by Alex Billington
December 22, 2020
Source: YouTube

"Come with me, my child. Take my hand." A new trailer has been released for an international film titled Songs of Solomon, made by Armenian actor Arman Nshanian. He was initially going to make it as a short film, but turned into a full feature instead thanks to the push of producers. Inspired by true events, this is a film about a childhood friendship, torn apart by the horrific Hamidian massacres infiltrated by the Ottoman Empire under the rule of Sultan Abdul Hamid II (1894-1896). This epic portrayal spans from 1881, to 1915, Constantinople, taking us on an emotional and epic musical journey to the last concert given by Archbishop Komitas. A musical and biographical film which takes place on the backdrop of the sacred and ancient music of Archbishop Komitas, also known as Solomon. The film stars Samvel Tadevossian, Sos Janibekyan, Tatev Hovakimyan, Artashes Aleksanyan, Arman Nshanian, Arev Gevorkian, as well as Jean-Pier Nshanian. This looks like a cliche and obvious historical epic, without much of any style or substance.

Here's the official trailers (+ posters) for Arman Nshanian's Songs of Solomon, direct from YouTube:

A film about a childhood friendship torn apart by a horrible empire set out to destroy everything in its path. A brave woman at a time of dire prejudice risks her life and the life of her family to save her best friend who is hunted down for her religious beliefs. This epic portrayal takes place at the turn of the century in Constantinople, taking us on an emotional and musical journey. A film of love, hope, courage, deceit and pain – And music, a film just as much about music… Ancient pagan music. Music that would bind an entire people to the heavens and the earth, to the rivers and the stars. The music of Komitas, also know as Solomon. Songs of Solomon is directed by Armenian actor-turned-filmmaker Arman Nshanian, making his feature directorial debut after one short film previously. The screenplay is co-written by Audrey Gevorkian and Sylvia Kavoukjian. This hasn't premiered at any festivals, as far as we know. The film opened first in Armenia in November of this year. Stay tuned for release news. Anyone interested in watching this?