You Are Fire

You Are Fire is a collaborative project envisioned by Elvin Brandhi and Daniel Bird. This live film-performance reworks newly scanned 35mm outtakes and screen tests from the shooting of Sergei Parajanov’s The Colour of Pomegranates or Sayat Nova (1969) into 15 film miniatures. Originally conceived as a film-poem about the life of the poet-ashugh, Arutin Sayadyan, each miniature grows out of textures – Armenian, Georgian and Azeri architecture, landscapes and objects – enabling the authenticity of an era to emerge. Using Tigran Mansurian and Yuri Sayadian’s original soundtrack as raw material, the musical heritage of Sayat Nova is brought to the fore, reimagining a performance by an ashugh, or singer-poet bard, at the early 21st-century crossroads of analogue and digital media.

Directed by —, You Are Fire leans on a strong ensemble — Daniel Bird — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 2025.