Garo Posted January 25, 2002 Report Share Posted January 25, 2002 In January of 2002 Harvard Film Archive will screen in the section " Directors in Focus" the films AVETIK, KOMITAS and ON THE OLD ROMAN ROAD by Don Askarian (Berlin). During last two last months the retrospective and special screenings of the films by Don Askarian took place on Cine World Festival Sarasota, USA and on the Asiaticafilmmediale, Rome, Italy. ======================================== Hieroglyphs of Armenia: Films by Don Askarian January 21 - January 23 The most important Armenian-born director since Sergei Paradjanov, Don Askarian has created a body of films that explore the history and spirit of his native land. He does so in a modern idiom, inflected with surrealist overtones and powerful imagery--often described as magical realist--that embrace the extremes of beauty and brutality. Born in 1949 in Nagorno Artsax, in the former Soviet Union, Askarian traveled to Moscow to study history and art and worked as an assistant film director and film critic before being imprisoned in 1975. Emigrating to West Berlin in 1978, Askarian began to create his meditations on Armenia from his home in exile, beginning with an adaptation of Chekov’s The Bear, in 1984. Since that time, he has directed a range of works, from documentaries to biographical essays to fiction features, that have been honored at festival screenings worldwide. ============================= KOMITASJanuary 21 (Monday) 7 pmJanuary 23 (Wednesday) 7 pmDirected by Don AskarianWest Germany 1988, 35mm, b/w and color, 96 min. With Samvel Ovasapian, Onig Saadatian, Margarita WoskanjanGerman with English subtitlesThe monk soghomon soghomonian, known as Komitas, was a renowned Armenian composer and conductor who became a symbol of Armenian cultural unity through his orchestral and choral performances and his late nineteenth-century travels throughout the countryside, in which he collected peasant songs for generations eager to preserve their cultural heritage. In 1915, however, the musician’s career ended abruptly after a nervous breakdown precipitated by the Ottoman Empire’s devastation of an estimated three-fourths of the country’s population. Wracked with pain and subjected to the abuses of nineteenth-century psychiatric hospitals, Komitas lost his mind and withdrew into his own world of tortured memories for more than twenty years. Director Askarian dedicates his beautifully constructed, ambitious, and impressionistic portrait of Komitas to those who lost their lives====================================== AVETIK January 21 (Monday) 9 pmJanuary 22 (Tuesday) 7 pmDirected by Don AskarianGermany/Armenia 1992, 35mm, color, 84 min. With Alik Assatrian, Mikhael Stehanian, Karen JanibekanArmenian with English subtitlesHovering between the realms of poetry and history, this stunningly photographed, elegiac work--shot mostly in long takes--mixes cryptic metaphor and fantastic symbolism to tell the story of Avetik, an Armenian filmmaker exiled in Berlin. Director Askarian employs dreamlike images--a crumbling, ancient stone chapel gradually reduced to nothing by the rumbling vibrations of passing military vehicles; a ghostly cemetery of carved tombstones in which a woman takes a starving sheep in her arm and breast-feeds it back to life--to reflect the history of his homeland and shades of his own exile in Germany. In sensuous, lyric tableaux, Askarian explores German racism, the 1915 Armenian genocide, the disastrous earthquake of 1989, tranquil childhood memories, and images inspired by erotic medieval poetry. ========================================ON THE OLD ROMAN ROAD January 22 (Tuesday) 8:45 pmJanuary 23 (Wednesday) 9 pm Directed by Don AskarianGermany/Armenia 2001, 35mm, color, 76 min. English and Armenian with English subtitlesAskarian’s most recent project is another meditation on the artist in exile. Like the filmmaker Avetik and the real-life composer Komitas from his previous films, Levon--a writer of Armenian extraction now living in Rotterdam--is caught between memories of homeland and the realities of contemporary life. From his Dutch domicile, Levon reminisces about his brother-in-law (a hairdresser who robs dead Turks), a brilliant Kurdish musician, a red-bearded executioner, a seventeen-year-old girl with chestnut-colored skin, and a Turkish Apollo with eight wives who likes to bury himself in hot ash. His memory is also populated by beautiful thoroughbred horses, stray dogs, camel drivers, soldiers, and Turkish policemen. These poetic, almost surrealist scenes of magic love and political cruelty are contrasted with the reality of present-day Rotterdam, presented in the guise of a modern crime story with Armenian terrorists and a Kurdish tragedy. http://www.don-askarian.am/ [ January 25, 2002: Message edited by: Garo ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garo Posted January 25, 2002 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2002 Don Askarian was born in 1949, in Stepanakert, Nagorno Artsax. In 1967 he went to Moscow and studied history and art. He worked as an assistant-director and film critic for a year after. In 1975-1977 Don Askarian was prisoned. In 1978 he emigrated from USSR. For last 20 years he lives and woks in Germany. He is a prize winner at several international film festivals. He is perhaps the only director whose "purely Armenian" films have been professionally distributed and proved financially successful in Germany, Japan, Holland, England... "Magic realism", this is how a number of critics characterize his artistic works. The director himself calls his shooting method "creation of new reality". With "Komitas" and "Avetik" Don Askarian became the most important armenian film director" (Rheinishe Post). In 1982 Don Askarian founded Margarita Woskanian Film Production. His first film was “The Bear” (direction, scripts, costumes and scenery), based on Chekhov’s story (1983-1984). In 1985-1988 he was making “Komitas”, which has won several prizes at the international film festivals. 1988 - documentary film “Nagorno Artsax” (direction, scripts). In 1990-1992 - he produced feature film “Avetik” (direction, script, editing, scenery). Retrospectives of his films took place on the Philadelphia Filmfest of World Cinema '93; Int'l Filmfest Figueira da Foz '93; lnt'l Filmfest Sao Paulo '93; Tokyo Int'l Filmfest 1994 (in Kioto)... In 1995 held up the exhibition of photographies, book presentation in Tokyo.In 1995 founded the production and distribution companies - Don Film in Armenia and in 1998 Askarian Film in Germany. In 1996 Don Askarian’s book “Dangerous Light” was published in Armenia. The book includes scripts, esseys of Don Askarian, interviews and reviews from world press (on armenian). In 1998-2000 he produced documentaries "Parajanov" and "Musicians". “On the Old Roman Road” is his last produced feature film (in 2001). Now he’s working on feature films “San Lazzaro” and "In Noraduz"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MosJan Posted January 25, 2002 Report Share Posted January 25, 2002 and haw can i get hold of this films??? MOvses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koko Posted February 10, 2002 Report Share Posted February 10, 2002 ON THE OLD ROMAN ROAD January 22 (Tuesday) 8:45 pmJanuary 23 (Wednesday) 9 pm Directed by Don AskarianGermany/Armenia 2001, 35mm, color, 76 min. English and Armenian with English subtitlesAskarian’s most recent project is another meditation on the artist in exile. Like the filmmaker Avetik and the real-life composer Komitas from his previous films, Levon--a writer of Armenian extraction now living in Rotterdam--is caught between memories of homeland and the realities of contemporary life. From his Dutch domicile, Levon reminisces about his brother-in-law (a hairdresser who robs dead Turks), a brilliant Kurdish musician, a red-bearded executioner, a seventeen-year-old girl with chestnut-colored skin, and a Turkish Apollo with eight wives who likes to bury himself in hot ash. His memory is also populated by beautiful thoroughbred horses, stray dogs, camel drivers, soldiers, and Turkish policemen. These poetic, almost surrealist scenes of magic love and political cruelty are contrasted with the reality of present-day Rotterdam, presented in the guise of a modern crime story with Armenian terrorists and a Kurdish tragedy. What KURDISH TRAGEDY???????????????????????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAS Posted February 11, 2002 Report Share Posted February 11, 2002 Garo, Vahan Totovencn uni mi vep."Kyanq@ hin Hrovmekan janaparhi vra( The life on the old Roman road": Ayn inqnakensagrakan patmutyun e, yev akanatesi gegharvestakan vkayutyun Hayoc Voghbergutyan(V.Totovenc@ yeghel e Andraniki andznakan qartughar@): &isht asats, vepic manramasner chem hishum, vorovhetev shat vaghuc em kardacel: Miayn aghot ayn em hishum, vor hrashali lezvov grvats, karoti u anhusutyan mi patmutyn er korcrats Hayreniqi u Yegherni masin: Ayd kinonkar@ V.Totovenci vepi ekranavorumn e, te parzapes anuneri patahakan ham@nknum?____ SAS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garo Posted March 21, 2002 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2002 Press release, 21.03.2002 We are pleased to inform that this year’s edition of Taos Talking Picture Festival, has nominated Don Askarian’s ON THE OLD ROMAN ROAD, as one of the competitor-films of the festival’s prestigious international prize. The festival screenings of ON THE OLD ROMAN ROAD will take place during the dates from 11-14th of April 2002. This is what the Director of Programming of Taos Talking Picture Festival Mr. Kelly Clement wrote about the film: "We are delighted that you have accepted our invitation to screen ON THE OLD ROMAN ROAD at the 2002 Taos Talking Picture Festival, April 11 - 14. Every year, we look at thousands of films and when one shines above the rest, as ON THE OLD ROMAN ROAD did, it is indeed a pleasure. Don Askarian, recently honored with a Harvard Film Archive retrospective, is considered the greatest living Armenian filmmaker. In Askarian's latest film, which he describes as “a bloody comedy,” a man in exile remembers a childhood of magic and mayhem, complete with grave robbers, brutal assassinations, horses, and men buried in hot ash. As striking a visual feast as one can find, this is an extravagant and crystalline treasure, a film whose rewards far outweigh its considerable demands". Retrospectives and exclusive screenings of Don Askarians films have previously been shown at various locations asInternational Film Festival Rotterdam, 1992, Holland;Philadelphia Film Festival of World Cinema, 1993, USA;International Film Festival Figueira da Foz, 1993, Portugal;International Film Festival Sao Paulo, 1993, Brazil;ORB (Ostdeutscher Rundfunk ), TV, 1993, Germany; Potsdam Film Museum, 1994, Germany;Tokyo International Film Festival (in Kyoto), 1994, Japan;Don Askarian Film Festival, Yerevan, 1996, Armenia;The International Filmfestival Vlaanderen,Gent, 2001, Belgium;Cine World Festival Sarasota, 2001, USA;The Asiaticafilmmediale, Rome, 2001 Italy.Don Askarian’s films AVETIK, KOMITAS and ON THE OLD ROMAN ROAD, were shown in the section “Directors in Focus” -by Harvard Film Archive. The press release about is to be found online on http://www.don-askarian.am/PRESSRELEASE.html or below For more information, please contact the German office: Frau Gaby Schein ASKARIAN FILMNiebuhrstrasse 6910629 BerlinTel./Fax: 030-3246023e-mail: askarianfilm@web.de With Kindest Regards, Nune HovhannisyanDON FILM PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION Aigedzori str.69a, apt.9375019 Yerevan, ArmeniaTel/Fax: 003741 22 70 75e-mail: nunehovannessian@yahoo.comhttp://www.don-askarian.am Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MosJan Posted June 29, 2003 Report Share Posted June 29, 2003 21st of June 2003 Golden Pin of Honour for Don Askarian at the ArtFilm Festival Trencianske Teplice in Slovakia The director of the ArtFilm Festival in Trencianske Teplice, Peter Hledik, handed over the Golden Pin of Honour to the Armenian-German director, photographer, author and producer Don Askarian on the occasion of the opening ceremony for the photo exhibition of his works on 21st of June 2003. The day before Don Askarian had already been awarded the "Golden Camera" of the ArtFilm Festival for his life-long contribution to film art. Peter Hledik said in his opening speech that it would be easy to take a camera into one's hand and to shoot a film but just few filmmakers would be capable of practicing the real art of cinematography. He compared him to filmmakers like Federico Fellini. In his photographs one could adore the beauty of nature and the human body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MosJan Posted June 29, 2003 Report Share Posted June 29, 2003 Askarian Film 5th of June 2003 Press release We are pleased to inform you that this year’s edition of Art Film Festival, Slovakia is focused on the films by the German-Armenian director, author and producer Don Askarian. The retrospective of his six films will take place from 20th to 28th June, 2003. The screening times are: • The Bear 24.06.2003, 13.00h, Cinema Pramen • Komitas 22.06.2003, 19.00h, Cinema Pramen • Avetik 24.06.2003, 14.00h, Cinema Kuplena Dvorana • Paradjanov 24.06.2003, 16.00h, Videoprojection • Musicians 22.06.2003, 14.00h, Videoprojection • On the Old Roman Road 21.06.2003, 16.00h, Cinema Pramen The Art Film Festival presents also an exhibition of the photographs by Don Askarian at the Festival’s main location in the spa town Trencianske Teplice (sponsored by the German Federal Foreign Office). The opening of the exhibition, which features about 30 photographs, will take place on 21st of June, 2003, Hotel Flora, Ulica 17. Novembre, 914 51 Trencianske Teplice, phone: +421-32-6552981-5. The body of work by Berlin-based artist combines pictures from his films and shootings as well as original photographs. The exhibitions of photographs by Don Askarian were already held up in Tokyo, Berlin, Potsdam Film Museum, Armenia. Don Askarian, recently honored with a Harvard Film Archive retrospective, isconsidered the greatest living Armenian filmmaker, will speak at the Hotel Flora (Anglicky dvor) at 11 a.m. on 22nd of June. Don Askarian will be awarded the "Golden Camera" at the opening ceremony of the Artfilm Festival. The ceremony will take place on 20th of June at 6:00 pm in the Cinema Kúpel'ná Dvorana in Trencianske Teplice. For further information on the retrospective and the exhibition please go to www.artfilm.sk.For further information on Don Askarian and his work please go to www.don-askarian.amAskarian Film, Niebuhrstr.69, 10629 Berlin, phone & fax: +49-30-324 60 23, mailto: askarianfilm@web.de Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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