FILM CATCHES LIFE MOVIEMAKER SAYS ‘MY BIG FAT ARMENIAN FAMILY’ IS ABOUT HIS
By Joyce Rudolph
Glendale News Press, CA
June 11 2008
Culture, Generation.
Glendale resident Sevak Ohanian recreates the problems of growing up
in an Armenian American family in his new film "My Big Fat Armenian
Family" but adds a twist of humor.
The film, which will premiere July 12 and 18 at Glendale High School,
tells the story of a family of four — a father, mother, son and
daughter. The son can’t seem to do anything right in his father’s eyes,
and there is a constant air of friction between them.
The parents, Robert and Rima, are played by one man, Ajmin Baghramian,
Ohanian said.
"I decided to have Ajmin play both characters because he is just
a phenomenal actor and good at performing caricatures of Armenian
people," the 21-year-old filmmaker said. "Having a male actor
masquerading as a female is innately funny. It goes back to the Greek
comedies where men played females."
The scenario, Ohanian said, also posed a challenge for him as the
film’s writer, director, cameraman and editor.
"I wanted .â~@~B.â~@~B.â~@~Bto see if I could achieve this effect of
two different characters being played by the same actor," he said. "And
I think, if you watch the movie, you will come to identify each of
them as their own person."
Ohanian is studying film at UC San Diego and received some feedback
from his independent study teacher, Michael Trigilio, a lecturer at
the university.
While there are some amateur qualities to the project because of
time constraints to work on the film, Ohanian has done remarkably
well with such a complex production, Trigilio said.
"It’s very complicated to have one actor playing the male and female
leads," he said. "In the editing of the scenes with the two characters,
Ohanian was able to make the editing look seamless."
But what most impressed Trigilio was how well Ohanian crafted the
story so it wasn’t just about a farcical family, he said.
"There is an emotional touchstone in the family dynamics and the way
it deals with the first- and second-generation immigrant families,"
Trigilio said. "I’m Italian American, and in our own culture there
are generational conflicts. It’s interesting to see how Sevak exposes
a lot of the jokes that are part the Armenian community but without
belittling the Armenian community."
For this project, Ohanian said he wanted to combine comedy and drama
while instilling a message in the film. What evolved was a social
commentary on how Armenian American families behave, he said.
"We reflect how parents act with their children and how children view
their parents," he said.
While it’s not autobiographical, Ohanian asked his sister, Ramela
Ohanian, 18, to play the sister in the film, he said.
"My sister is playing herself, not literally, because it’s not
autobiographical," he said. "It’s just about my culture and my
generation."
Ramela Ohanian has no plans for an acting a career, but said
participating was fun.
And she is proud of her brother’s project, having written the script,
shot, directed and edited it, she said.
"Who can say their brother has done all that," she said. "It’s
something to look up to."
Sevak Ohanian will enter a three-year program at USC School of Cinema
in August and try to make filmmaking a career, he said. But for now
he’s looking forward to the public premiere in July, he said.
"I think afterward I’ll sleep for a week," he said.
"This movie is the most challenging but rewarding thing I’ve ever
committed to."
Photo: Filmmaker Sevak Ohanian, front, sits at a Glendale home which
was used to film much of his movie My Big Fat Armenian Family. Behind
are three actors featured in the film (left to right) Arabo Sarkisian,
portraying Arabo Armenian, Ajmin Baghramian, portraying Rima Armenian,
and Narbeh Yermian, portraying Narbeh Armenian. Arabo is a cousin
who his aunt, Rima, loves and admires while Narbeh is her son which
she cares little about. (Alex Collins/ News-Press)
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