Place of Birth. Education. Born in the Nerkin Oratag village of the Mardakert region of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region of the Azerbaijan SSR. In 1961-1964. studied at the directing department of the Yerevan Theater Institute, in 1969 graduated from the directing department of the Kiev State Institute of Theater Arts named after I. Karpenko-Kary.
Career. 1959-1961 – Theater actor in Stepanakert (Nagorno-Karabakh).
Roman Balayan considers himself a student Sergei Parajanov… As a director made his debut in 1973 year by putting the film “Romashkin effect”… Second Feature Film Balayan “Biryuk” was nominated for 1977 year on Berlinale on the “Golden Bear”… His film “Flights in dreams and in reality” v 1987 year became one of the highest grossing hits Soviet cinema… Filmed in 1982 and shown at the box office in the middle restructuring, he stunningly summarized the tragedy of a generation living in the deeply absurd realities of the late socialism…
V 1986 year Balayan’s feature film “Keep me, my talisman”, which takes place in Boldino, simulated the situation Pushkin and D’Anthes in our time. A whole galaxy of famous actors starred in the film: Oleg Yankovsky, Tatiana Drubich, Alexander Abdulov, Alexander Zbruev, Mikhail Kozakov, Bulat Okudzhava… This film received the “Golden Tulip” Istanbul International Film Festival…
After collapse of the Soviet Union Balayan creates a number of films that have had great audience success. His art drama “Two months, three suns “ was nominated for 1998 year at the International film festival v Karlovy Vary to the “Crystal Globe”.
The main type of Balayan’s hero is a hermit who is torn apart by contradictions, who cannot find his place in the world around him. He made few films, but they invariably arouse the interest of the audience and the high praise of critics: “Flights in dreams and in reality”, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk district” (1989), “Two Moons, Three Suns” (1998), “Birds of Paradise” (2008)… The director also participated in the creation of many of his films as a screenwriter.
He worked with many recognized actors, including such stars as Oleg Yankovsky, Alexander Abdulov, Oleg Menshikov, Oleg Tabakov, Lyudmila Gurchenko, Nikita Mikhalkov and Lev Durov… At the same time, he considered his main director’s task to be “to break all the previous developments and stamps of the actor and convince him of his idea, of his strength and intelligence.”
Filmed television versions of the performances of the Sovremennik Theater (Moscow): “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? “(1992),” Anfisa “(1993), etc.
Lives and works in Ukraine.
Full member The national Academy of Arts of Ukraine, member Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine…
WITH 1996 of the year Roman Balayan is the director of the TV and Radio Company “Illusion Films” (produced films “Two moons, three suns”, “Theater of the Doomed”).
On July 8, 2024, the first Ukrainian-language film directed by Roman Balayan with Akhtem Seitablaev in the title role was released. Arthouse black-and-white film “We Are. We Are Near” tells the story of a dramatic story of loss and love.
Civil position. During Russian armed aggression against Ukraine in March 2014 together with other Ukrainian cultural figures, he signed a letter to their Russian colleagues, in which they debunked the myths of the Kremlin propaganda about Evromaidan and “harassment and even persecution of Russian-speaking people”…
In 2018 he supported a Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov, illegally detained in Russia.
Regalia. Laureate of the USSR State Prize (1987). People’s Artist of Ukraine (1997).
Awards. In 2001 he was awarded the Order of Merit of the third degree. In 2008 he was awarded the Order of Merit, second degree. In 2016 he was awarded the First Degree Order of Merit.
08/01/2021