Category: 2020

Film: Oscar-nominated Filmmaker Atom Egoyan Explores Grief, Guilt In ‘Guest Of Honour’

Badalian Vardan
TPR – Texas Public Radio
Aug 7 2020
By KIKO MARTINEZ • AUG 7, 2020
Writer/director Atom Egoyan directs Luke Wilson on the set of Guest of Honour.

In the sprawling melodrama Guest of Honour, Oscar-nominated writer and director Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter) tells the story of Jim (David Thewlis), a health code inspector whose daughter, Veronica (Laysla De Oliveira), is accused of a crime she didn’t commit.

The screenplay, which is nonlinear like many of Egoyan’s previous films, skips back and forth to reveal a narrative centered on hefty themes like memory, guilt and grief and the relationship between a father and daughter that is tearing from the seams.

While the dramatic elements are plentiful and much too complicated to delve into fully, some of the most fascinating scenes of Guest of Honour are the moments viewers get to see Jim inside the restaurants he is scoring on their cleanliness and safety. It is a profession Egoyan found fascinating because of the difference between Jim’s job responsibilities and how he handles his day-to-day life.

“[Jim] goes into these places to see that they are conforming to code and following rules,” Egoyan said in an interview by phone last month. “He sees that a way of managing all these divergent cultures and traditions is somehow only possible if being regulated. Meanwhile, he’s dealing with a mess of things in his own life that have not been tended to properly.”

It is during these restaurant inspections that Jim, while his life is far from perfect, can dictate what it means for the owners of these venues to be able to continue operating their businesses. He takes his job seriously and it shows in the attention to detail he gives each establishment he visits.

“There is something that gives him space to reflect on his life,” Egoyan said. “He’s very obsessive about his work. It’s an outlet for these other issues that he’s dealing with.”

Grief is one of those issues. It’s a subject Egoyan has confronted many times before, including in dramas like 1997’s The Sweet Hereafter, which tells the story of a horrific school bus accident in a small town; 2002’s Ararat about the Armenian genocide; and 2008’s Adoration, a film based partly on the true story of a failed terrorist bombing on a flight to Tel Aviv from London in 1986. As a writer who is Armenian, Egoyan said there is already a natural “backdrop of extreme grief” present when he starts to tap into a script’s difficult emotions.

“Then, there are the people that you lose on the way [and] the relationships you have,” he said. “All the normal things that I think call to the sense of how frail the connection we have to each other actually might be and how important it is to hold onto every moment as long as possible.”

Although Egoyan has not found the same level of critical acclaim that he did for The Sweet Hereafter 23 years ago, he considers it a film so special that it would be impossible to recreate.

“I was at a certain point in my life and a certain point in my creative development,” he said. “There were things that I explored and not explored. I got to explore them with a cast that I completely trusted. All those things come together and you feel it.”

Guest of Honour is currently available for purchase on Blu-ray, as well as rental on VOD platforms, including iTunes and Amazon Prime.

Kiko Martinez is a film journalist and critic based in San Antonio, Texas.


Azerbaijani assistance to Lebanon following blast receives public blowblack

Garnik Tadevosian
JAM News
Aug 9 2020
    JAMnews, Baku

Azerbaijan will provide Lebanon with $1 million in assistance following the deadly blast on August 4 which killed more than 100 people and injured thousands. The decision, however, has caused a mixed reaction on the Azerbaijani segment of social media networks.

This money will be allocated from the reserve fund provided for in the state budget of Azerbaijan for 2020.

Many are angered that the government is providing the assistance during a period when the ‘country itself is in a lamentable socio-economic situation.’ Judging by the discussions on social media, people consider it unfair that the government, instead of fixing the situation in the country, is providing other countries with such serious financial assistance.

Some user comments on this news:

“I wonder why Azerbaijan doesn’t help its people? Why during this period of quarantine every needy family is not given food and financial assistance? Helping Lebanon does not suit us, the people have been dying of hunger for five months!”

“Help these people, these little children, at the age of 18, you will gather everyone and throw them away to the Armenians, whom you support.”

“There is money for everyone, but when it comes to us, there is no money! Instead of giving money to Lebanon, isn’t it better to give it to our quarantined citizens?”

“They keep their people at home for five months, 190 manats [about $112] – no money, and they feel bad about giving [even this sum] to them, while Lebanon is given a million dollars. Self-interest must end. Think about the people.”


Film: Where Was The Promise (2016) Filmed?

Emil Lazarian
The Cinemaholic
Aug 8 2020
Dhruv Sharma
August 8, 2020


o-written and directed by Terry George, whose magnum opus also includes Oscar-nominated ‘Hotel Rwanda,’ ‘The Promise’ is a historic drama that set in the backdrop of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. The film follows a love triangle that ensues between a medical student named Mikael (Oscar Isaac), a beautiful young woman named Ana (Charlotte Le Bon), and Chris (Christian Bale), an American journalist based in Paris. Along with that, the movie also addresses the century-old genocide on Armenians during the First World War. ‘The Promise’ is beautifully shot and has a scintillating vintage appeal to it. Due to this, one can’t help but wonder where its filming took place. Well, you’ll be surprised to know that none of its scenes were shot in Turkey.

‘The Promise’ is actually based on an unproduced screenplay, titled Anatolia, which was written by Robin Swicord. Using the same screenplay, Terry George re-wrote an entirely original story that still had bits and pieces of the original. Terry George added new elements to it in such a way that it primarily focused on genocide instead of Mikael and his relationship with his family. After finalizing the script, George received a donation of $100 million from Armenian-American investor Kirk Kerkorian, who initially did not have any expectations from the movie.

However later, ‘The Promise’ became one of the most prominent and highest-earning movies covering themes of genocide. Soon after this, in June 2015, Christian Bale and Oscar Issac were cast as its leads while other cast members such as  Le Bon, Cromwell, Reno, Aghdashloo, and Giménez-Cachowere were involved sometime in September 2015. The filming of the movie was initiated sometime in Autumn 2015 and wrapped up in early June 2016. During this span, the movie was shot in several different locations of Portugal, Malta, and Spain.

Lisbon was among the most prominent filming locations of the movie in Portugal. In the capital coastal city, the historic town of Sintra was doubled as Ottoman Turkey. The massive Moorish mansions, vibrant gardens, and parks of Sintra allowed filmmakers to easily depict the locations as Turkey. As confirmed by a local news source, the movie was also filmed in Lisbon’s National Museum of Natural History and Science and it cost the movie’s producers €5,000 a day to rent and shoot scenes in the museum’s Laboratory Chimico amphitheater.

As confirmed by the Maltese Film Commission, ‘The Promise’ was also shot in several locations of the Maltese archipelago. These locations included the Malta Film Studios, East Street, Villa Bologna, the National Library of Malta, and the old Fisheries area in Valletta. 

The third filming location for the movie was Spain which was purposefully chosen because of its aesthetic similarities with the Ottoman Mediterranean Empire. The main reason why Terry Geoge and the rest of the crew could not film the movie in Turkey was the Turkish Government’s denial towards accepting that the suffering of the Armenians during First World War’s genocide. Due to this, locations of Spain were recreated in such a way that they almost looked like Ottoman Turkey.

Like Portugal and Malta, the movie’s filming was carried out in many different locations of the Hispanic nation. Some of these included Toledo in Castilla-La Mancha, Albarracín and Calomarde in Teruel, and Valsain in Segovia. Other than these, the mining scenes of the movie were shot in Pulpí, Almería, Andalucía, while the beach scenes in Águilas, Murcia. Moreover, the scenes that depict the Courtyard of the Imperial College of Medicine were all filmed inside Hospital de Tavera, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha and the Christian mission scenes have Abadía de Párraces of Castilla y León as their backdrop.


Armenia has some of the World’s Most enchanting Monasteries

Albert Nalbandian
The Daily Beast
Aug 9 2020
PEACE AND QUIET

Because secluded mountain-top churches and unspoiled nature have never sounded more appealing.

Published Aug. 09, 2020 6:28AM ET 

By now you’ve no doubt found a coping mechanism for COVID angst—maybe you fold down into child’s pose, zone out with some deep inhales, or simply pour yourself a stiff drink. Me, I like to close my eyes and conjure up one of the most peaceful places I know: Geghard monastery, in the mountains of Armenia. Some days I can almost taste the air inside, cool and pure and sweet with frankincense. Around me, candles flicker in the dimness against rough-hewn walls blackened by smoke and time. Ethereal harmonies spiral up to the soaring cupola, from which a skylight casts a beam of light that warms my forehead if I stand just so. I’m not religious, but in Armenia’s monasteries, I found a glimmer of divine serenity that followed me home.

You’re never far from a church in Armenia, a deeply Christian country bordered by Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Iran. Today more than 90 percent of Armenia’s citizens—and millions of diaspora Armenians abroad—belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church, an ancient Oriental Orthodox institution that shares similarities with Coptic, Syrian, Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Indian Churches. In fact, Armenia was the first nation to make Christianity its official region, in 301 AD, some 80 years before the Roman Empire did the same. That head start is one reason the country’s most breathtaking Christian sites are also some of the world’s oldest—take, for example, Echmiadzin Cathedral, said to be the first cathedral on earth, completed (in its first iteration) in 304 AD. 

But you don’t have to know this history—much less follow the Gospel—to be blown away by the buildings themselves, and to find rejuvenating quietude within their walls. Crowned by conical domes that pierce through clouds and tower over forests and meadows, Armenian churches are dramatic, and drool-emoji photogenic, especially viewed from afar. Get closer, and you might spot zoomorphic carvings of suns or grapevines or (long-extinct) Persian lions, holdover motifs from Armenian Zoroastrianism. Step inside, and hypnotically interlaced stone crosses, faded frescoes of wide-eyed saints, and secret nooks and passageways will jump-start your imagination and make you want to go exploring like a kid in a haunted house. 

A word of advice to first-time visitors to Armenia: Lest monastery fatigue set in, limit yourself to two or three churches a day. Skip the umpteen-stop package itineraries. Roads in Armenia are notoriously curvy, tours long and information-packed, and monasteries filled with curiosities that merit your slow, clear-eyed attention. There may be more churches in Armenia than there are seeds in a pomegranate, but these seven monastic sites—ranging from tiny chapels to grand ecclesiastical complexes—are especially pilgrimage-worthy.  

Khor Virap, Ararat, Armenia, Europe

Khor Virap

Plastered on t-shirts, printed on postcards, and painted wistfully on walls of Armenian restaurants from Los Angeles to Tbilisi to Paris, Khor Virap is one of the most celebrated symbols of Armenia. When it comes into view, you’ll understand why: The monastery appears to float above a parched plain that stretches to the foot of Mount Ararat, the snow-capped dormant volcano where Noah’s ark supposedly came to rest. It’s all phenomenally scenic, especially on windy winter mornings when the air is at its clearest. Though remnants remain of the original 7th-century chapel, the current structure, with one lone spire, dates to the 1600s. Inside, take the wobbly steel ladder down into the pit where Armenia’s chief evangelizer, Gregory the Illuminator, is said to have been jailed for 12 years by the pagan King Tiridates III. 

Etchmiadzin Cathedral 

Etchmiadzin is to Armenian Apostolic Christians what St. Peter’s Basilica is to Catholics and the Western Wall is to Jews: a place of unparalleled religious significance. Called Mayr Tachar (“Mother Church”) by Armenians, it is the seat of the catholicos, the Armenian equivalent of the pope. Its 65-foot-high cupola, ornate bell towers, and central nave blanketed in florid Persianate frescoes make it one of the grandest religious sites in the Caucasus. The site was previously a pagan altar to the fire god Vahagn, so when Gregory the Illuminator built the cathedral, it symbolized the nation’s embrace of Christianity over paganism. Tip: Luckily for travelers crunched for time, Echmiadzin is a 30-minute drive from the capital city of Yerevan, but before striking out, contact Armenia’s Tourist Committee to ensure the interior isn’t closed due to ongoing construction. 

Tatev 

To Armenian art scholars, Tatev Monastery is synonymous with medieval manuscript production, its prestigious specimens once shipped as far afield as Crimea and Italy. But today the complex is better known for its Wings of Tatev cable car, the “world’s longest reversible aerial tramway,” according to Guinness World Records, which swoops a whopping 5,800 meters up to the 9th-century mountaintop monastery over a clover-green gully. 

Garni Temple

Garni

What is a Parthenon-like Greco-Roman temple doing in the backwoods of Armenia? No one is quite sure, but theories abound: Some scholars believe Garni is a shrine to the Zoroastrian sun god Mihr, while others have posited that it’s the tomb of a Romanized Armenian king or even of the Roman emperor Trajan himself. Though not a church per se, the site holds major spiritual importance for thousands of Armenian Neopagans (newfound adherents to Armenia’s pre-Christian rites) who gather there for ceremonial dances, nature worship rituals, and—until a law forbade it a few years ago—animal sacrifice. Note the smattering of gray slabs interspersed with the lighter stone of the colonnade—these were incorporated in the temple’s reconstruction 1975 for easy differentiation from the original building materials.   

Keghart

Geghard is arguably the crown jewel of medieval Armenian architecture, its chapels hewn into a cliffside set among steep, scrubby peaks. Khachkars, uniquely Armenian “cross stones” bearing mesmerizing carvings of crosses, suns, and other religious and nature motifs, are strewn throughout the complex; you’ll find yourself stopping to simply stare at them as you would a trippy psychedelic animation. As you walk the grounds, ducking into the various churches, chapels, and old priests’ quarters cut into the rock, make a point to seek out Proshyan Dynasty’s zhamatun, or tomb. The doorway to this room is crowned with a primitive pagan relief of two lions with dragon tails flanking a ram’s head. What’s going on is anyone’s guess—so linger for a few minutes and let your imagination run wild. Tip: Combine a visit to Geghard with Garni, a 15-minute drive away. 

Noravank Monastery

Noravank

One of the most splendid church façades in all of the Caucasus can be found at Noravank, a monastery and one-time residence of the Orbelian Dynasty. Momik is the mastermind builder behind the cantilevered stairs (an astonishing architectural feat for the 13th century) that trace up the front entrance; he also carved the lace-like khachkars still standing at the site.  See if you can spot the tympanum bearing an uncannily East Asian-looking representation of God; legend has it that invading Mongols spared Noravank because they saw themselves reflected in that image. Indeed, in both architecture and in manuscripts, Armenians would often depict their subjects with the features of the enemy du jour in hopes that their work would not be destroyed.  

Sevanavank 

Lake Sevan sprawls 1,900 square miles and covers nearly one sixth of Armenia’s surface area. It’s beloved by Armenians for its tranquil beaches and sweet, rosy-fleshed trout, but to visitors, the lake’s main attraction is the 9th-century Sevanavank monastery. It takes a wheezy hundred-step climb to reach the small yet charming church, but the panoramic lake and mountain views from an altitude of 6,200 feet are well worth the sweat stains. Among the twenty-some khachkars spread around the grounds is a unique example bearing a depiction of Jesus on the cross, one of only three such cross stones known to exist. 

https://www.thedailybeast.com/armenia-has-some-of-the-worlds-most-enchanting-monasteries?ref=scroll


EU provides €80 thousand humanitarian funding to those affected by Gyumri hailstorm and floods

George Mamian

EU provides €80 thousand humanitarian funding to those affected by Gyunri hailstorm and floods

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 21:38, 7 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 7, ARMENPRESS. In mid-July 2020, a devastating hailstorm hit the city of Gyumri in Armenia, followed by floods that caused substantial damage to housing and infrastructure, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the EU Delegation to Armenia.

In response, the European Union is providing €80,000 in humanitarian funding to assist the most affected people. This EU funding supports the Red Cross in delivering much needed relief aid, including cash assistance to help the most vulnerable cover their immediate basic needs such as food and hygiene items; vouchers for clothes; and the distribution of mattresses, pillows, blankets and bed linen.

The humanitarian aid will directly benefit 2,670 individuals whose belongings and houses were severely damaged or destroyed by the hailstorm and subsequent floods. The funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

On 13 July 2020, a heavy hailstorm hit Gyumri, Armenia’s second largest city. Whilst the country has repeatedly faced hailstorms in the past, the most recent one was unprecedented in its scale and impact on the urban area. About 1,000 households were affected, out of which 600 (2,670 persons) still live in container-housing that was built as ‘temporary shelters’ following a devastating earthquake in 1988. These households are considered critically vulnerable and require immediate humanitarian assistance.

200 new cases and 8 deaths in last 24 hours – Armenian Center For Disease Control

Christine Harutyunian

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 11:14, 8 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 8, ARMENPRESS. The National Center for Disease Control and Prevention says 200 new coronavirus cases have been diagnosed in the past 24 hours, and 387 patients recovered.

The total cumulative number of confirmed cases has reached 40185, with 32395 recoveries.

8 patients died from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, increasing the death toll to 785. This number doesn’t include the deaths of 228 other people who were diagnosed with the coronavirus, because as authorities said these patients died from other illnesses.

The number of active cases is 6777 as of 11:00, Yerevan time. 

Reporting by Lilit Demuryan; Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Artsakh reports 2 coronavirus cases in last 24 hours

Edgar Tavakalian

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 11:21, 8 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 8, ARMENPRESS. 2 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Artsakh over the last 24 hours, the country’s health authorities said.

12 patients recovered, bringing the total number of active cases to 36.

Since the outbreak began, a total of 250 cases were reported in Artsakh. No COVID-19-related deaths were recorded in the country. 

Reporting by Lilit Demuryan; Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Sarkissian visits bombarded border town, praises hero villagers and troops

Emil Lazarian

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 14:07, 8 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 8, ARMENPRESS. President Armen Sarkissian has traveled to Armenia’s northeastern province of Tavush and visited the border town of Chinari, which is one of the region’s villages to have come under cross-border attacks by Azerbaijan as recently as mid-July.

Sarkissian was accompanied by Governor of Tavush Hayk Chobanyan and the Primate of the Diocese of Tavush of the Armenian Church Bishop Bagrat Galstyanyan, the President’s Office said in a news release.

The president visited the village school, which was heavily damaged by Azerbaijani artillery strikes.

Sarkissian’s sons, Hayk and Vardan Sarkissian, have donated new equipment to the school. Hayk and Vardan Sarkissian have launched a campaign of donating computers to schools to connect the students with peers from the Diaspora around the world.

Sarkissian reiterated his support to the children “as president, as an individual and as the Sarkissian family”.

“In a way I have become the friend of this school and this village”, he told the children. “Consider that this is my school as well, in case of any issues tell me. I am speaking about the entire village”. He said his office will resolve the school building’s heating problem.

He thanked the residents of Chinari for standing by the country’s men and women in uniform and keeping the borders safe.

The President noted the unique nature of the village, saying: “This is paradise. People here live in paradise, while many of our countrymen don’t even know that paradise is right next to them”.

“We will win if we are all united, in a united Armenia, Artsakh and Diaspora”, he said. “I am very optimistic and confident that we will overcome all difficulties through unity. All the greats have spoken about this. We are learning poems about our national unity at schools. But I believe that aside from knowing these poems, reciting, analyzing and realizing them, we should also simply feel them, feel that the Armenian next to you is your brother or sister. In this case no one can defeat you in life”.

As part of his visit to the province, the President also met with the troops and awarded gifts to several distinguished servicemen.

He praised the troops as heroes, noting that the people of Armenia are proud of the military.

“The president noted that our servicemen are the ones who truly shape our history and everyone owes them for the peace and security”.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Over 300 ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan in one week, says Artsakh

Tambiyan Samvel

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 14:49, 8 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 8, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh’s military says Azerbaijani troops violated the ceasefire at the line of contact on more than 300 separate occasions, firing a total of approximately 2800 shots at Artsakh army positions over the last week.

The Artsakh’s military – the Defense Army – said in a news release that it “is in control of the tactical-strategic situation and carries on confidently fulfilling its mission”.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Paula Yacoubian among 5 Lebanese lawmakers to step down in sign of protest

Babken Chilingarian

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 16:44, 8 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 8, ARMENPRESS. Lebanon’s ethnic Armenian lawmaker Paula Yacoubian (independent) is among the 5 Members of Parliament to have stepped down as a sign of protest to the authorities in connection with the Beirut explosion, Reuters reports.

The other lawmakers are Marwan Hamadeh, a Druze, and the Kataeb Party bloc comprising three MPs.

Kataeb Party leader Samy Gemayel announced the decision during the funeral of Nazar Najarian, the Secretary General of the party who died in the blast.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan