15th Annual Armenian Film Festival at Fresno State

Diana Gasparyan

Staff Writer

The 15th Annual Armenian Film Festival, a popular event organized by the Armenian Studies Program and Armenian Students Organization, was held this year on Friday, February 17. The Festival featured three films created by a new generation of young Armenian directors, writers, and producers. The Festival helps to cultivate an awareness of Armenian culture among the University and community and a large audience attended.

The Festival opened with a documentary, I Hate Dogs!: The Last Survivor (2005), about one of the last known survivors of the Armenian Genocide. The film explores the story of 99 year-old Garbis Hagopian-Ghazarian and his traumatic encounter with dogs during the Genocide. Using heartbreaking personal testimonies, directors PeÅ Holmquist and Suzanne Khardalian capture the history of Garbis and his family, from their experiences during the Armenian Genocide to their new life in France. Throughout the film, members of the Hagopian-Ghazarian family comment on Garbis’s disdain for dogs.

At the conclusion of the film, it is revealed that Garbis’s father was murdered during the Genocide. When Garbis went to bury his father, he found wild dogs feeding on the body. Though Garbis was able to find refuge in France, where he raised a thriving family, he harbored a hatred of dogs for the rest of his life.

“Seeing Garbis and his family interact was something a lot of people could relate to with their families. I loved the imagery and the sense of togetherness of his Armenian family,” said Fresno State junior Hourig Attarian.

SaroyanLand (2013), making its Fresno premiere, was the featured documentary of the evening. The docu-drama focuses on William Saroyan’s longing to return to Bitlis, the birthplace of his family.

“I thought it was interesting that although Saroyan did not know exactly where his family lived in Bitlis, he went anyway,” said junior Marina Chardukian. “It showed how strong his emotional ties were to his hometown.”

Lusin Dink directed the film, based on Saroyan’s 1964 journey to Bitlis. That journey was later immortalized in Saroyan’s play Bitlis, published in the book The Armenian Trilogy by The Press at California State University, Fresno in 1986. Dr. Dickran Kouymjian, Professor Emeritus of Armenian Studies at Fresno State, who was interviewed in the film, edited and wrote the introduction of The Armenian Trilogy.

The film interspersed beautiful cinematographic shots of historic Armenia with Saroyan quotes voiced by a narrator.

Anahid Nazarian, director of Shesh-Besh was present for the showing of her 16-minute short film, which balanced the mood of the evening

by contributing a more comedic element to the Festival, rather than the more serious note of the previous two films. Shesh-Besh was filmed in Joe Sahakian’s garage, JC & Son’s Automotive in Fresno, where a group of men gather to play backgammon, socialize, play music, and enjoy each other’s company.

Nazarian’s lighthearted touch documented how Sahakian’s endearing nature made his garage an ideal gathering place for friends and locals alike. In one instance, a passerby, Walter Dunn, jokingly demanded to buy Sahakian’s bike. Sahakian invited Dunn into the garage and he became a friend and frequent visitor.

“I enjoyed the cultural aspect of the movie, how close knit the community was. It is a good representation of how Armenians truly are,” said Fresno State student David Safrazian.

Many in the audience especially enjoyed seeing family or friends in the film. “Tonight’s screening was the most rewarding part of making this film,” said Nazarian.

“The big payoff is when an audience enjoys it and laughs at places you never even thought were funny. It was very gratifying.”