Category: 2017

HOLLYWOOD—Plans are currently underway for a spectacular weekend (November 3 to 5) marking the 20th anniversary of Arpa International Film Festival.

The three-day festival will once again feature a dynamic set of films from around the world at the historic Egyptian Theatre located in the heart of Hollywood. The weekend will culminate with a special Awards Gala Banquet being held at the Loews Hollywood Hotel on Sunday, November 5. Highlights of the Awards Gala Banquet will include a red carpet and cocktail reception, featuring an exclusive silent auction prior to the evening’s dinner and awards ceremony.

This year’s honorees include Oscar-winning Irish screenwriter and director Terry George, music icon Chris Cornell (in memoriam), acclaimed actor Carl Weathers, and Oscar-winning screenwriter Alexander Dinelaris. Awards will also be presented to winning filmmakers for their films in the best feature, best documentary, and best short categories.

Arpa’s coveted Armin T. Wegner Humanitarian Award, presented each year to a filmmaker whose work contributes toward the struggle for social consciousness and human rights, will be awarded to Terry George (In the name of the Father, Some Mother’s Son, Hotel Rwanda, The Shore, The Promise) in recognition of his extensive body of films that have shed light on the situation in his native Northern Ireland, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Armenian Genocide.

The Armin T. Wegner Humanitarian Award is named after the German soldier/medic who was stationed in the Ottoman Empire during World War I, where he witnessed the onslaught of the Armenian Genocide. The photographs he took documenting the plight of the Armenians, today comprises the core of witness images of the Genocide. In the years following the end of World War I, Wegner also voiced his opposition against the anti-Semitic policies of the Nazis, who later persecuted him.

Arpa International Film Festival is honored to be presenting this year’s Lifetime Legacy Award to music icon Chris Cornell, whose life came to a tragic end in May this year. Chris Cornell, best known as the lead vocalist for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave, as well as the founder and frontman of Temple of the Dog, was also a human rights activist committed to the world refugee crisis and the despair of vulnerable children. The Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter’s last solo release was the charity single “The Promise” written for the motion picture of the same name. The Cornell Family, along with special friends, will be present to accept the Award.

Carl Weathers, the beloved actor best known for his portrayal of Apollo Creed in the Rocky series, will be the recipient of Arpa’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The Hollywood veteran has also starred in hit films such as Predator, Action Jackson, Hurricane Smith, Happy Gilmore and Little Nicky.

The former professional football player’s most recent project was directing John Patrick Stanley’s Danny and the Deep Blue Sea. Oscar-winning screenwriter Alexander Dinelaris, best known for his original screenplay for the 2014 film Birdman, will receive Arpa’s Career Achievement Award. His body of work includes numerous theatrical pieces and musicals, including The Bodyguard (2012) featuring the music of Whitney Houston, and the critically-acclaimed On Your Feet! Broadway musical about the life and career of Gloria Estefan. Alexander Dinelaris’ earlier works include the powerful play “Red Dog Howls” in which he touches upon the Armenian Genocide. The piece was influenced by his Armenian grandmother, who played an important role in his younger years.

The star-studded evening will also feature special performances by theremin virtuoso Armen Ra and renowned vocalist Mister X. Armen Ra’s music fuses Armenian folk influences with modern instrumentation, along with melodic lounge standards and classical arias. The self-taught musician’s concerts are known for their combination of both visual arts and live music. A documentary on his life, When My Sorrow Died, premiered at Arpa International Film Festival a few years ago. Mister X, a renowned multilingual vocalist, has held concerts and taken part in music festivals around the globe. The classically trained singer has had a solo career spanning 17 years.

The festival’s opening night on Friday, November 3, will feature the French film Dalida based on the true story of the acclaimed music icon born in Egypt to Italian parents. The famous singer gained celebrity in the 50s, singing in French, Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew, German, Italian. She tragically committed suicide in 1987 in Paris, after selling more than 130 million records worldwide. The film is directed by Lisa Azuelos and co-produced by Vivien Aslanian.

Two of the films slated for the festival’s centerpiece program on Saturday, November 4 will be Intent To Destroy released by Survival Pictures and the joint French-Lebanese production The Traveller. A final lineup of the festival’s film screenings will be announced soon. In Intent To Destroy, Academy Award nominated director Joe Berlinger embeds himself on the epic film set of The Promise, to take an unwavering look at the Armenian Genocide.

Historians, scholars, and high-profile filmmakers come together in Berlinger’s cinematic exploration of the tangled web of responsibility that has driven a century of denial by the Turkish government and its strategic allies.

In Hadi Ghandour’s The Traveller, Adnan, a travel agent in a small Lebanese village, has always dreamed of traveling the world, but never had the chance to leave his country. Married with a child, he lives with this fantasy until the day his boss sends him to Paris for business where his imagination begins to flourish with new romantic possibilities, to the point of forgetting his values, identity and family.

Over the course of 20 years, Arpa International Film Festival has continuously provided a platform dedicated to cultivating cultural understanding and global empathy for international cinema. Recognized as one of the oldest independent film festivals for international cinema in Los Angeles, Arpa has bridged cultural divides by fostering dialogue among people of diverse backgrounds. By showcasing local, international and Armenian films that explore critical issues such as war, genocide, dual identities, exile and multi-culturalism, Arpa has solidified its role in safeguarding films that continue to make a social impact.

One of the overarching goals of Arpa Foundation for Film, Music & Art (AFFMA) in launching its signature Arpa International Film Festival two decades ago, was to create an arena that offers Armenian filmmakers, Armenian films and Armenian-themed films wider exposure in Hollywood. In light of its landmark anniversary, AFFMA has decided to create internship opportunities for students of Armenian heritage who are pursuing careers in cinema and entertainment. This will augment previous forms of support given to filmmakers over the past 20 years, and allow the organization to deliver an increased number of film screenings and other events promoting Armenian artists year round.

For Gala/Festival tickets, sponsorship opportunities, and ad or congratulatory message placement in our Commemorative Booklet, please visit www.arpafilmfestival.com or wwww.itsmyseat.com or e-mail [email protected]. Your support for Arpa International Film Festival, especially on its 20th year, is vital to ensuring our continued future success in providing filmmakers worldwide with an essential platform they so well deserve.

Arpa Foundation for Film, Music and Art (AFFMA) is a non-profit 501 (3) (c) organization. To date, AFFMA has awarded over 150 individuals with grants in support of their creative endeavors. Through its Arpa International Film Festival, AFFMA has recognized industry legends, with Lifetime Achievement, Career Achievement, Humanitarian and Breakthrough Artist Awards. Arpa International Film Festival takes great pride in working toward recognizing the diverse tapestry of international talent and presenting it to an appreciative audience. We place a strong emphasis on filmmakers’ unique artistic vision, cultural diversity and social understanding.

BURBANK—Pacific Ballet Dance Theatre with artistic director, Natasha Middleton, will present “The Best of Khachaturian,” an evening of ballet and instrumental music written by iconic Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian including the famous “Saber Dance” and “Lezginka” from “Gayane,” as well as selections from “Spartacus” and “Masquerade,” and a new work entitled “Remember,” set to selections from the “Cello Concerto In E-Minor,” in memory of the Armenian Genocide. The performance will be presented at the Alex Theatre, 216 North Brand Boulevard, Glendale, on Sunday, September 17 at 5 p.m.

Natasha Middleton, Artistic Director of Pacific Ballet Dance Theatre, said: “We are honored to close Pacific Ballet Dance Theatre’s 15th Anniversary Season with a tribute to the music of the beloved Armenian composer Aram Kahachaturian in our program, ‘The Best Of Khachaturian,’ which will include a new piece I am setting in memory of the Armenian Genocide, entitled ‘Remember.’”

Principal Dancers will include: Inga Demetryan (of Redondo Beach) as Phrygia in “Spartacus;” Eduard Sargsyan (of Redondo Beach) in the title role of “Spartacus;” Elen Harutyunyan (of Tarzana) in the title role of “Gayane” and Principle in “Remember;” Grigori Arakelyan (of La Crescenta) as Arbenin in “Masquerade” and Principle in “Remember;” Alina Bormotova (of North Hollywood) as Nina in “Masquerade;” Alexander Fost (of Pasadena) as Prince Zeveditch in “Masquerade;” Natalie Grina (of Burbank) as The Baroness in “Masquerade” and Soloist in “Remember;” Edgar Nikolyan (of Glendale) as Armen in “Gayane;” Nataliia Leparova (of Sherman Oaks) as a Principle in “Masquerade;” and Oleg Leparovi (of Sherman Oaks) as a Principle in “Masquerade.”

Soloist Dancers will include: Ashley Dawn Smith (of North Hollywood) in “Remember,” “Gayane” and “Masquerade;” Hannah Hart (of Sherman Oaks) in “Remember,” “Gayane” and “Masquerade;” Julie Teerlink Sanches (of Santa Clarita) Aerialist in “Masquerade” and Jacob Magana (of Los Angeles) in “Masquerade” and “Gayane.” Musetta Rubin (of Sherman Oaks) will appear as a Demi-Soloist in “Remember,” “Gayane” and “Masquerade.”

Corps De Ballet members include: Chloe Verkinder (of Rancho San Margarita) in “Remember,” “Gayane” and “Masquerade;” Hagop Tanashian (of North Hills) in “Remember, “Gayane” and “Masquerade;” Razmig Tanashian (of North Hills) in “Remember,” “Gayane” and “Masquerade;” Raffi Bilemjian (of Granada Hills) in “Remember,” “Gayane” and “Masquerade;” Shoshana Mozlin (of Los Angeles) in “Masquerade” and “Gayane;” Elissa Brock (of Sun Valley) in “Masquerade” and “Gayane;” Devon Riesenbeck (of Burbank) in “Masquerade” and “Gayane;” Charlotte Harrop (of Burbank) in “Masquerade” and “Gayane;” Megan Vanderen (of Glendale) in “Masquerade” and “Gayane” and Patrick Fitzsimmons (of Santa Clarita) in “Remember,” “Gayane” and “Masquerade.”

Natasha Middleton, along with Ruben Tonoyan, Associate Director and Ballet Master for Pacific Ballet Dance Theatre, will co-direct the performance.

Composer Aram Khachaturian is known worldwide for his ballets, “Gayane” and “Spartacus,” the symphonic suite, “Masquerade” and his “Cello Suite In E-Minor.” The creation of these pieces not only raised Armenian national ballet to the world level, but also noticeably enriched the treasure house of the world musical-dramatic art. Khachaturian’s music is noted for its modal, harmonic, melodic and orchestral generosity, all of which are connected with a broad gamma of thoughts and feelings in his scores.

“Gayane” means happiness and is a celebration of life events in which composer Aram Khachaturian wanted the folk songs and dancing melodies to be integrated and inseparable from the whole of the ballet. “Gayane” is the story of a young Armenian woman whose patriotic convictions are in conflict with her personal feelings upon discovering her husband has committed treason. The “Gayane” score includes the famous Saber Dance. The late filmmaker Stanley Kubrick used the Adagio from “Gayane” for his film, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Likewise, filmmaker Joel Coen used music from “Gayane” in his film, The Hudsucker Proxy.

The well-known tale of “Spartacus” is written in modern language, with application of contemporary methods of the musical-theatre form. The main characters in the ballet are represented with specific and repeated musical themes. The storyline concerns the ultimately unsuccessful revolt of the slaves led by Spartacus, a Thracian slave and gladiator, against the Roman Empire in the years 73 – 71 BC. Music from Khachaturian’s “Spartacus” was heard in the film, Ice Age: The Meltdown.

“Masquerade” was written for the 25th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. It is a symphonic suite in the tradition of lavish classical Russian music. Natasha Middleton will stage the piece to enhance the fantasy and put a modern face on this elaborate party, featuring eccentric costuming. The plot concerns a missing bracelet and a woman named Nina who is falsely accused of giving the bracelet to Prince Zvezditch. As a result, Nina’s husband, who thinks she is cheating on him, poisons her at the end of the ballet, only to realize she was innocent. The bracelet had actually been stolen by the Baroness and given to the Prince, who later gave it back to Nina. Natasha Middleton said: “Theatergoers who enjoy Phantom of the Opera, will enjoy “Masquerade” as there are similarities in style.”

Aram Khacaturian wrote his “Cello Concerto In E-Minor” in 1946. It was the last of the three concertos he wrote for individual members of a renowned Soviet piano trio. The Concerto was premiered on October 30, 1946 in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, with dedicatee Sviatoslav Knushevitsky as soloist. The work is said to be representative of Khachaturian’s painful experience of wartime and contains many allusions to folk material and dance rhythms such as the ashough.

Tickets are $25, $35, $55, $65 and $125, which includes a VIP Pre-Performance Catered Reception on the Alex Theatre Terrace Lobby beginning at 3:30 p.m. The performance begins at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 17, 2017. Tickets may be purchased online at www.alextheatre.org or ticketmicket.com or by calling the Alex Theatre Box Office at 818-243-2539 or Ticket Micket at 818-265-0506. Tickets are also on sale at the Concierge Desk at The Americana At Brand and the Glendale Community College Auditorium Box Office.

Pacific Ballet Dance Theatre, originally named Media City Ballet, announced its formation on September 30th of 2001. Over the past decade, the company has gained a notable following and has grown to become one of the major dance companies within the greater Los Angeles area. Pacific Ballet Dance Theatre attracts first-class talent from around the world, including Armenia, Asia, Russia, Mexico and Spain. Company dancers possess credentials of study and performance from such companies as Armenian National Opera Ballet, the Bolshoi Theatre Ballet, the Kirov Opera and Ballet Company, the Korean National Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Cirque du Soleil. Pacific Ballet Dance Theatre boasts a large, varied repertoire and produces several major programs annually. Educational outreach programs and performances are performed by PBDT’s youth ballet. PBDT believes dance is the perfect universal _expression_ of the human spirit. By continuing the innovative heritage of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, PBDT believes we are better able to understand our life stories, which elevates our passion and motivates us to express our true selves. PBDT performs captivating ballet presentations and offers engaging educational programs that nurture the talent and artistic creativity within the diverse Southern California Community. To learn more, please visit, www.pacificballetdancetheatre.com

Natasha Middleton (Artistic Director/Choreographer, Pacific Ballet Dance Theatre) was born into a ballet legacy. Her grandmother, Elena Wortova, danced with the Ballet Russes, and her father, Andrei (Bill) Tremaine, with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. She was a ballerina with the original Pacific Ballet Theatre, under the direction of her father. She trained and danced in Los Angeles and in New York with Joffrey II, as well as in Europe and Asia performing in such ballets as The Nutcracker, Raymonda, Spartacus, and Carmen. She is the daughter of former San Francisco Opera Soprano, Natalie Garrotto and the niece of the late film star, Yvonne de Carlo (Lily on The Munsters). With music and acting under her belt, Middleton performed in and choreographed many musicals, operas, television and theater plays. As an actress she studied in Los Angeles under film director Don Richardson. She traveled much of the world studying many forms of cultural dancing, art design and contemporary and classical theatre. Middleton began choreographing professionally on Broadway for Jazz artist Chick Corea and went on the World Tour with Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. In 2001, she founded the Media City Ballet Company and staged numerous ballets in Los Angeles including Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto #3. She has choreographed the feature film, Love Hurts with Carrie Anne-Moss and Richard E. Grant and such television shows as Hearts Afire with Billy Bob Thornton. She made history with her production of Men of the Ballet Russe honoring her father and other such Ballet Russe greats as Fredrick Franklin, Mark Platt, George Zoritch, Victor Moreno and Paul Maure. She established the Pacific Ballet Dance Theatre in 2012 (named after her father’s former company) and went on to direct three years of summer productions at the John Anson Ford Theatre with Axis Mundi, Dance in the USA and The British Beat. Her work placed as one of the Top 10 Dance Performances in California by the Beverly Hills Outlook. Her newest classical works are Chopin Pieces and the staging of Don Quixote. Middleton’s latest Contemporary works include: Black Coffee, Searching and the full length Carmen. Her latest short film can be seen on Watchable TV is Logan Paul vs Ballet.

Ruben Tonoyan (Associate Director and Ballet Master for Pacific Ballet Dance Theatre and Choreographer) was a Soloist with the Armenian National Opera Ballet for 23 years. He began his training at the age of eight with the Armenian National Academy of Ballet. He continued his training at the Kirov Ballet School and the Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia. After graduation, he returned to his native Armenia where he danced numerous ballets, including the leading role in Khachaturian’s Gayane. He has since toured around the world performing in such ballets as Giselle, Carmen, Swan Lake, Othello and The Nutcracker. He has also performed with the National TV Contemporary Ballet for about 10 years. Tonoyan is a resident of Glendale, CA.

Aram Khachaturian (Composer) was a Soviet-Armenian composer whose works were often influenced by Armenian folk music. He was born on June 6, 1903 in Tbilisi, Georgia, Imperial Russia to a poor Armenian family. Although Khachaturian had almost no musical education, he showed such great talent that he was admitted to the Gnessin Institute where he studied cello, and in 1925, he entered composition class there. By 1929, he transferred to the Moscow Conservatory where he studied under Nikolai Myaskovsky. In the 1930s he married the composer Nina Makarova. By 1951, he became a professor at the Gnessin State Musical and Pedagogical Institute and the Moscow Conservatory. Aram Khachaturian, along with composers Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovich, became known as the so-called “titans” of Soviet music, each enjoying worldwide reputations as some of the leading composers of the 20th century. Aside from his ballets, Khachaturian was a prolific composer of a wide variety of music, including orchestral works, vocal scores, concertos and chamber music, to name a few. He died on May 1, 1978 in Moscow.