NOURITZA MATOSSIAN’S "HEART OF TWO NATIONS" CHOSEN FOR SCREENING AT GOLDEN APRICOT FILM FESTIVAL
Gibrahayer
June 18, 2008
Gibrahayer – Nicosia -June Armenian Cypriot writer Nouritza Matossian’s
"Heart of Two Nations" has been chosen for screening at the Golden
Apricot Film Festival. The documentary is about assassinated Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink and his interviews with Nouritza Matossian.
The Golden Apricot Film festival will take place in Yerevan between
13-21 July in Yerevan.
Nouritza Matossian is a writer, actress, broadcaster and human rights
activist. She writes on the arts, contemporary music, history and
Armenia.
Matossian published the first biography and critical study of the Greek
composer Iannis Xenakis, the source book on his life, architecture and
music based on ten years’ collaboration with him. She later adapted
it into a 50-minute documentary for BBC2, entitled Something Rich
and Strange.
Matossian’s 1998 book Black Angel, A Life of Arshile Gorky was written
after twenty years’ research. Ararat, the award-winning film by Atom
Egoyan and Miramax, was partly inspired by Black Angel. She acted
as consultant to Egoyan who modelled the female lead role Ani on
her. Matossian also wrote and performs a solo show on Gorky’s life from
the viewpoint of his four beloved women with images and music. It has
been produced worldwide over 80 times at venues including the Barbican,
Tate Modern, London, New York, Los Angeles, the Edinburgh Festival,
Cyprus, Paris, Lebanon, Iran, Romania and Georgia. In Armenia she
performed it simultaneously in two languages.
Matossian broadcasts on the BBC and contributes to several newspapers
and magazines, including The Independent, The Guardian, The Economist,
and The Observer. She was Honorary Cultural Attache for the Armenian
Embassy in London from 1991-2000.
She spent her childhood in Cyprus with her Armenian family. Educated
in England, she graduated with Honours in Philosophy (B. Phil) from
Bedford College, University of London, then studied music, theatre
and mime in Dartington and Paris; she has a command of nine languages.