Author: Kajoyan Gevork

Editor’s Note: Artsakh-based filmmaker Jivan Avetisyan’s latest feature, “Gate to Heaven” had its world premiere on Thursday in Yerevan. On this occasion we are publishing the interview, below, published on H-Pem, Hamazkayin’s recently-unveiled online portal to Armenian culture.

BY RUPEN JANBAZIAN
From H-Pem.com

If one thing stuck with me during my introduction to director Jivan Avetisyan about a decade ago, it was that in spite of his humble nature, he was very proud of where he was from. Fast forward several years and it seems little has changed.

“I am from Artsakh. You know, my roots run deep in Artsakh,” he tells me, without even giving me the chance to utter my first question. As we converse in his Downtown Yerevan office over strong Armenian coffee, and in between a barrage of phone calls he has to ignore, years on, his focus – and his creative output – continues to be zeroed in on one thing: his beloved, still-unrecognized nation…

“If we were to take a moment to count, there are seven or more generations of my family buried in our ancestral village [in Artsakh]. Say what you want… That means something,” he says.

And although he considers himself an Artsakhtsi through and through, it might surprise most that Jivan was actually born in Gyumri – Armenia’s second-largest city – in 1981, following his family’s relocation there. After the devastating earthquake that rattled Gyumri and nearby towns and villages, the Avetisyan clan moved back to their ancestral village, where Jivan spent most of his youth.

“My school – Stepanakert’s number nine – had a profound impact on my life. It was different from the other schools,” Jivan says of his cherished elementary school. “The quality of education was great, but that wasn’t all that important to us. Its impact was mostly because it was situated along a forest and the [then mostly Azerbaijani-inhabited] village of Krkzhan. It was a time of war – and whether you like it or not, war impacts your life, your journey,” he explains.

Life during the devastating war that claimed the lives of tens of thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more was not easy for the Avetisyan family and although he doesn’t delve into details, his blank stare speaks volumes. “I won’t say much about that time, but I will say that it shaped me,” he says.

Just four years after the ceasefire was signed between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Republic of Artsakh, Jivan was conscripted into the military for his mandatory service and between 1999 and 2001, he was able to serve his dear Artsakh as a member of the unrecognized state’s army. “[The Army] wasn’t easy, but knowing you are doing it for a greater good, for something that’s bigger than you, makes me look back at those days with a smile on my face,” he explains.

Following his service, Avetisyan made the important decision to take his passion for cinema to the next level and enrolled in the Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography. The move, he says, was “terrifying but also exhilarating and liberating.” Alone for the first time and away from his comfort zone, he was free not to only find himself, but also to chase his passion. While studying, Jivan took a job at the newly founded Television station Yerkir Media as a security guard – he figured he wanted to be “close to the cinematic action,” even if it meant spending hours at his mundane, uninteresting job as the station’s watchman.

His plan eventually paid off as Yerkir offered him his first directorial gig – a small segment for TV, which eventually led to more jobs, and, ultimately, his promotion to chief director at the station. “They seemed to like my work – one gig led to another, until I eventually came to be in charge,” Avetisyan explains, “but it didn’t come easy. I put in my time. Who would have thought – the security guard – right?”

After 12 years at Yerkir Media, Jivan decided to establish his own production company, the Fish Eye Art Cultural Foundation, along with his friend and longtime collaborator Masis Baghdasarian. The company has, just recently, wrapped up with its third feature-length film, “Gate to Heaven.”

Jivan’s modesty does not skip a beat as he details his journey to this point. When probed about how he has been able to be so productive and release three films in the last five years (check out the trailers to all three below), the prolific director deflects the praise and instead thanks his supporting cast. “Nothing would be possible without the hard work and dedication of my team,” he says, adding that the word “team” for him goes way beyond his colleagues and production staff. “My family – my wife and three kids – my like-minded friends, my comrades, and the hundreds of folks who have contributed to my film… All of this would be impossible without them.”

Only in passing does Avetisyan admit that he has put in no less than 15 hours of work per day for the last 20 years. “You can have the best team in the world, but it would mean nothing without the hard work… That goes without saying,” he explains, looking to the floor as if he feels shame in admitting his toil.

For Jivan, the reason to establish his own company and direct films is simple: to create pieces of art, “which represent my homeland; to show the world the real Artsakh.” His full-length feature debut was “Tevanik” in 2014, a joint Armenian-Lithuanian feature, which was made in cooperation with National Cinema Center of Armenia and Lithuanian Artbox Production House. “’Tevanik’ – like all my films – is the story of Artsakh; about the war, about loss,” the director explains. Following the day in the lives of three children in an Artsakh village during the war, Jivan took famed Armenian writer and director Arnold Aghababov’s short script about the war, into a beautifully shot film about love and sacrifice.

Following its Yerevan premiere, ”Tevanik” was screened at the 67th Cannes International Film Festival, where it caught the attention of critics. “The reception was overwhelmingly positive and it seemed as though both film lovers and critics enjoyed the film, which isn’t always the case,” explains Jivan. He wasn’t off. Besides having the honor of being screened in more than 20 countries (and being translated into nine languages along the way), “Tevanik” also amassed an impressive number of awards from competitions across the globe, including Best Screenplay at the Arpa International Film Festival of Los Angeles; Best Feature Prize in the Armenian Panorama Competition at the Golden Apricot Film Festival; the Audience Choice Award at the Silk Road International Film Festival in Xi’an, China; and Most Original Work in the International Feature Films Competition of the Overlook Film Festival in Rome.

Jivan followed “Tevanik” with another film about the Artsakh War, “The Last Inhabitant,” which he calls an “international endeavor.” Though filming and production took place in the tiny village of Khachmach, Arstakh (population, approximately 200), the film came to life as a result of a partnership that spanned across five countries. Along with Avetisyan’s Art Cultural Foundation and the National Cinema Center of Armenia, and Artbox Production House (of Lithuania, which had co-produced “Tevanik), Jivan’s second feature was also co-produced by Apricot Stone of Sweden, Alpha Dogs, Inc. and the Mosaics Art and Cultural Foundation of the U.S., and the Lebanese University Institute of Fine Arts . “The cast was as international as the people behind the scenes,” Jivan explains, “actors from Lithuania, Greece, Russia, and the States were featured in the film.”

He even managed to get some Armenian star power in the film. Serj Tankian of System of a Down wrote the musical score for the film, which recorded with the participation of the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra. “Serj has always been supportive of my work and his participation was very special,” Jivan explains.

“The Last Inhabitant,” which focuses on and tells the story of one man, is, in fact, a very human story, according to Avetisyan. “[The film] is about Abgar, the only Armenian left in the village of Gyurjevan following the deportations of Armenians and his search for his daughter. But really, it’s a story about survival and how all of us, regardless of race, culture, and religion, need one another in order to survive,” he explains.

Following its initial release in late 2016, “The Last Inhabitant,” like its predecessor, did the festival circuit and took home an impressive assortment of awards, including Best Feature and Best Actor at the Scandinavian International Film Festival. The film even caught the attention of HBO execs, and the film’s Eastern European distribution rights were picked up by the storied company in late 2017. Through the deal, the film was screened throughout Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Macedonia.

When speaking about his latest project, “Gate to Heaven,” which set to have its world premiere in Yerevan on October 17, Avetisyan explains that the film is just another installment in an ongoing mission. “I don’t want to philosophize or politicize the matter, but telling the world of Artsakh is like a duty for me – a duty as an Armenian, as well as a personal obligation,” he details. For Avetisyan, the Armenian victory in Artsakh in the early ‘90s was more than re-claiming lost lands, but a way for all Armenians to shed what he calls their “victim complex” following the Armenian Genocide. “A century ago, we established statehood, and with the victory [in Artsakh] we cemented statehood,” Jivan says.

On a personal level, Jivan’s obligation is much simpler. “Like I explained when we first sat down today, like I always do” he says, admitting his passion, “seven generations of family tombs – I am their legacy. Both World Wars, self-defense at Baku, the Liberation War – my family has participated in every war in the region in the last century. I know why I am here.”

The director’s latest project focuses on Artsakh’s latest conflict, one that Jivan was very much a part of: the April 2016 War – often referred to as the “Four Day War.” In it, a European journalist named Robert Stenvall returns to Artsakh in 2016 to cover the war and meets Sophia, a young opera singer and the daughter of the missing photojournalist whom he left behind in captivity during the fall of Talish (1992). The connection between the liberation war of the early 1990s and the 2016 war that have been called the worst clashes there since the ceasefire was signed in 1994 are palpable in the film’s synopsis. “I wanted to show the world that the war is ongoing; that there is no peace, only a shaky armistice,” Jivan explains.

Although he came up with the film’s storyline and even took part in the writing process, Avetisyan does not consider himself a writer by any means. “[The story] may have been born in my head, but I’m just a director,” he explains, crediting Artavazd Yeghiazaryan and Mko Malkhasyan’s work on developing the plot and making it ready for the big screen. “What the public will see is the product of the hard work – the blood, sweat, and tears – of all three of us,” he goes on.

Avetisyan explains that his latest project would not have even gotten off the ground if it were not for the help of his friends, family, and loved ones, but also the financial and emotional support of hundreds of complete strangers. In March 2018, Jivan launched a crowd funding campaign to help make his dream a reality and the response, according to the director, was overwhelming. “More than $10,000 was collected in the first three days since the launch,” he explained. “Although the film’s budget is much higher than the crowd funding target, it was important for me to get the community – especially the worldwide Armenian Diaspora – directly involved with the project. This is our [Armenians’] story and all those who contributed are part of telling it to the world, are part of its success,” Avetisyan says.

Jivan is also grateful to the countless organizations, foundations, and companies – both Armenian and non-Armenian – which made financial contributions to the film. One organization Jivan mentions is Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society, which has supported all of his films in some capacity. “Organizations like Hamazkayin prove that when like-minded people come together and work for a common goal, their labors will bear fruit,” he explains.

Jivan does not like forgetting his talented ensemble and also credits his diverse cast for the success of his latest film. “Gate the Heaven” stars German actors Richard Sammel (best known for his role as Thomas Eichhorst on the FX television series “The Strain”) and Nina Kronjäger; Lithuanian actor Leonardas Pobedonoscevas (“Defiance”); Russian actor Tatiana Spivakova; Swiss actor Benedict Freitag; Armenian-American actor Naira Zakaryan; as well as a host of big names from Armenia, including Sos Janibekyan and Armen Sargsyan.

For Avetisyan, it was important to have a strong cast, because the actors are an integral piece of the puzzle, which makes a good film. “A good story with a bad cast is just as useless as a bad story with great actors,” he explains.

“The fact that it’s so multi-ethnic – that they are from all over – is just further proof that this isn’t an ‘Armenian story’ and that the ongoing conflict does not only pertain to Armenians and Azerbaijanis,” he says. “The story is about the truth and truth is universal.”

After wrapping up shooting and post-production, Jivan is more than happy with the result. And even though the film’s Armenian release is set for next week, and its Los Angeles premiere is scheduled for March of next year, he is hopeful for a wide release spanning continents in the coming months. “I want the world to see our story, our truth. It wasn’t easy getting here, but I must say, I am proud,” he says, putting his trademark humility aside for a moment. “Telling the truth, especially about my home, my land, warrants a sense of pride, I guess.”

“Gate to Heaven” will premiere in Yerevan on October 17. The film will be released in cinemas across Armenia on October 25.

ANCA supports “harshest sanctions on Turkey for attacks upon America’s Kurdish allies or civilian populations.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s long-planned invasion of northern Syria, which is mainly populated by Kurds, began Wednesday as Turkish forces launched airstrikes, which witnesses on the ground said were deliberately targeting civilians.

In a statement, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces issued a public mobilization call.

“We are and we have to be prepared for the worst,” SDF spokesperson Mustafa Bali told NBC News. “The situation on the border is like a volcano and can explode at any moment.”

In a Twitter post, Bali accused Turkey of deliberately targeting “civilian areas.”

Ahead of launching the airstrikes, Turkey amassed tanks and heavy military equipment and personnel amassing on the Turkey-Syria border with the aim, according to Erdogan, “to prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border, and to bring peace to the area.”

Erdogan’s plan of ridding the area of its predominantly Kurdish population is to resettle the majority of the more than three million Syrian refuges that have taken shelter in Turkey.

Erdogan’s plan was hastened Sunday when President Donald Trump removed all American forces from the area and green lighted the attack. The U.S. forces were working with the the SDP-affiliated YPG (People’s Protection Units) in the area against the Islamic State.

In a statement, Trump said the U.S. did not “endorse this attack,” adding that he had told Turkey that the operation was a “bad idea.” A day after sanctioning Erdogan’s plans, Trump threated to “obliterate” Turkey’s economy if it went “off limits.” Trump said he expected Turkey to protect civilians and religious minorities and to prevent a humanitarian crisis, he said.

While predominantly a Kurdish-populated region, the area is home to many other Christian minorities, including Armenians. The mainly Armenian-populated city of Aleppo is approximately 60 miles from the Turkish border.

“The ANCA continues to engage with Administration and Congressional stakeholders, coalition partners, and Armenian community leaders in the region regarding the profoundly dangerous impact of the Trump Administration’s ill-advised decision to abruptly withdraw forces from northeast Syria, inviting a Turkish invasion that is already targeting Kurds and also Armenians and other at-risk Christian, Yazidi, and Muslim populations,” said Armenian National Committee of America Executive Director Aram Hamparian in a statement released immediately following the Turkish strikes.

“Mindful of the continuing consequences of the Armenian Genocide – including those directly threatening the remaining Western Armenian populations in northeast Syria – we join with Senators Lindsey Graham, Chris Van Hollen, and others – from both houses of Congress – in supporting bipartisan legislation imposing the harshest sanctions on Turkey for attacks upon America’s Kurdish allies or civilian populations,” added Hamparian.

Amid the ongoing political tensions in Washington over the Democratic-led impeachment proceedings against Trump, Congressional Republicans increasingly voiced their opposition to Turkey’s attack on northern Syria.

Close Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, said he would lead an effort in Congress to “make Erdogan pay a heavy price,” adding: “Pray for our Kurdish allies who have been shamelessly abandoned by the Trump Administration.”

“Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion. Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave and eats a bread it does not harvest.” ― Gibran Kahlil Gibran, from “The Garden of The Prophet”

On the 30th anniversary of its founding in Fresno, California, the Armenian Technology Group, Inc., through its office in Armenia, officially registered its latest high yielding, high quality wheat seed variety with Armenia’s Seed Inspection and Quality Control Service. The seed was bestowed the name Arthazar, in memory of the founding chairman of the group, Dr. Arthur O. Hazarabedian, D.V.M. (1930 – 2003).

The selection of the seed is the result of years of research, during which A.T.G.’s staff set up trial plots in numerous locations throughout Armenia. The idea was to ensure that each wheat seed variety was suitable for planting in the various growing or climate zones of Armenia and, most importantly, would secure larger quantities of harvest per acre, while generating higher incomes for the growers.

“This is simply our gesture to express our gratitude to Dr. Hazarabedian and his group, who, despite having their own different professions, focused their attention on the most vulnerable segment of our economy,” stated the originator of the seed-naming concept, Gagik Mkerchyan, director of the A.T.G. Foundation in Armenia, who spearheaded the project. “The notion that Dr. Hazarabedian initiated in Armenia saved thousands of lives during the early years of independence, to say the least, and which continues to re-building the country’s Seed Bank,” he added.

“We now germinate the seed in our country and supply local grain growers with the highest quality seed available for Armenia’s climate. Needless to say, over the years we experimented with some 250 seed varieties, several of which already have been registered and start with A.T.G. acronyms. These are in circulation but, certainly, we had to select the best seed for the legacy of Dr. Hazarabedian,” said Mekhitar Grigoryan, head agronomist of the group.

“This is homage to the vision that Art and his colleagues had for the people of Armenia. By sharing Arthazar wheat seed with the grain growers we are spreading Art’s spirit and hope in Armenia’s heartland. We congratulate our staff for their dedication in continuing the organization’s mission,” stated Varoujan Der Simonian, Executive Director of A.T.G.

For a landlocked country like Armenia, food security is an integral part of national security. This vital issue becomes more apparent when Armenia’s geo-economic situation is taken into account. Since its inception in 1989, the founding members of the California based non-profit organization rebuilt Armenia’s agricultural infrastructure by focusing on the country’s wheat consumption needs.

While Armenia was part of the Soviet Union, some 80 percent of its grain consumption was being imported from Ukraine and Russia. Since then, Independence and the economic blockade made such transactions much more difficult and costly. Dependence on other countries for grain to feed its own people made Armenia much more vulnerable, while affecting, at the same time, its overall economic and political bargaining strength.

Reflecting on 30 years of service to the people of Armenia, Der Simonian said, “We give homage to all the A.T.G. board members and technical advisors — Dr. Arthur Hazarabedian, D.V.M., Dr. Robert Bushnell, Dr. Leon Garoyan, Dr. Jack Morse, Don Tounjes, Monte Bell, Roger Benton with an onlooker, and the local agronomist, Mekhitar Grigoryan, who planted the first wheat and alfalfa seed fields and trial plots near the epicenter of the earthquake-devastated city of Spitak.”

The supports of the U.S. Government entities were substantial during the following years. Through their means, in 1995 world experts in the wheat seed production, Dr. Warren Kronstad, Curt De Louche, Ph.D. and Dr. Richard Newberg, who had significant contribution in India’s Green Revolution, drafted the strategic map for A.T.G. to follow in increasing wheat production in Armenia. One of the key components is to insure the sustainability of the program was to propagate the breeder seed in consecutive years and thereby germinating foundation, registered, certified followed by common seed prior to making the harvest available to grain growers to be sown for milling or general consumption.

Certainly, the people of Armenia appreciate the support that they receive from friendly countries during natural disasters or economic blockade. However, in order for a country to sustain economic and social stability, particularly during crisis, it must be in position of producing substantial amount of its main food supply and be capable of feeding her population.

Subsequently, establishing a Seed bank is a vitally important component of having sustainable domestic seed production that could meet local climatic requirements and planting needs. Over the past two decades, A.T.G. had built its seed inventory reserve. However, several times, due to seed shortage or drought, A.T.G. distributed its seed supplies to the growers to sow their farms Currently, A.T.G., again, is in the process of re-building Armenia’s Seed Bank with locally generated seeds.

As the project evolved with technical advisors James Bouder, Ph.D., Mark Goodson and Roger Culver joining the group, the organization embarked on applied science methodology in setting up trial plots in seven growing zones in Armenia and Artsakh. A.T.G. took it on its own in carrying out the Research & Development process to select the most suitable and high yielding seed varieties with the potential of securing highest economic return on investment. These trial plots were scattered up to 30 locations each year. Over the past 30 years some 300 selected wheat, alfalfa, corn and other seed varieties obtained from International Maze and Wheat Improvement Organization, ICARDA, and other entities, were tested and only upon selecting the most suitable ones, made these varieties available to the grain growers.

The trial plots became the foundation upon which the Seed Multiplication Program was launched. The USDA Foreign Agricultural Services was a major contributor in this endeavor. The seed producers association was formed composed of A.T.G. affiliated farmers. These association members were trained by A.T.G. technical advisors to become specialized in propagating seed. Their continuous education included participating in more the 285 training seminars and field demonstration that A.T.G. had carried over the past 30 years.

“We follow the process by extensive trial of those varieties over a two years period. We carry all the risks, and only after ensuring the best seed varieties suitable for producing results at a given region, only then we make the seeds available to seed producing association members.” states Grigoryan, who remembers fondly working with the founding members in planting the first fields.

The lack of appreciation for the advantage of securing Armenia with its own domestically produced high yielding seeds moved the staff of Tigran Sargsyan’s administration to import and distribut large quantities of non-tested and poor quality wheat seed varieties from abroad to Armenian grain growers, which subsequently caused a major economic loss to the farmers and the country. (Please see A.T.G.’s statement dated July 12, 2010).

Maintaining quality control and industry standard are crucial for the growth of a healthy and sustainable seed being produced in the republic. Hence, in 2002 A.T.G. initiated and funded an independent quasi-government body of Seed Inspection and Quality Control purposes. The idea was twofold, first to create a systemic structure that will oversee the seed production in the country and thereby insure that industry standards are met, where the grain growers are offered quality seeds suitable for planting in their growing zones. Second, a functional seed inspection services will enhance the country’s standing in international market, by building trust and credibility, by issuing phytosenitary certificates for domestically produced products, and thereby adhere with international regulations and standards. This will help in opening new market opportunities for Armenian products.

“With the official registration of the new Arthazar wheat seed variety, we are pleased the Seed Inspection and Quality Control is functioning. Once our office makes the new variety available to the local grain growers, we anticipate it will generate higher production yield and increased of farm family income,” noted Dr. James Reynolds, President of A.T.G.