Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society – Boston Chapter
47 Nichols Avenue, Watertown, MA 02472
Contact: Ara Nazarian
Phone: 617.924.8849
Email: [email protected]
Website:
PRESS RELEASE
The Armenian Homeland and Diaspora: Reflections of Two Filmmakers
March 23, 2007, 7:00 PM
24 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 495-4700
Cambridge, MA – March 4, 2007 – The Boston chapter of Hamazkayin
Armenian Educational and Cultural Society in conjunction with Amaras Art
Alliance and the Harvard Film Archive is proud to present a new series
"The Armenian Homeland and Diaspora: Reflections of Two Filmmakers."
This program offers two very different reflections on the contemporary
Armenian society. Examining the dialectical divide between Western and
Eastern Armenians, these nonfiction portraits reveal the richness of
Armenian culture both within the homeland and throughout Diasporic
communities. Director Nigol Bezjian, whose previous films include The
Hour of the Gray Horse (1984) and Chickpeas (1992), will be at the HFA
to discuss his films and answer questions from the audience.
Additionally, Nora Nercessian from the Yerevan International Film
Festival – Golden Apricot, will deliver the opening remarks. The
program will conclude with a small reception.
The Armenian Homeland and Diaspora: Reflections of Two Filmmakers
Screening Schedule
March 23 (Friday) 7 pm
Return of the Poet (Poeti Veradardze)
Directed by Harutyun Khachatryan
Armenia 2005, color, 35mm, 82 min.
Armenian with English subtitles
A truly cinematic oddity, this unique, virtually wordless documentary
explores the legacy of Armenian poet and folk singer Ashugh Jivani.
Eschewing conventional biography the filmmaker first follows the
creation of a statue of the great poet, painstakingly hewn from a
seemingly impervious chunk of rock. He then accompanies the statue’s
peculiar journey, and "so begins a cross-country odyssey in which
sculptor and poet revisit ancient Armenian sites and traditions, folk
dances, churchyards, peasants on carts and shantytowns filled with the
poor and unemployed… Khachatryan leaves much unsaid and implicit,
letting the viewer marvel at the timeless scenery as the statue glides
by with its expression of supernatural calm." (Variety)
Roads full of Apricots
Directed by Nigol Bezjian
Lebanon 2001, video, color, 35 min.
Addressing questions of cultural identity amidst tragic historical
circumstances, this documentary relates the filmmaker’s personal
experience of being displaced from his civil war-torn country to a more
universal exploration of memory. Using archival images, roads full of
Apricots is a tribute to history, films, literature, and the inner
experience of nostalgia.
Verve
Directed by Nigol Bezjian
Lebanon 2002, video, color, 15 min.
A reflection on folk dancing, whose ancient art form is one of the many
ways in which Armenian culture has persevered in the face of national
tragedy. Detailing the gentle, understated movements and passions of the
dancer, Bezjian excerpts several dances, including a mesmerizing
performance by Shakeh Avanessian.
###
About the co-presenters:
Boston Chapter of the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural
Society
With the reemergence of the Republic of Armenia as an independent
nation, the role and function of Hamazkayin Armenian Cultural and
Educational Society in general and Hamazkayin-Boston in particular had
to be re-assessed to reflect the new realities facing the Armenians in
Diaspora and in Armenia.
With this in mind, Hamazkayin-Boston aims to uphold the ethnic identity
and cultural heritage of the Armenian community in the Greater Boston
Area by: cultivating and promoting local, national and international
Armenian arts; celebrating important educational and cultural milestones
in our history; and engaging the youth and the young professionals in
our community to raise interest and awareness toward educational and
cultural issues of importance to the Armenian community and cultivate
the next generation of local and national community leaders.
Hamazkayin-Boston holds bi-weekly meetings on Monday evening at their
Hamasdegh Library, located on the second floor of the Armenian
Educational and Cultural Center (ACEC) on 47 Nichols Avenue, Watertown,
MA. Our doors are open to all who would like to help promote our
cultural treasures. For more information please visit our website
, call us at 617.924.8849 or email us at
[email protected].
Amaras Art Alliance
The mission of Amaras Art Alliance is to facilitate the exchange of
ideas and expressions between the American and Armenian cultures through
performances, exhibits, lectures, publications, children’s art camps,
youth cultural travel tours and funding of special programs.
It is the wish of the organization to create opportunities for people
to observe, get involved and enjoy the traditions of both cultures –
from folk to the fine arts.
For more information please visit or 617.733.7162.
Harvard Film Archive
The Harvard Film Archive (HFA) provides the faculty and students of
Harvard University and the greater scholarly community with academic
research services and a public film program that offers audiences the
opportunity to view international and independent films and to interact
with filmmakers and artists. Film series are scheduled year-round and
include retrospectives of distinguished directors and actors, surveys of
important periods and movements, and in-depth explorations of historic
themes and contemporary issues. Screenings of films from the HFA
collection as well as those from other collections are held in the HFA
Cinematheque, a 210-seat theater with state-of-the-art equipment.The HFA
frequently brings filmmakers to introduce and discuss their work, and
over the years has hosted such renowned artists as photographer and
filmmaker William Klein, Swedish actress Bibi Andersson, Canadian
director Atom Egoyan, independent filmmaker Harmony Korine, the "Father
of African Cinema" Ousamane Sembene, Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami,
and actor-director Tommy Lee Jones, among others.Established with the
assistance of the Luce Foundation and the National Endowment for the
Humanities in 1979, the Harvard Film Archive has grown into a rich
resource for scholars and filmmakers. Its extensive collection includes
16mm and 35mm film prints, as well as rare video materials, vintage film
posters, and promotional materials. As an affiliate of the
International Federation of Film Archives, the HFA also has access to
film prints from over a hundred repositories.