'we Have Great Talent For Filmmaking'

[MosJan]

'WE HAVE GREAT TALENT FOR FILMMAKING'

 

Canadian-Armenian actress Arsine Khanjian never says "your" while speaking about problems in Armenia but always "our". She expressed pain over the fact that less films were shot in Armenia in recent years. She certainly knows the reason of this tendency, and she offers new solutions telling that it is unacceptable to stagnate and lag behind modern cinematography. Arsine is well aware of the best Armenian films shot at Hayfilm studio in Soviet times, she heard opinions of famous film critics abroad and agrees with them that that was the heyday of Armenian film industry. "Those films are few because Armenia is a small country but their quality is very high. The talent of creating powerful films could not fade away. We are the same people only we don't have the possibilities of those years. I can confirm that there are many gifted filmmakers in Armenia today but they lack the digital systems that are used all over the modern world. In North America, for one, anyone creative can write a scenario and shoot a film. In Armenia, we don't need to spend millions and open a Hollywood-like film studio but instead we need to create a digital system and enable filmmakers to use their small sums to shoot films. It will certainly bring out talented people who film make Armenian cinema known to the world as Sergey Parajanov, Artavazd Peleshian and Henrik Malian did. Cinema is a cultural warfare for our nation, which can be accompanied with huge success. But, unfortunately, this way of thinking is not specified neither in state institutions nor in the circle of filmmakers because we are fearful that the country is not ready for that yet. Perhaps those reasons are somehow justified but we need to find a way out as we have great talent for filmmaking", Arsine says.

 

Arsine Khanjian, who took part in most respectable film festivals including Oscar, was impressed by the Golden Apricot film festival and the opening ceremony at the Opera House. "I can say this was one of those nice and easy-going openings. I had to close my eyes not to see poor decoration of the stage at the opening ceremonies in countries with mighty film industry", she says.

 

Arsine Khanjian has great inner strength, endless humor, sincere and contagious laughter. She explains why Atom Egoyan does not speak Armenia, "I am a guilty Armenian woman, guilty mother, guilty in one word. When I got acquainted with Atom Egoyan everybody expected that he will learn fluent Armenian in a short while but he does not till today though he understand pretty much. I felt obliged to teach him Armenian at first but then I thought if his parents did not teach him why should I".

 

It was rather easy for Arsine to learn Armenian as she grew up in Armenian community of Lebanon. Whereas in Canada it's very difficult to keep one's national identity and language; one needs enormous efforts to do that. "For that reason I could not teach Armenian neither Atom nor our 12-year-old son Arshile. We keep the Armenian soul by all means but it's very difficult to keep the language as everybody around speaks foreign languages. My son does not attend an Armenian school but studies Armenian twice a week and know the Lord's Prayer and sings Our Fatherland (national anthem)".

 

By Ruzan Poghosian