Kenji's The Caucasus

Created by Fergenaprido.

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This neglected but fascinating region with high mountains and beautiful scenery, between the Black and Caspian seas, has produced some extraordinary and exceptional films. Most essential first here, the rest in year order. Sorry, I have let this list slip, will update to include more recent films soon.

I thought we already had a Caucasus list here, we do have some that cover the area along with others, but i can’t locate one on the Caucasus alone. Turkey is on the edge of the Southern Caucasus, and to the North, Russia; here it’ll just be Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, indigenous directors like Paradjanov, Kalatozov, Iosseliani, Abuladze, Peleshian and a couple of films by Atom Egoyan who is of Armenian heritage. I’m not including films set elsewhere, for instance Iosseliani’s French films, and Kalatozov’s in Russia (The Cranes are Flying…) and Cuba (I am Cuba), but i am including films by other Europeans like Since Otar Left and Journey to Armenia.

See Noema’s list Georgian Cinema and "Kolar’’s list CINEMA OF AZERBAIJAN, invaluable resources that fill major gaps here. Good to see lots of Azerbaijani films now added to database.

Parajanov’s Ukrainian-set Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a must-see too. The Iranian film Bashu the Little Stranger may also be of interest as much of it takes place in the Northern region of Gilan, which is next to the Caspian Sea and is thus culturally contiguous with the Caucasus (thanks to Chai Wallah for that info).

The list is separated into a Top 14 and the rest, with both sections listed chronologically.

Missing from imdb (mostly shorts):
#70 Biri Vardi, Biri Yoxdu... (1967 Eldar Quliyev)
#97 Untitled (1976 Hamlet Hovsepian)
#119 Tənha narın nağılı [Tale of the Lonely Pomegranate Tree] (1984 Şamil Mahmudbəyov & Hasanaga Turabov)
#150 A Night at Parajanov Museum (1998 Roman Balayan)
#157 Impressions from Rustaveli (2001 Nana Tchitchoua)
#186 Mayak [The Beacon] (2012 Fariz Ahmedov)
#190 Ert katss vukvardi [One Man Loved Me] (2012 Ana Urushadze)