Tweet
THE ECLIPSE: NEW SHORT FILM ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE PRESENTED
GENOCIDE | 13.02.15 | 10:38
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Conductor Ara Yernjakyan, the artistic director of the Yerevan Chamber
Theatre, has presented a new short feature film about orphans who
survived in the 1915 Armenian Genocide and took refuge in one of
American camps.
The plot of the 15-minute film called "The Eclipse" is not based
on a true story. There are no murder scenes, no blood, no pregnant
women and Turks slaughtering them in the film, instead there are
children's eyes full of deep grief, tears, loss, that are telling
about despicable crime.
The director relates the success of the film to the children who
are not professional actors, but were able to fulfill their mission
professionally.
"The children were selected among schoolchildren of two Ashtarak
schools. I do not know, you can rarely find actors of such quality,
both that moving story, and that brilliant acting," Yernjakyan said.
He said that there is an accepted opinion that in a film about the
Genocide there must be red-capped Turkish soldiers who are shedding
blood and spreading violence.
"There is not a single drop of blood, there were moving children's eyes
and one story, one small novel, which, I think, is more understandable
and exciting than a pack of Turkish soldiers with daggers," he
said. "During any tragedy children are the first to suffer, grown-ups
somehow manage to overcome the tragedy, but children are innocent,
they do not understand why it happened so that yesterday they had
parents and today they don't."
Before working on "The Eclipse", Yernjakyan was trying to find
financial means for shooting a full-length film to be called 'The
Flood', which would also be based on the Genocide subject, however he
was not able to get the necessary means, and instead decided to shoot
"The Eclipse".
"For The Eclipse the Golden Apricot [international film festival]
provided $10,000, the Ministry of the Diaspora - 1 million AMD,
the Ministry of Culture - 3-4 million AMD," he said. (According to
today's exchange rate, one dollar is about 475 drams).
The film had a success in the Italian city of Ravenna. It has been
submitted for a presidential award. This year within the framework
of the Golden Apricot festival the film will be shown in a number of
theatres of the world, including in Paris. Yernjakyan said that the
film's "biography" is only beginning.
The Eclipse will be on TV in Armenia in April, when the 100th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will be marked.
http://armenianow.com/genocide/60584/armenia_genocide_film_ara_yernjakyan
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
GENOCIDE | 13.02.15 | 10:38
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Conductor Ara Yernjakyan, the artistic director of the Yerevan Chamber
Theatre, has presented a new short feature film about orphans who
survived in the 1915 Armenian Genocide and took refuge in one of
American camps.
The plot of the 15-minute film called "The Eclipse" is not based
on a true story. There are no murder scenes, no blood, no pregnant
women and Turks slaughtering them in the film, instead there are
children's eyes full of deep grief, tears, loss, that are telling
about despicable crime.
The director relates the success of the film to the children who
are not professional actors, but were able to fulfill their mission
professionally.
"The children were selected among schoolchildren of two Ashtarak
schools. I do not know, you can rarely find actors of such quality,
both that moving story, and that brilliant acting," Yernjakyan said.
He said that there is an accepted opinion that in a film about the
Genocide there must be red-capped Turkish soldiers who are shedding
blood and spreading violence.
"There is not a single drop of blood, there were moving children's eyes
and one story, one small novel, which, I think, is more understandable
and exciting than a pack of Turkish soldiers with daggers," he
said. "During any tragedy children are the first to suffer, grown-ups
somehow manage to overcome the tragedy, but children are innocent,
they do not understand why it happened so that yesterday they had
parents and today they don't."
Before working on "The Eclipse", Yernjakyan was trying to find
financial means for shooting a full-length film to be called 'The
Flood', which would also be based on the Genocide subject, however he
was not able to get the necessary means, and instead decided to shoot
"The Eclipse".
"For The Eclipse the Golden Apricot [international film festival]
provided $10,000, the Ministry of the Diaspora - 1 million AMD,
the Ministry of Culture - 3-4 million AMD," he said. (According to
today's exchange rate, one dollar is about 475 drams).
The film had a success in the Italian city of Ravenna. It has been
submitted for a presidential award. This year within the framework
of the Golden Apricot festival the film will be shown in a number of
theatres of the world, including in Paris. Yernjakyan said that the
film's "biography" is only beginning.
The Eclipse will be on TV in Armenia in April, when the 100th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will be marked.
http://armenianow.com/genocide/60584/armenia_genocide_film_ara_yernjakyan
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress