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NOT YOUR TYPICAL HISTORY MOVIE: FILMS TAKE ARTISTIC, CULTURAL APPROACH TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
ARMENPRESS
APRIL 16, 2012
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS: According to Richard Hovannisian,
professor of Armenian and Near Eastern History, when addressing events
of cultural significance such as the Armenian genocide, artists are
now adopting a more creative approach toward the tragedy as opposed
to merely stating facts, reports Armenpress citing The Daily Bruin.
The Hammer Museum's forthcoming programs attempt to do just that
through a series of events that, according to Hovannisian, will take
a more artistic and cultural rather than historic approach to the
Armenian genocide.
The series will begin tonight with a screening of Academy Award nominee
Atom Egoyan's film "Ararat," followed by a screening of the documentary
"Screamers" on Tuesday, which profiles the efforts of Grammy-winning
band System of a Down to promote wider recognition of the difficulties
facing those affected by the Armenian genocide.
Egoyan, the director of "Ararat," said he tried to avoid simply
providing a reenactment of historic events.
"A historic adaptation ... didn't seem to deal with what I, as an
Armenian, was wrestling with, which ... is how its effect ripples
through our lives today and how we experience the transmission of
trauma from one generation to the next," Egoyan said.
"Ararat," which analyzes the relationship of four generations of
characters not only with each other but also with their cultural
history, does so through its unusual story line: it is a film about
the making of a film about the Armenian genocide.
Egoyan explained the significance of the film-within-a-film approach,
saying that it was particularly important for him to reconstruct
the historical aspects of the genocide in order to examine how the
recreation of such scenes of horror and inhumanity can perpetuate
anger and hatred. He emphasized, however, that such scenes are not
the focus of the film.
"History is not passed through generations in those epic scenes
of massacre, but in those intimate moments shared by individuals,"
Egoyan said.
"Attempts to amplify the event from the very personal turmoil that
its memory provokes somehow for me diminishes, or might not represent,
the essential aspect of its meaning."
Director Carla Garapedian's documentary "Screamers," which explores
the perpetuation of genocide, features the awareness efforts of System
of a Down.
"We were asked to be in ("Screamers") as a vehicle for talking about
genocide and highlighting the fight for recognition around the world,"
said Serj Tankian, lead singer of System of a Down.
According to Tankian, Garapedian filmed the band's various concerts
and events, and edited this footage together with footage of protests
and interviews to create a film that would address all angles of the
meaning of the Armenian genocide and genocides that followed.
Egoyan and Tankian, who said they formed a friendship through their
collaboration, will participate in the Hammer Conversations series
together on April 22 to further discuss the issues involved.
"We need to tell the story using different tenses - using the past
tense, using the present tense (and) the future tense (to present)
a kaleidoscopic view of what the experience of these atrocities has
meant," Egoyan said.
From: Baghdasarian
ARMENPRESS
APRIL 16, 2012
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS: According to Richard Hovannisian,
professor of Armenian and Near Eastern History, when addressing events
of cultural significance such as the Armenian genocide, artists are
now adopting a more creative approach toward the tragedy as opposed
to merely stating facts, reports Armenpress citing The Daily Bruin.
The Hammer Museum's forthcoming programs attempt to do just that
through a series of events that, according to Hovannisian, will take
a more artistic and cultural rather than historic approach to the
Armenian genocide.
The series will begin tonight with a screening of Academy Award nominee
Atom Egoyan's film "Ararat," followed by a screening of the documentary
"Screamers" on Tuesday, which profiles the efforts of Grammy-winning
band System of a Down to promote wider recognition of the difficulties
facing those affected by the Armenian genocide.
Egoyan, the director of "Ararat," said he tried to avoid simply
providing a reenactment of historic events.
"A historic adaptation ... didn't seem to deal with what I, as an
Armenian, was wrestling with, which ... is how its effect ripples
through our lives today and how we experience the transmission of
trauma from one generation to the next," Egoyan said.
"Ararat," which analyzes the relationship of four generations of
characters not only with each other but also with their cultural
history, does so through its unusual story line: it is a film about
the making of a film about the Armenian genocide.
Egoyan explained the significance of the film-within-a-film approach,
saying that it was particularly important for him to reconstruct
the historical aspects of the genocide in order to examine how the
recreation of such scenes of horror and inhumanity can perpetuate
anger and hatred. He emphasized, however, that such scenes are not
the focus of the film.
"History is not passed through generations in those epic scenes
of massacre, but in those intimate moments shared by individuals,"
Egoyan said.
"Attempts to amplify the event from the very personal turmoil that
its memory provokes somehow for me diminishes, or might not represent,
the essential aspect of its meaning."
Director Carla Garapedian's documentary "Screamers," which explores
the perpetuation of genocide, features the awareness efforts of System
of a Down.
"We were asked to be in ("Screamers") as a vehicle for talking about
genocide and highlighting the fight for recognition around the world,"
said Serj Tankian, lead singer of System of a Down.
According to Tankian, Garapedian filmed the band's various concerts
and events, and edited this footage together with footage of protests
and interviews to create a film that would address all angles of the
meaning of the Armenian genocide and genocides that followed.
Egoyan and Tankian, who said they formed a friendship through their
collaboration, will participate in the Hammer Conversations series
together on April 22 to further discuss the issues involved.
"We need to tell the story using different tenses - using the past
tense, using the present tense (and) the future tense (to present)
a kaleidoscopic view of what the experience of these atrocities has
meant," Egoyan said.
From: Baghdasarian