs Muertos” will reinterpret and perform live the film soundtrack. This will be the second Parajanov movie to be accompanied live by “Los Ninõs Muertos” at Tavira's Cineclube.

1988: Prémios do Cinema Europeu: Melhor direcção de arte. 2 Nomeações