Scriptwriter and directed Garin Hovannisian suggest having the courage to look into the eyes of the past
Recently, the premiere of the movie “1915” by Garin Hovannisian and Alec Mouhibian was screened at the “Moscow” cinema. The cast of the movie “1915” includes Angela Sarafyan (as Angela), Simon Abkarian (as Simon Mamoulian), Samuel Page (as James) and Nikolai Kinski (as Tony). The film music was written by the renowned rock musician Serj Tankian. The film selected as an epigraph Rafael Patkanian’s words: “Come, my nightingale” well-known lullaby, which actually has a clear message. “Come, Falcon, from blue mountains and hills, Maybe my baby will favor your song, Brave Falcon come and my son became stiff, fell asleep to the drums of battle songs.”
In the press conference prior to the movie, Garin Hovannisian had warned that you are going to watch a strange film that contains secrets of the actors and in the music, and if you watch it carefully and freely, you can find the meaning. Indeed, the movie “1915” is different from the thematic films created so far, there are no scenes of blood, devastation, however, all of it is encrypted in the genetic memory of the heroes, in the irreconcilability with the sadness of eyes, words and the past. The authors of the film presented with a unique hand style and a new film language, the goal of which was to overcome the pain inherited from the past and the reality through the history, but it requires having a courage of denying the past and looking into the eyes of the past. Caption: Serj Tankian, Angela Sarafian and Garin Hovhannisian
Garin Hovannisian says we have not yet closes our accounts with the past, therefore, it has been hundred years that our not recognized ghosts are restlessly roaming in the world, they will be calm down until the denial operations are eliminated. The plot of the movie is as follows: exactly one century after the Armenian Genocide occurred in Ottoman Turkey, film producer Simon Abkarian decides to stage a play at the “Los Angeles” theater founded by Charlie Chaplin, with which he will pay his tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide. For being controversial, the theme of his performance was welcomed with “swords”, in particular for the episode when the Armenian woman’s salvation is taking place with the help of a Turkish colonel. Some people consider this a disrespectful attitude towards the victims of the genocide, which resulted in the blockade of the theater, sending intimidating letters and phone calls to the film director, and spreading fear among the producer and the actors.
Simon Mamoulian’s idea is quite dangerous, but, after all, the spirit of the past are everywhere, they are waiting for the bridge of the past and the present through the memory. One of the actors suggests changing the end of the story, making it beautiful, but Simon is adamant: the Genocide did not have a positive outcome, the story cannot be colored. The performance, however, is staged, and the film ends with “Come to my Nightingale” voiced from the lips of survivor Angela… It depends on who and how will understand the message of the film, ultimately, it is a matter of perception. Note that the movie “1915” has been screened in the United States and Russia. According to the scriptwriter and producer Garin Hovannisian, the film preparatory work lasted several years, and the filming was carried out only in 20 days. Garin is happy that the film is their unique tribute to the 1915 Genocide victims. Note that Garin Hovannisian, who is the son of the “Heritage” party Raffi Hovannisian, is the author of the book “Family of Shadows,” which is dedicated to the century-long history of their family deprived of the homeland because of the genocide.
The book is about his great-grandfather Kaspar, who somehow escaping the genocide started a new life in the United States. Kaspar’s son Richard was the first in the United States who was engaged in Armenian studies and genocide studies. As for Kaspar’s grandson, Raffi Hovannisian, he is also restless about the past, therefore, he is settled down in the Republic of Armenia, later on becoming the first foreign minister of the newly independent country and thus carrying out nation-devoted activities.
