GAZPROM IS LIKELY TO BUY IRAN-ARMENIA PIPELINE
Lragir.am
30 June 06
Alexander Ryazanov, Vice President of Gazprom, presently the only
supplier of gas to Armenia, stated June 30 that Gazprom is likely to
buy the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, reports the news agency ARKA.
According to Ryazanov, the operation of Iran-Armenia will guarantee
supply of gas to Armenia. `There are problems connected with transit
of gas to Armenia via Georgia because Georgia uses gas without
permission,’ stated Alexander Ryazanov.

MP SAYS THERE IS NO REAL POWER IN ARMENIA
Lragir.am
30 June 06
`If a person announces that he has nothing to do, if a political
figure announces that personal connections are not related to
political connection, I think it is useless to touch upon this issue
again,’ stated Vahram Baghdasaryan, one of the founders of the Union
for Armenia Party June 30 about Attorney General Aghvan Hovsepyan.
Member of Parliament Baghdasaryan announced thatthe rumors about the
relation between the political party and the Attorney General have
been refuted for a number of times, and there is no need to refute it
again. In the meantime, despite refutations, everyone except Vahram
Baghdasaryan believes that the Attorney General is related to the
Union for Armenia Party. There is even an opinion that the building of
the political party slowed down because of the same Attorney General,
who is facing problems.
Vahram Baghdasaryan refutes rumors about accidents in party building,
adding that everything goes on in accordance with the plan. There is
no suspension, every political force has its strategy, style of
work. In other words, harmonious advance. `It is not clear yet who
reaches on time, a fast runner or a slow runner,’ states Vahram
Baghdasaryan ambiguously.
He even says that this is a good period for setting up a political
party.` Hence, in taking a step they should wait until there are
favorable conditions.
Frankly speaking, I haven’t seen such a political vacuum throughout my
political career as in the past few months. I can also open the
brackets. There is no real government, the coalition was, in other
words, the sphere is empty.
There was no real opposition, ideological. Personified opposition
forces, opposition forces connected with certain personal problems
formed. In other words, the powerful opposition force, which could act
as a locomotive, is absent, the sphere is vacant. There were also
pre-election conditions. In other words, there were all the
preconditions to set up a political force. In other words, there were
no political forces which had real control of the situation.
In other words, there was a public demand for a new voice, for a new
force,’ says Vahram Baghdasaryan. According to him, in 2003 it was
early to set up a political party, for the efforts could fail.
Vahram Baghdasaryan says the Union for Armenia Party is
right-centrist, and is going to act under the same principle as the
People’s Deputy Group. Vahram Baghdasaryan disagrees, he thinks that
they will not just criticize, because people are tired of an
opposition which does nothing but criticizing. The Union for Armenia
Party has 30 thousand members, who are against swearing,or 30 thousand
members, who are for the union. At least, Vahram Baghdasaryan says at
the moment they have 30 thousand registered members. In the election
they aspire to a serious place to form a government. However, Vahram
Baghdasaryan does not hurry to specify percentages, because the
political party is still being set up.
`After the assembly in fall, when a decision will have been made that
we must run for the parliament at full speed, and there will already
be a decision whether we will be running for parliament alone or in
alliance, we will be able to give a full answer,’ says Vahram
Baghdasaryan. As for the assembly, they are not in a hurry.
`We cannot just hold an assembly although we can fill any hall. There
are problems we need to settle, not only for the members of the party
but alsofor our supporters. There are also styles of performance, what
statement we must make on such an important occasion,’ says Vahram
Baghdasaryan. According to him, the reason for delaying the assembly
is the time rather than political intrigues. Vahram Baghdasaryan says
they need time to work out a region al policy, find support in the
regions, and understand the psychology of every region.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NGOs FOR REFUGEES
Lragir.am
30 June 06
The NGOs protecting the interests of Armenian refugees from Soviet
Azerbaijan and Nakhidjevan made a statement June 30 on joining in an
effort to protect the rights of the Armenian refugees and recovering
moral and material losses. The authors of the statement signed an
agreement on establishing acivil society network `Refugees and the
International Law’.
The organizations inside the network report that the international
community ignores the rights of 500 thousand Armenian refugees from
Soviet Azerbaijan and Nakhidjevan. There is no adequate assistance
from the Armenian government either.
Considering that the talks for Karabakh are considering the return of
some regions controlled by the NKR Defense Army and resettlement of
Azerbaijanis in this region, the NGOs invite the Armenian and the
international community to include the question of refugees from
Soviet Azerbaijan and Nakhidjevan in the talks. Moreover, considering
the fact that Armenians comprised about 8 percent of the population of
Soviet Azerbaijan (excluding the Armenians ofNKR), the founders of the
new civil network think 8 percent of the territory of the Azerbaijani
Republic should be given to them as compensation for their
homes. Hence, the members of the network are against returning the
territories.
Adding that since 1988 400 thousand Armenian refugees from Soviet
Azerbaijan and Nakhidjevan have been sheltered in Armenia and NKR, in
the parliamentary election 2007 they are going to support the parties,
which will uphold the interests of refugees from Soviet Azerbaijan and
Nakhidjevan.

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
June 30, 2006
___________________
BISHOP AYKAZIAN ATTENDS PEACE PARLEY
Bishop Vicken Aykazian, legate and ecumenical officer of the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America (Eastern), was in historic Florence, Italy, from
May 13 to 16, 2006, to attend an international conference devoted to talk of
peace.
International religious leaders, including His All Holiness Bartholomew I,
Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch, attended the event,
organized by the Galileo 2000 Foundation.
“People from different religions and from different continents gathered in
Italy guided by the spirit of peace to pray and to dialogue,” Bishop
Aykazian said.
One panel included representatives of various Christian churches, Jewish
leaders, and Muslims. Included on that panel was Bishop Aykazian, who spoke
on how it is possible to bring peace to the world while reading a paper
titled “The contribution of religion to peace and understanding.”
“It is from the New Testament that our Lord Christ says ‘Blessed are the
peace makers.’ So we are the peace makers of this world, we have to stop
violence. Religions have the power to stop atrocities and crimes committed
in the name of religion,” he said.
“The role of religion is to bring justice, peace, and to stop war, violence,
war, genocides, massacres, etc.”
As president-elect of the National Council of Churches, Bishop Aykazian
spoke about the activities and the achievements of the organization in
social, moral, medical, spiritual, environmental, and other areas. Bishop
Aykazian spoke about injustices being committed against innocent people
around the world, which the National Council of Churches is trying to end.
Thousands of religious and civic leaders attended the conference, including
the Queen of Denmark, the Princess of Florence, and a high-level
representative of the Vatican. The conference was highly publicized in the
European media.
“It is important that among all these religions the Armenians were given
prominence and invited to the gathering,” said Bishop Aykazian. “This
conference definitely brings a contribution to peace in the world.”
— 6/30/06
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News and
Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Bishop Vicken Aykazian, legate and ecumenical officer
for the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), left, joins His
All Holiness Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical
Patriarch, and the Roman Catholic Cardinal of Florence, Italy, during a
panel discussion at the peace conference organized by the Galileo 2000
Foundation.

PRESS RELEASE
Two Cats Productions
Contact: Joy F. Noel
(212) 929 2085
[email protected]
TH E ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO AIR ON FRENCH TV
New York, NY (June, 2006) — The Armenian Genocide, by Andrew
Goldberg, which received international critical acclaim and aired
nationally on PBS in the US has been licensed to PLANETE Television in
France () for national broadcast. It was also
licensed to Swedish Television. Airdates for both networks have not
yet been announced.
The film received extraordinary reviews and coverage in almost every
major newspaper in the US including The New York Times where it was
described as powerful adding that it honors the victims of the
Genocide. It was also covered in the Wall Street Journal, The LA
Times, The Boston Globe and countless others. The NJ Star Ledger
called it serious, literate and ultimately heartbreaking. The Weekly
Standard described it as evocative and visually rich. In addition the
film has sold internationally to major networks in Canada, Australia,
Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Finland and other countries. Narrated
by Julianna Margulies, the film features additional narrations from Ed
Harris, Natalie Portman, Orlando Bloom, Laura Linney, Paul Rudd, Jared
Leto and others.
The Armenian Genocide is the story of the first Genocide of the 20th
century when over a million Armenians died at the hands of the Ottoman
Turks during World War I. This unprecedented and powerful one-hour
documentary, scheduled to air April 17th on PBS, was written, directed
and produced by Emmy Award-winning producer Andrew Goldberg of Two
Cats Productions, in association with Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Featuring interviews with the leading experts in the field such as
Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Samantha Power, and New York Times
best-selling author, Peter Balakian, this film features
never-before-seen historical footage of the events and key players of
one of the greatest untold stories of the 20th century.
Filmed in the US, France, Germany, Belgium, Turkey and Syria, the
program features discussions with Kurdish and Turkish citizens in
modern-day Turkey who speak openly about the stories told to them by
their parents and grandparents.
Two Cats Productions is a documentary production company in New York
City led by Andrew Goldberg. His television credits include PBS, ABC
News, E!, CNN, and countless others. In addition to documentaries, he
has also written and produced commercials for such companies as Bell
South, Sephora/Louis Vuitton, AT&T and PetSmart. Goldberg and Two Cats
recent documentary productions include, A Yiddish World Remembered for
PBS which won an Emmy in 2002, and The Armenians, A Story of Survival,
which aired on PBS stations nationally in 2002 and was awarded the
CINE Golden Eagle.
Major Underwriters: John and Judy Bedrosian, The Avanessians Family
Foundation, and The Manoogian-Simone Foundation.
Home Video Available: DVD or VHS at
Photos for The Armenian Genocide are available online at
pressroom.pbs.org and
##

PRESS RELEASE
American University of Armenia
300 Lakeside Drive, 5th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Contact: Maggie Mead
Tel: 510-987-9125
Fax: 510-208-3576
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
WebFeat & American University of Armenia Launch First Demonstration of
Federated Search Services in Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
Yerevan- The first demonstration of a customized federated search service in
the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), an alliance of 11 former
Soviet Republics, has been launched by WebFeat, developer of the WEBFEATT
and WebFeat ExpressT Search Prisms, and the Papazian Library at the American
University of Armenia (AUA). Library users can now simultaneously search
the Library’s catalog and selected popular databases from a quick search
box.
WebFeat is used by over 5,000 leading public, academic, government, ‘Global
1000’ libraries, and information centers-including over half of the 20
largest U.S. public libraries, 9 statewide library systems, and one out of
every 10 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) institutions.
“WebFeat is pleased to team with the American University of Armenia (AUA)
and SEFLIN, the Southeast Florida Library Information Network, to
demonstrate federated search services for the AUA community. (SEFLIN is a
membership organization of libraries dedicated to working cooperatively to
advance library services). WebFeat is used by over 5,000 leading libraries
and we are delighted to contribute our services to this demonstration
project at the Papazian Library,” stated Todd Miller, President of WebFeat.
“We are grateful to Todd Miller, Founder & CEO WebFeat, and to SEFLIN, the
Southeast Florida Library Information Network, for partnering with the
American University of Armenia (AUA) in providing this valuable service,”
stated Satenik Avakian, AUA Library Director. “WebFeat enables patrons to
search the online database resources and the library catalog simultaneously
with a single search interface,” said Avakian.
“WebFeat has already become an indispensable topic-oriented tool for AUA
students. “It provides us with a unique opportunity to search the library’s
entire collection alongside many other articles and catalogs in a very
organized manner” says Lena Hovivyan, 2nd year student in the AUA Political
Science and International Relations graduate program.
“Through the generous support of Todd Miller and WebFeat, federated search
services are being demonstrated for the first time in Armenia and the
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS),” said Tom Sloan, SEFLIN Executive
Director. “We are pleased to have brought these partners together and
congratulate WebFeat and the American University of Armenia in demonstrating
innovative technology to search digital content,” stated Sloan.
**************************************** **********
AUA’s Papazian Library currently holds 30,000 volumes and serves over 10,000
library patrons. What began as a single library facility has now evolved to
include the Legal Research Center and the Krikor Soghikian Public Health
Reference Room.The Library’s WebFeat search service is located at

Capitol Weekly
Ethnic tensions mark Democratic primaries
By Anthony York
published June 15th, 2006
Political mailers bankrolled by the Latino Caucus, which linked Democratic
Assembly candidate Paul Krekorian to a terrorist and played the race card
against Democratic contender Mike Eng, are being denounced by community
leaders and Caucus members who say they want to know who approved the
attacks.
Capitol sources said that the job of the vice chairman of the Latino Caucus,
Assemblyman Joe Coto, D-San Jose, may be on the line.
Several Caucus members met Tuesday across the street from the Capitol at
private offices in the 11th and L Building to discuss the mailers, which
were funded with independent-expenditure (IE) money. They are trying to
figure out how to limit political fallout from some of the nastiest hit
pieces in this year’s primary campaign.
“It’s an affront to us, especially because we for so long have been the
victims of this kind of crap,” said Assemblyman Hector De La Torre,
D-Southgate. He and Assemblyman Albert Torrico, D-Newark, have launched an
investigation into the flyers.
A mailer aimed at Paul Krekorian blasts his endorsement from the Armenian
National Committee (ANC), insinuating that the group is allied with
suspected terrorists. But critics say the ANC is a mainstream group, and the
mailer unfairly attacks Armenians. In Assembly District 49, white and Latino
voters received a mailer listing Mike Eng’s Asian endorsers, with the tag
line: “Mike Eng. He’s not like us.”
Both Krekorian and Eng faced competitive primaries against candidates backed
by the Latino Caucus. Krekorian defeated Glendale Councilman Frank Quintero.
Eng defeated Alhambra City Councilman Dan Arguello.
During the 2004 election cycle, it was the Latino Caucus blasting the
Republican Party and the Chamber of Commerce-backed JobsPAC for hit pieces
they said had racist overtones. Among them was a Republican Party-funded
mail piece used against Juan Arambula in the closing days of the 2004
campaign.
At the time, Speaker Fabian Núñez compared the GOP mailer to hate mail. “I
had thought California had moved beyond the time when candidates used racist
election propaganda to divide our community,” he said.
Latino Caucus chairwoman Martha Escutia, D-Whittier, also blasted those GOP
mailers. “All I can assume, as a lawyer, is it was temporary insanity,”
Escutia said in 2004. “But I can tell you, as a Latina, that these types of
attacks will not ever happen again on my watch.”
But now, those same charges are being levied against the very Latino Caucus
that Escutia chairs. Escutia did not return calls for this story.
“I don’t see any difference between what JobsPAC did against us and these
pieces,” said Torrico. “I’ll tell you, it’s an embarrassment. It’s an
embarrassment for me as a Latino Caucus member as an Asian American. It
should be an embarrassment to all of us.”
A number of Latino Caucus members say they had no idea the mail pieces were
being financed using Latino Caucus money. In the 43rd Assembly District, the
mail piece linking Krekorian, who is of Armenian descent, to a terrorist
suspect, was bankrolled by a group called the California Latino Leadership
Fund.
The anti-Krekorian mailer was produced by political consultant Sandi Polka,
who has close ties to Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata.
Torrico said some of the responsibility for the mailer lies with Coto, the
vice chairman of the Latino Caucus.
“It was part of the fund-raising effort of [San Jose Assemblyman] Joe Coto.
He’s been the principal fundraiser for the Latino Caucus. I have not been
involved with that,” said Torrico.
De La Torre said he and Torrico are “going to be doing the information
gathering and get back to the group. When Joe Coto comes back, we’ll be
sharing that information with him and see if he can enlighten us further.”
Coto was on vacation this week and did not attend Tuesday’s meeting. He was
not available for comment for this story.
Krekorian said he spoke with several members of the Caucus, including
Frommer, who expressed their outrage of the mailer. “The one exception was
Sen. Escutia,” he said. “She spoke with me and seemed to be offended that I
had suggested a linkage between the Latino Caucus and this fund.”
Krekorian added, “It’s pretty clear to me that this is not something the
whole caucus decided to do. I’ve gone to great lengths to tell people this
has nothing to do with Armenians vs. Latinos or Armenians vs. the Latino
Caucus at all. Certainly, whoever was responsible for this attack needs to
be held accountable. People who prepared the mailer, who authorized the
sending of the mailer and who provided the funding for the mailer should be
held accountable.”
While paperwork filed with the secretary of state’s office does not formally
link Coto to the Leadership Fund PAC, Coto led the fund-raising effort for
the Latino Caucus this cycle. His fund-raiser, Julie Sandino, received
$30,000 in payments from the Latino Leadership Fund PAC. In the first part
of this year, Coto paid Sandino more than $31,000 in consulting fees.
The Latino Leadership Fund received major funding last year from the San
Manuel Band of Mission Indians. While other business groups like Ameriquest
Mortgage and Johnson & Johnson each ponied up $25,000 to the PAC, the tribe
gave the group $295,000 late last year.
“San Manuel has had a long relationship with the Latino Caucus. I believe
this Latino leadership fund is a part of that in a loose way,” said tribal
spokesman Jacob Coin. “We try to keep a working relationship with the
caucus.”
While Coin pointed out the tribe had no say in how the money was spent, he
shrugged off the mail pieces as part of the rough and tumble of California
politics. “Unfortunately, some times these things do happen. We had no role
in however they chose to use the money. It’s a right to participate that we
value dearly and we support that right.”
But Torrico says campaign-finance laws encourage the use of IE committees,
which create plausible deniability for candidates and those involved in
deep-pocketed IE campaigns.
“People talk about clean money, they want publicly financed campaigns, and I
tell them I’m for all that. But until you amend the U.S. Constitution to ban
IEs, it’s a waste of time and effort. There are so many examples of so many
IEs costing candidates races and running extremely negative campaigns.”
In Krekorian’s race, the controversial mail piece was followed by a
pre-recorded call that went out to a number of Democratic voters in the
district.
“What does Paul Krekorian have in common with a convicted terrorist?” the
call asked. “Plenty. Convicted terrorist Mourad Topalian received an award
from the ANC then plead guilty to weapons and explosives charges. Now Paul
Krekorian has accepted the ANC’s endorsement. Krekorian is even working with
the ANC to get their books into public libraries. There’s no place in our
community for a group that hands out awards to terrorists. And there’s no
place in our state Assembly for Paul Krekorian.”
The call and mailer were blasted by ANC leaders. “Unfortunately, during this
campaign, ugly anti-Armenian racist acts were committed against Paul
Krekorian, the ANC, and our community,” said ANC board member Zanku
Armenian.
The consultant who produced the anti-Krekorian mailer defended the piece
Wednesday.
“The piece was about an organization and who they go around pinning medals
on and what candidates go around soliciting their support,” said Paul
Hefner, who worked with Polka’s consulting firm on the mail piece. “I think
what’s overblown is the reaction. It’s the oldest trick in the book. What no
one’s explained is why it’s OK for an organization to hand out awards to
somebody whose mug shot is on the FBI’s Web site.”
Hefner dismissed criticisms that Krekorian’s ethnicity had anything to do
with the mailer. “This has nothing to do with anybody’s ethnicity or
anything else,” he said. “It has to do with the way people conduct
themselves.”
Last year, the ANC honored Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, as their
woman of the year, an honor she touts on her campaign Web site.
The ANC also supported a bill by Sen. Charles Poochigian, R-Fresno,
remembering the Armenian Genocide. The bill passed 36-0 off the Senate floor
and 75-0 in the Assembly. The ANC also gave a $1,000 donation to the
Democratic State Central Committee earlier this year.
The Latino Leadership Fund employed a number of different consultants to run
IE campaigns in races featuring Latino candidates. Leo Briones, husband of
Escutia, was hired by the PAC to run an IE campaign for Orange County
Supervisor Lou Correa. Briones’s Centaur North Strategic Communications
received more than $89,000 from the leadership fund to pay for mail pieces
on Correa’s behalf.
The committee gave more than $42,000 to Glazer Communications to support
Renee Chavez in her losing campaign against Ed Hernandez. Chavez’s campaign
was run by Briones.
In Monterey Park, another IE-funded mail piece raised charges of racism. The
piece, funded by a group called the North-South-East Coalition to Reform
Local Government, blasted the husband-wife duo of Assemblywoman Judy Chu her
husband, Mike Eng, who won the primary in the race to succeed her. The mail
piece morphed Chu’s face into Eng’s and used the tag line, “Mike Eng: He’s
Not Like Us.”
But who paid for the anti-Eng piece is unclear. The North-South-East
Coalition has failed to file paperwork with the secretary of state’s office,
even though every IE committee is required to do so within 10 days of
forming. A spokeswoman from the secretary of state’s office said the
committee first formed in 2003, but never has filed any campaign reports.
Anthony York is Editor of Capitol Weekly.

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
June 30 2006
Azeri delegation to PACE comes home July 1
Trend 30/06/2006 23:21
Azeri delegation taking part in summer session of PACE is coming home
July 1, Trend reports quoting MP Ganira Pashayeva, member of the
delegation.
PACE summer session passed June 26 through 30 in Strasburg.
Performing at the session, Azeri representatives one more time
unveiled Armenia’s occupation policy. At the session, they published
and disseminated brochures entitled «Crimes against the mankind
committed by Armenia» and «Ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijanis».
At the sessions and in PACE committee for ecology and environment,
monitoring Committee, Subcommittee for Nagorno-Karabakh and other
committees our delegation performed with solid facts and thoroughly.
For example, member of delegation Elmira Ahundova performed in PACE
on illegal migrants rights.
On the fourth day of the session, our delegation led a press
conference for foreign journalists on the theme of Armenia’s
occupation policy.
Azerbaijan at PACE summer session was represented by head of
delegation Samed Seyidov, MPs Gultekin Hajiyeva, Ganira Pashayeva,
Rafael Huseynov, Sabir Hajiyev, Aydin Mirzazadeh, Elmira Ahundova,
Fazail Ibrahimli.

Jerusalem Post
June 30 2006
Jerusalem of Film
By HANNAH BROWN

Israeli film buffs, your prayers have been answered. The 23rd
Jerusalem Film Festival, which runs from July 6-15 at the Jerusalem
Cinematheque and other Jerusalem theaters, has a star-studded guest
list, led by Life Achievement Award winner Roman Polanski, director
of such classics as Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown, who will be here
to present his latest film, a new, grittier version of Oliver Twist.
In addition to Polanski, this year’s festival will host movie stars
and directors who will thrill serious cineastes and more casual movie
lovers alike and will feature nearly 200 movies from all over the
world.
“This year, we have some very gifted people coming,” says Lia van
Leer, Jerusalem Film Festival founder and director, as well as
founder of the Jerusalem Cinematheque, in an understatement. “And we
have some wonderful films.”
In the movie star category, there’s actress Debra Winger (An Officer
and a Gentleman, Terms of Endearment), who will be attending the
festival as a juror for the Wolgin Awards for Israeli Features and
the Drama Award in Memory of Anat Pirchi. She also narrates the
newest documentary by Lily Rivlin, Can You Hear Me? Israeli and
Palestinian Women Fight for Peace. Actress Kim Cattrall, best known
as Samantha on the television show Sex and the City, will also be
attending as part of a Canadian delegation (please see sidebar on
special programs). Other festival guests (at presstime) include
director Chen Kaige, here with his latest film, The Promise ; Istvan
Szabo, who will present Relatives ; actress Julie Depardieu (daughter
of Gerard), the star of Sauf Le Respect Que Je Vous Dois ; and
Baltasar Kormakur, director of A Little Trip to Heaven, best known
for Reykjaviik 101.
Achievement Award winners this year are Atom Egoyan, the Canada-based
director of Armenian descent, whose 2002 film, Ararat will be
screened; producer Robert Lantos, who has made such films as
eXistenZ, Felicia’s Journey and Being Julia and who first visited
Israel as a water polo player for the Canadian team in the 1969
Maccabiah Games; and director/actor Eli Cohen, who has made such
films as summer of Aviya and the documentary in the current festival,
Fence, Wall, Border . . .
It’s no surprise that an Israeli shares the honors with distinguished
foreign winners, because this festival is the coming-out party for
the Israeli film industry: It has officially come of age. Two years
ago, the success – both here and abroad – of such movies as Avi
Nesher’s Turn Left at the End of the World, Eytan Fox’s Walk on
Water, Joseph Cedar’s Campfire, Keren Yedaya’s Or, Gidi Dar’s
Ushpizin, Eran Riklis The Syrian Bride and many other Israeli films
came as a surprise. Now, with Israeli films picking up major awards
at festivals all over the world, the time has come to acknowledge
Israel’s place in international cinema and van Leer has chosen to
mark this passage by opening the festival with an Israeli film for
the first time ever.
On July 6 at the Sultan’s Pool amphitheater, before a crowd of
thousands, Oded Davidoff’s Someone to Run With, an adaptation of
David Grossman’s bestselling novel will play on a giant screen. It
tells the story of a teenage boy and girl in Jerusalem who meet while
tracking down a lost dog and the girl’s drug-addicted brother.
Following the screening, there will be an opening party right nearby
at The Lab.
Someone to Run With is just one of a large group of promising Israeli
films competing this year for the Wolgin Awards (see sidebar on
Israeli cinema). Fourteen films from all over the world will also
compete for the Wim van Leer in the Spirit of Freedom Awards, which
are given in memory of Lia van Leer’s husband and deal with the quest
for freedom.
The festival has a special section on French cinema, which now
includes films in French from Francophone countries around the world.
Abderrahmane Sissako’s Bamako is set in Mali and interweaves stories
about families in a courtyard with a mock-trial of World Bank
officials. Alain Tasma’s Nuit Noire, 17 Octobre 1961 is a feature
film about a massacre in France of Algerians who protested the French
occupation of that country. Well-known French directors such as
festival guest Chantal Ackerman are also in the lineup. Her latest
film, a documentary called La Bas, is a film diary about her 2005
stay in Tel Aviv and her feelings about her own Judaism.
The rich Panorama Section features movies from all over the world,
including American movies with big-name stars such as Jennifer
Aniston, who appears in Nicole Holofcener’s Friends with Money.
Sidney Lumet’s latest film, the crime thriller Find Me Guilty
starring Vin Diesel, will be shown. But some of the most intriguing
films come from Asia, including Hong Kong director Johnnie To’s
Election and Election II look at the succession in a Sopranos-style
crime family. Super-cool Japanese crime star “Beat” Takeshi is faced
with an imposter in Takeshis’. The life of a family living in the
Mongolian plains is the focus of The Cave of the Yellow Dog,
Byambasuren Davaa’s follow-up to his international hit, The Story of
the Weeping Camel.
Latin American films also have a strong presence, with such movies as
Claudia Llosa’s Madeinusa, about a young woman in a remote Peruvian
village who sees a way out when a geologist comes to town.
As you flip through the 300-page festival catalog, certain themes
emerge. “There are wars everywhere, but there is also daily violence.
There are the same problems all over the world,” van Leer comments.
As in past years, many of the films deal with refugees and others who
don’t feel at home in the countries they live. For example,
Lebanese-born, Sweden-based Josef Fares’ latest film, Zozo, looks at
a teenage boy moving from Beirut to Sweden. And a special program of
films from the Sarajevo Film Festival examines the fallout from that
country’s civil war, with films such as Jasmila Zbanic’s Grbavica,
the story of a Sarajevo girl searching for the truth about what her
father did during the war.
The trend of strong documentaries continues with such films as Micha
Peled’s China Blue, a look at Chinese migrants from rural areas to
the cities; A Lion in the House, a portrait of children coping with
cancer; festival guest director Alan Berliner’s latest, personal look
at the universal problem of insomnia, Wide Awake; The Pervert’s Guide
to the Cinema, a portrait of festival guest philosopher and
psychoanalyst Slavoj Zizek by Sophie Fiennes (sister of actors Ralph
and Joseph); Ashim Ahluwalia’s John & Jane shows what really goes on
in a Mumbay international call center; and Deborah Scranton’s The War
Tapes focuses on three American soldiers in Iraq who document their
experiences with video cameras.
Werner Herzog is represented at the festival by two documentaries,
The White Diamond, about zeppelins and The Wild Blue Yonder, a
quasi-documentary look at people who believe in aliens. He is also
the subject of a third documentary, Walking to Werner.
The Jewish Experience program also features some intriguing
documentaries, including Mimmo Calopresti’s Volevo Solo Vivere, a
look at Italian concentration camp survivors. Among the feature films
vying for the Jewish Experience Awards are Song of Songs, Josh
Appignanesi’s look at British ultra-Orthodox; Richard Dembo’s La
Maison de Nina, about a Jewish refugee from Greece who sets up an
orphanage after World War II; and Nina’s Journey, Lena Einhorn’s look
at her family’s fight to survive the Holocaust in Poland.
Festival consultant Vivian Ostrovsky spotlights the best of
avant-garde cinema in her “Carte Blanche” program, including a look
at multi-media artist Matthew Barney, Matthew Barney: No Restraint.

Allston-Brighton TAB, MA
June 30 2006
Brazil fever grips Allston-Brighton
By Meghann Ackerman/ Staff Writer
Friday, June 30, 2006 – Updated: 02:02 PM EST
Although America was knocked out of World Cup play, plenty of fans
are still packing bars and restaurants to catch broadcasts of the
games. In Allston, home to a large population of Brazilians, yellow
and green jerseys and flags have been decorating the street and
businesses since the tournament began on June 9.

The sentiment among fans, Brazilian or not, is that watching the
soccer matches has brought people together and provided a link for
recent immigrants to each other and established citizens.

By 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 23, fans had already headed to Café
Brazil and Café Belo, two of Allston’s Brazilian restaurants and bars
that have been showing World Cup games. The mood was celebratory as
Brazil trounced Ghana, 3-0.

“I didn’t think people would come this morning,” said Otavio
Canargo, the manager of Café Belo. By game time, the restaurant was
packed.

“We’re so confident they’ll win we skipped work on Tuesday
morning,” said Pedro Dosreis, a rabid Brazil fan.

Rachel Franca came to Boston from Brazil about a month ago to
study at Boston University. Although she admitted that she doesn’t
follow soccer as much as she used to, she said coming to the games
makes her less homesick.

“This is where I come home to,” she said. “I come and get to be
here with all the Brazilians and hear people speaking Portuguese.”

Canargo, said that he’s noticed Brazilians and Americans coming
together while enjoying a drink or some food and watching the game.

“I’m here to support Brazil all the way,” said Harout Semerdjian,
an Armenian by way of Los Angeles who has many Brazilian friends.

Support of Brazil has stayed strong, despite some obstacles.
Several people, who requested not to be named, watching the game on
Tuesday said that at some games officials came in to check
identification. The fear, they said, was that the officials were from
immigration and looking to deport people here illegally.

Dosreis, however, said even immigration checks won’t deter
Brazil’s fans.

“They’re still going to party, even if immigration comes,” he
said.

Because Boston sports fans are notorious for destructive behavior
after big wins, District 14 Police Captain William Evans said he’s
had officers checking on crowds at the World Cup games.

“It seems like we haven’t been getting the crowds,” he said.
“We’re going to put extra people out to monitor Saturday’s game.
Misbehavior won’t be tolerated.”

Canargo said he has not had any problems with security at Café
Belo.

“People are pretty calm. They get excited about the game, but
they don’t cause any trouble,” he said.

Brazil will be playing their next game tomorrow, July 1, against
France. The game begins at 3 p.m., and the tournament is at the
single-elimination point, meaning the loser of this game will not
continue.