TURKISH-ARMENIAN SPRING TO BLOSSOM IN A JOINT DOCUMENTARY
Turkish Daily News
Friday, October 24, 2008
Turkey
After September’s football diplomacy between Ankara and Yerevan
marked the start of a new era, filmmakers from the two nations have
come together to produce a documentary film conveying their hope for
a continued thaw.
The group of Turkish and Armenian filmmakers came together to make
a documentary film based on the story of the Aras River, which runs
along the border between the two countries. The film depicts the end of
winter and blossoming of spring along the shared border, as a metaphor
for hope for a continued thaw in relations between the two countries.
Armenian film director Gevorg Nazarian and his Turkish counterpart,
Eray Mert, hope to be nominated for an Oscar in the documentary film
category, as well as attract international attention at international
festivals such as Cannes.
The documentary project, which is sponsored by the Turkish-Armenian
Business Development Council, or TABDC, and the Armenian Marketing
Association, takes its inspiration from real-life stories that have
been blossoming around the Aras River for decades.
The Turkish Daily News has learned the U.S. Embassy in Ankara is also
supporting the project, which adds an important dimension reflecting
Washington’s enthusiasm for the long-awaited Turkish-Armenian
rapprochement.
Turkish and Armenian production teams came together for a kick-off
meeting last week in Ankara, where directors Nazarian and Eray
exchanged views together with their screenwriters. According to the
scenario, which is still being drafted, the transition from winter to
summer in the Aras River region and the melting of the frozen waters
will be the theme, symbolizing the ice-breaking efforts between the
two nations.
Shooting is expected to start as the first snow falls on the Aras
River. The acting will be done by ordinary Turkish and Armenian
villagers from both sides of the river. Values shared by both nations
will be detailed throughout the film with an effort to remind viewers
of the shared history and to try to break down prejudices.
The famous folksong "Yellow Bride," which is claimed by both Turks and
Armenians, is being considered as the soundtrack for the film. "Yellow
Bride" was also played at the dinner hosted by Armenian President Serge
Sarkisian during President Abdullah Gul’s one-day trip to Yerevan on
Sept. 6.
While Gul and Sarkisian took the first political steps toward solving
the problems between the two countries, they agreed their efforts
should be supported by social and cultural projects to prepare both
societies for historic reconciliation. The joint documentary project
is considered among the first significant steps in this direction.
The co-chairman of the TABDC, Kaan Soyak, told the TDN the documentary
would display that the sealed border between Armenia and Turkey had
not been sufficient to cut ties between people.
"On both sides we have similar stories, similar lives, similar
people. If they are given the chance to cross borders and meet each
other, they will find out that the border was just a symbolic one. Our
documentary project will show how meaningless it is to close down
borders," he added.
Soyak expressed his belief that the documentary would encourage
political leaders to rapidly proceed in opening borders and removing
barriers.