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Kupelian: after Genocide, the story of Vartan Mamikonian best known

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  • Kupelian: after Genocide, the story of Vartan Mamikonian best known

    Roger Kupelian: after Genocide, the story of Vartan Mamikonian is one
    of most widely known
    30.01.2010 12:28 GMT+04:00

    /PanARMENIAN.Net/ The idea to shoot a film about Vartan Mamikonian was
    born quite early on, film director Roger Kupelian said.

    `I was taught the poems of Vartan when I was quite young. It was in
    New Zealand, during my work on the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, that I
    was able to meet some of the artisans that were able to help
    facilitate shooting the first few trailers. The name `East of
    Byzantium' was not the original name, as that was arrived on after
    consulting with producers here about having a project with wider
    appeal. Don't be surprised if it changes again. We've been through
    years of development and research on many levels and it's just a fact
    that it has allowed the project to really mature and hone down to the
    importance of its central story,' he told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

    `We've approached many smaller studios and agencies but until all the
    pieces are in place it is best to keep your powder dry. As you know
    Hollywood is going through a particularly tough time so getting such a
    high budget film greenlit takes time. We are in the process of
    attaching executive producers who will take this to the next level,'
    Kupelian said.

    Asked why the Avarayr Battle was chosen to be the film plot, he said,
    `The short answer is: Filmmaker's discretion. And now for the long
    answer: Keep in mind that the further you step out of Armenia, the
    less the Diaspora usually knows about anything dealing with Armenian
    history or at least of the region. Many people are very familiar with
    this story more than many others, however. After the Genocide it is
    one of the most widely known.'

    `This story is not about a 'battle' any more than Braveheart was about
    one particular battle. It's about characters, and these characters
    symbolize the spectrum of challenges the Diaspora and homeland are
    dealing with today. At the end of the day the decision was purely an
    emotional one: If you don't believe in your story and the importance
    of telling it, this very difficult path is not worth being on. You
    will face many challenges, many of them from within your own cultural
    circle. To outsiders it is an exciting story similar to Gladiator. To
    us it is fraught with political questions and inside squabbles. There
    has to be a distance at some point when deciding to tell a story for a
    wider audience,' Kupelian said.
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