6th Annual Armenian Film Festival

Hakop Tataryan
Editor

The 6th Annual Armenian Film Festival at Fresno State was held on April 1 and audience members were treated to four films from different categories of film making. A documentary about the genocide, a short experimental and somewhat abstract film, a student film about two famous Armenian authors, and the featured film of the evening “Calendar,” a somber and comical drama written and directed by Atom Egoyan, were screened.

The first film shown was titled “Ventriloquist’s Jigsaw,” an interesting title for a very interesting short film.

Writer/director Vigen Galstyan’s 6th work looked into the mind of a woman turning 40 years old. In the film, we see a woman waking up to solitude in the middle of the night, suffering from the anxieties and regrets that come about from aging. She is visited by two ghosts, one from the past and one from the future. She begins to perpend on the family and career decisions she has made. The film’s ending is very ambiguous as it ends with her trying to leave the house but she is unable to leave because of locked doors. Did she really wake up? Or was it all a dream? Either way, I enjoyed the film and its creativity.

Some of the production was amateurishly done, but nonetheless the film was an interesting and somewhat profound look into an aging woman’s life in a short amount of time.

Next was a documentary written and produced by John Garber, a Fresno native, who himself was once an actor. “Hayastan: A Promise to Araxi,” is a personal journey by a man searching for enlightenment and some resolution. A son looks to keep his promise to his mother that the world should be aware of the first genocide of the twentieth century, and that there would be recognition and justice regarding the atrocities.

It is a quasi-documentary, which features somber dancing, interviews with many Fresnans, and scenes of Fresno. I felt the majority of the audience was able to connect with the film. It was well-made and truly touching, as such a film ought to be, and was very informative.

A student film called “The Gift of Winter,” was shown next. It was written and produced by Vatche Arabian, a senior at Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts, studying film. This film had a very novel concept; the audience gets to see Arabian’s perspective about what occurred when Armenian authors Kharabala and Egishe Charents were imprisoned in a Soviet prison cell. I love the idea of being a fly on the wall while the two converse and go about their hunger strike, but I must animadvert on the acting in the film. As a viewer you can’t help but get caught up in the mediocre acting, and the film loses its seriousness and becomes somewhat comical. The poor acting trumped the interesting concept and the direction.

The last film of the night was Atom Egoyan’s “Calendar.” Born in Egypt to Armenian parents, Egoyan became interested in telling stories visually. He has produced several short films and some better known ones like “Speaking Parts,” “Exotica,” “Felicia’s Journey,” and of course “Ararat.” “Calendar” is a slightly less provocative film than his previous ones. It is a melancholic love story with many truths regarding apathy towards ones lover and toward ones ethnicity. Egoyan stars in the film as a photographer out to make a calendar of historic Armenian churches. He takes along his wife, who is played by his real-life wife Arsinee Khanjian, and also takes a tour guide. The film is enigmatic at first and then slowly unfolds.

Unlike some of his other works, this film doesn’t dilute the point of the story with overwhelming story lines.

Instead, it is told in an intriguing manner and has a very clear point. I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it. I must commend the great acting in the film especially by the guide who is played by Ashot Adamian, who is witty and comical on several occasions. Overall, it was a great film and is highly recommended.

Once again, this years film festival was put together by the Armenian Students Organization and was funded by the University Student Union Diversity Awareness Program. The films chosen for show were picked out by a student committee consisting of Srbui Fereshetyan, Kristina Pogosyan, and Zhanna Bagdasarov.

2005 Armenian Film Festival Entries
ARIANA (2004), Director: Michael Sandoval (U.S.)
BIKE TOUR OF ARMENIA (2004), Editor: Arthur Bakhtamian (Armenia)
CALENDAR (2003) Director: Atom Egoyan (Canada)
DISCOVERING MY FATHER’S VILLAGE (2003) and
THE WALK (2004) Director: Apo Torosyan (U.S.)
FROM FEAR TO LIFE (2005) Director: Sirakan Abroyan
THE GIFT OF WINTER (2004), Director: Vatche Arabian (U.S.)
HAYASTAN: A PROMISE TO ARAXI (2002), Director: John Garber (U.S.)
VENTRILOQUIST’S JIGSAW (2004), Director: Vigen Galstyan (Australia)