The evil wizard Black Whirlwind steals the herd of the shepherd boy Andriesh along with his faithful dog Lupar. Andriesh sets off to rescue them. On the way, he receives a magical flute as a gift, which helps him find his way to the wizard’s castle. He also comes to the aid of Black Whirlwind’s numerous victims, who have long suffered from the wizard’s misdeeds.

Sergei Paradjanov’s debut film, based on Emilian Bukov’s Moldovan fairy tale, was shot at the Olexander Dovzhenko Film Studio in Kyiv, where the director worked after graduating from the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography. While still a student, Paradjanov made a short graduation film based on this material, entitled Moldovan Fairy Tale. Its distinctive feature was the combination of puppet animation and live nature, which served as the background. “Andriesh” became its expanded and more ambitious feature-length remake. 

Another debutant, Yakiv Bazelyan, became the co-director of the film, although “Andriesh” was largely Paradjanov’s project. The film reveals the origins of the style and motifs that would later appear in Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors. However, the film itself still leans toward the traditions of Soviet fairy tales, particularly the films of Alexander Rou. As in Rou’s films, Paradjanov’s uniformity prevails over national identity. 

Ultimately, the film was not a box office success and was criticized for its underdeveloped script, but the young lead actor Kostya Russu, the cinematography of Suren Shakhbazian, and the musical score were noted.