Author: Kanayan Tamar

Jan 15 2024

A heart-warming story of a man jailed for wearing a tie has become the first Armenian film to make it onto the Oscar’s shortlist, in the international feature category.

“Most of the films that have been made about Armenia really tend to revolve around the genocide. I wanted to make a film that would be enjoyable for Armenians and something that could relate to non-Armenians,” said U.S. actor Michael A. Goorjian, who has directed and written the film. He also stars in it.

Shot in Armenia with a mostly local cast and crew, “Amerikatsi” (American in Armenian) is also an attempt to rebuild the country’s film industry, which lost its way after independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

“What the film is about is survival and resilience. Despite the setting, it’s very hopeful and playful,” said Goorjian, whose late father was Armenian.

It tells the story of Charlie, an American who repatriates to then Soviet Armenia after World War Two and finds himself in prison because of his tie.

From his cell, Charlie realises he can see inside an apartment nearby and lives vicariously through the life of the couple there.

Making the film was itself a test of resourcefulness.

Filming, interrupted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, took about seven months to complete, wrapping in July 2020 as border clashes broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“We had cast and crew that went and fought in that war. And so it was a challenge to make this film for sure. But all the obstacles we faced, I would say actually made it a better film,” Goorjian said.

As international tensions and economic downturn dominate the headlines, “Amerikatsi”, which premiered at the Woodstock Film Festival in 2022, has tapped into a human need for positivity.

“I’ve found with the film, people come up to me all the time and say ‘I miss feeling this way after a movie, feeling good’,” Goorjian said.

He will find out if “Amerikatsi” has made it from the shortlist and onto the 2024 Academy Awards nominations on Jan. 23.

(Reuters)

https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/whats-on/armenian-film-makes-oscar-shortlist-for-first-time/

Global News, Canada

Jan 19 2024

Jan 17 2024

GENEVA — Straight from Armenia, the Golden Gates Dancers, a group of young talented dancers and musicians, will be in Geneva Wednesday, Jan. 17, through Friday, Jan. 19, and will present a public performance on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Albright Auditorium at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

The group is coming under the auspices of the Reunite Cultures Fund, which supports programs that promote good will between the people of America and other countries to develop a better understanding of cultures, music and traditions and build cultural bridges.

Students from Armenia and Lithuania have previously visited Geneva under the same program. The Geneva Rotary Club is facilitating their stop in the city. Members of the group are staying with Rotarians while they are here.

Jan 5 2024

JAN. 6, 2024 6:30 AM EST

No matter how old we get, it appears as if we will always hold a special place in our hearts for string cheese. A forever lunchbox staple, string cheese has had our backs — as well as our stomachs — for as long as we can remember, but as we grow older, our palates, naturally, become a bit more refined. To enjoy a "grown-up" variation of the beloved lunch snack without compromising any of the qualities that make string cheese, well, string cheese, reach for the Armenian rendition, known throughout the West Asian country as chechil.

Putting aside the mozzarella flavors that most of us associate with packaged string cheese, chechil is in a category of its own. Forged from various fresh dairy milks, herbs, and seasonings, this dense cheese is heated into curds, which are then extended into thin strings, braided into large pieces, brined, salted, and left to dry out for easy pulling and snacking. Chechil is a tasty treat common around the globe — particularly in Armenia, Iran, Turkey, and the country of Georgia.

Apart from a smoky accompaniment to hops, chechil is an excellent swap for cheese on sandwiches and salads. It makes a great addition to any charcuterie board as the smokiness of the cheese sways with the sweeter rhythms of jams and fruits, while the salt harmonizes with tangy options like olives.

A cheese that journeyed from Turkey

The history of Armenian string cheese expands back to the nomadic eras of Turkey. As a preserved dairy, string cheese was likely created as the ideal traveling food for nomads as it was able to keep well during lengthy trips. Before the cheese made its way to the rest of the Middle East, it was known by Turks as çeçil. Once it spread to Armenia and other countries, the name evolved to chechil.

Chechil went on to become a popular snack in Syria by way of Armenian refugees who had escaped genocide. Since then, this string cheese has broadened its fan base across continents from Europe to the United States. As far as modern variations go, you'll discover spices ranging anywhere from black caraway seeds and mahlab — a common Middle Eastern ingredient — all the way to cumin, red pepper, dill, and garlic.

https://www.tastingtable.com/1483860/armenian-string-cheese-explained/

Dec 30 2023

Rector of the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University, full member (academician) of the Academy of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences of Armenia Edward Sandoyan welcomed the participants of the conference: Nowadays many researchers can use their skills and knowledge to develop a new product, which can be monetized in the future. Today science is a true and real sector of the economy, with the help of which it is possible to create future strategies for the development of a country. I would like this conference to give us a new potential for the development of the future. I hope that in each section interesting questions will be voiced and answers will be found.

Olga Vlasova, Director of the Graduate School of Biomedical Systems and Technologies of IBS&B SPbPU, delivered a plenary report on «New Biophysical Methods of Neuron Research» at the opening of the conference. The multidisciplinarity of Polytechnic University developments made a special impression on the audience consisting of specialists from various fields.

SPbPU employees presented reports at the «Biological and Chemical Sciences» section. Nikita Zernov, a postgraduate student of SPbPU, research engineer at the Laboratory of Molecular Neurodegeneration, demonstrated the results of a joint research project with Lernik Unanyan, Head of the Structural Bioinformatics Laboratory of RAU, and postgraduate students Ani Makichyan and Victor Kamaryan.

Associate Professor Anastasiya Bolshakova presented research opportunities for students in graduate and postgraduate programs.

During the conference, IBS&B staff participated in a master class and workshop at the RAU Structural Bioinformatics Laboratory.

The workshop participants discussed the specificity of a potential therapeutic compound for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease being investigated both in silico and in vitro, and clarified the conditions for molecular docking.

The visit of the SPbPU IBS&B delegation to RAU has taken a new turn in the development of cooperation between our universities.

The delegation of the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics and Trade presented 12 reports in face-to-face and online format on key problems of management, economics and finance, sustainable development, economic theory.

Associate Professor of the Graduate School of Production Management Natalia Alekseyeva made a report on «Managing the value of intellectual capital of the innovation-industrial cluster» at the «Management» section. Alex Krasnov, Associate Professor of the Graduate School of Service and Trade, made a report on «Strategies of interaction with influencers for consumer segmentation within the concept of influencer marketing».

Associate Professor of the Graduate School of Production Management Nikita Lukashevich held a master class on «Economics of project activity: how to understand that the project is profitable?» for students of the Department of Management and Business of the RAU Institute of Economics and Business. Associate Professor Natalia Alekseyeva held a master class on «Time Management: Skills of a Successful Manager».

Students of the Department of Economics and Finance attended the «Digital Resources in Scientific Research» master class by Victoria Brazovskaya, assistant professor of the Higher School of Engineering and Economics, Chair of the IIME&T Student Scientific Community.

There was also a meeting with the chairman of the RAU Student Scientific Society, where the main directions for cooperation in student science were defined. At the Department of Economics and Finance, ten students were awarded certificates of advanced training on the program «Data analysis in digital environment based on Python programming language».

Undoubtedly, the exchange of pedagogical and managerial experience that took place at the conference will be the beginning of fruitful international cooperation in the field of linguistics, Russian studies, jurisprudence, media communication, pedagogy, psychology and others. The work of the sections took place in different formats. Scientific reports were presented, interactive lectures, round tables and master classes were organized, devoted to topical problems in different fields of science.

The open lecture by Natalia Chicherina, Director of the Institute of Humanities, on the existing models of multilingual university and language practices implemented in them aroused keen interest not only of the student but also of the pedagogical community. The participants of the interactive lecture discussed whether SPbPU and RAU are multilingual universities and what language practices are accomplished in these universities.

Cooperation in the field of teaching Russian as a foreign language is of special significance for Russian-Armenian relations. Anna Rubtsova, Director of the Graduate School of Linguistics and Pedagogy, took an active part in the work of the «Rusistics» section, where innovative approaches in the methodology of teaching Russian as a foreign language, various linguocultural and philological issues were discussed. Anna Rubtsova also held talks on the creation of a network educational program for teaching Russian as a foreign language.

Marina Arkannikova, Director of the Graduate School of Media Communications and Public Relations, made a report «World Trends and Drivers of Development of the Communications Industry», introduced the conference participants to the educational project of the Graduate School of Media and Public Relations «Engineers of Meanings» and proposed to organize with the Institute of Media, Advertising and Cinema of the RAU a joint round table within the framework of the 17th anniversary International Scientific and Practical Conference «PR and Advertising Technologies in the Information Society» in SPbPU in April 2024.

At the «Political Science» section, Alexander Kholod, Director of the Center for Social Communications Research at GSOMISO, spoke about the projects that create an image of the future for Polytechnic University of 2030, and invited RAU professors and students to take part in the project «Engineers of Meanings» aimed at training specialists in the communications sphere.

Associate professors of the Higher School of Law and Forensic Expertise Alexander Isaev and Alexander Tebryaev made reports and held master classes on the problems of forensic expert examination in law enforcement, on conducting engineering and technical transport expertise, as well as discussed with colleagues from RAU the prospects of cooperation in criminalistics.

Maria Kukushkina, assistant professor of the Higher School of Linguistics and Pedagogy of the Institute of Humanities, conducted a master class devoted to the work with fear of public speaking. RAU students, participants of the master class, derived the «formula of successful performance» and brilliantly applied the obtained knowledge in practice in working with cases.

During the visit to the RAU Institute of Media, Advertising and Cinema, the polytechnic agreed with its director Karen Markarian on academic mobility, joint research projects and organization of a round table at the XVII International Scientific and Practical Conference «PR and Advertising Technologies in Information Society» of SPbPU.

https://indiaeducationdiary.in/spbpu-presents-at-scientific-conference-hosted-by-russian-armenian-university/