Artavazd Peleshyan

In 1998, Peleshyan reflected on his approach to filmmaking and cinematography,

Being from a country removed from internationally significant cinema circles, Peleshyan's efforts were not initially well-recognized by critics of world cinema. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, he has made two more short films, Life (Armenian: Կյանք Kyanq) (1993) and The End (1994). He is now living in Moscow. His most recent film, Nature (French: La nature), was edited at the ZKM | Karlsruhe Film Institute in 2005-2006 and was premiered in 2020.

Peleshyan is also the author of a range of theoretical works, such as his 1988 book, My Cinema (Russian: Моё кино Moyo kino).

Artavazd Peleshian's most significant film is considered, by many critics, to be Seasons of the Year (Armenian: Տարվա եղանակները Tarva yeghanaknere) (1975), shot by cinematographer Mikhail Vartanov. It is a look at the contradiction and harmony between humans and nature and was the last collaboration between Peleshian and Vartanov, Armenia's two most important documentary auteurs, who first worked together on The Autumn Pastoral (Armenian: Աշնանային հովվերգություն Ashnanayin hovvergutyun) (1971).

Peleshyan's early films, made when he was still a student at VGIK, were awarded several prizes. Twelve films by Peleshyan are known to exist. The Beginning (Armenian: Սկիզբը 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 a single frame, then advancing only for a second or two before again pausing on another, resulting in a stuttering visual effect.

Other important films by him are We (Armenian: Մենք Menq) (1967), a poetically told history of Armenia and its people, and Inhabitants (Russian: Обитатели Obitateli) (1970), a reflection on the relationship between wildlife and humans.

Artavazd Peleshyan (Armenian: Արտավազդ (Արթուր) Փելեշյան, romanized: Artavazd (Art’ur) P’eleshyan; also Pelechian, Peleshian; born February 22, 1938) is an Armenian director of essay films, a documentarian in the history of film art, a screenwriter, and a film theorist. 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. Filmmaker Sergei Parajanov has referred to Peleshyan as "one of the few authentic geniuses in the world of cinema". Peleshyan was awarded the title of Merited Artist of the Armenian SSR in 1979, and Merited Artist of the Russian Federation in 1995.