Category: 2019

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.

As part of its series of meeting with members of the diplomatic corps stationed in Armenia, a delegation of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau, headed by its chairman, Hagop Der Khachadourian, met with U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy on Wednesday.

The ARF press office reported that the meeting participants discussed the current state of relations between Armenia and the United States and explored issues related to strengthening those ties and the future scope of activities.

Regional and Armenia’s domestic political developments were also discussed, with the interlocutors emphasizing the importance of convening such meetings on a regular basis.

As part of its efforts to reach out to accredited ambassadors in Armenia, the ARF Bureau has already met with the ambassadors of Russia, Iran and France

There is only one week left before the deadline for applying for the “NerUzh” Diaspora Startup Program. The program is organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs and the Ministry of High-Tech Industry of the Republic of Armenia. All Diaspora Armenians who have an innovative startup idea and want to return to Armenia to establish their startup in their homeland can apply online. Applications must be submitted by October 21.

Applicants who have passed the selection stage will have the opportunity to attend a four-day launch event in UWC Dilijan from December 16 to 20. Those in attendance will learn about Armenia’s startup ecosystem and the business opportunities available, collaborate with local partners, and further develop their ideas. By the end, the winning teams will receive $15,000 to $30,000 grants, as well as entrepreneurial support to establish their startups in Armenia.

Project partners include FAST and IDeA Foundations, UWC Dilijan College, and more.

YEREVAN (Azatutyun.am)—A senior government official accused Armenia’s largest mining company on Thursday of trying to cover up a toxic waste spill that contaminated a river flowing through the southeastern town of Kapan.

The accident was reported near a “tailings” dump of the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC) early in the morning. Officials said that a leaky pipe connecting the dump with ZCMC’s ore-processing facilities sent a stream of industrial waste flowing into the already polluted Voghji river.

According to Levon Petrosyan, the head of the regional branch of the state Inspectorate Body on Environment Protection and Natural Resources, the pipe was swiftly replaced by ZCMC workers sent to the site. “The river is still brown,” Petrosyan told RFE/RL’s Armenian service in the afternoon.

He said his agency took water and soil samples from the contaminated area and sent them to Yerevan for detailed examination.

ZCMC said that the leak lasted for up to 40 minutes. Minister for Emergency Situations Felix Tsolakyan blasted the company during a cabinet meeting in Yerevan which discussed the accident.

“They kept things secret and didn’t [immediately] say that such an accident happened,” claimed Tsolakyan. “The [ZCMC] bosses didn’t say that and carried out quick repairs.”

“I don’t know what he meant by ‘kept secret,’” Petrosyan said when asked to comment on Tsolakyan’s claims. “All I can say is that when our inspectors heard the alert and went there the pipe was already replaced.”

Environment Protection Minister Erik Grigoryan told reporters that authorities are now ascertaining the damage inflicted on the environment. He complained that Armenian environmental legislation sets “ridiculously” small fines for mining firms violating it and must be toughened significantly.

Faulty and old tailings dumps are thought to be a key source of environmental damage caused by the Armenian mining industry which generates more than 40 percent of the country’s exports.

ZCMC, which is nominally controlled by the German metals group Cronimet, is the sector’s largest enterprise employing more than 4,000 people. It is also Armenia’s number one corporate taxpayer.

Russia has always urged the parties to the Karabakh conflict to approach matters in a constructive manner, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, commenting on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s statement that “Karabakh is recognized by the entire world as an integral part of Azerbaijan.”

Zakharova emphasized that she isn’t Aliyev’s spokesperson and she has no idea what he meant. “We can give our assessment, but not comment,” she said.

She said that they are seeing many political statements in different emotional levels with different levels of connection to historic context and modern context. “We are moving forward from the negotiations agenda which we have on the table. Russia is working with the documents agreed between the parties and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs,” Zakharova said.

According to Zakharova, the objective of Russia and the other mediators is to achieve a final resolution of the conflict and contribute to a maximal acceleration of the process.

“From our side we have always made calls for constructive approach to the parties. And I can’t and wouldn’t want to suspect that this itself is their goal because they are all responsible politicians and are expressing their peoples’ expectations. During the entire period of this conflict the populations of the countries involved have always delegated the conflict resolution issue to their leadership. For this reason we are dealing with our role, as we think maximally and constructively, and we are calling on everybody to undertake constructive steps in this direction,” Zakharova said.

The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers have confirmed their intention to meet again under OSCE Co-Chair auspices before the end of the year, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Chairs Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stéphane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America said in a press statement.

“The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stéphane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America), together with the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office (PRCIO) Andrzej Kasprzyk, visited the region from 14 to 17 October.

The Co-Chairs met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan on 15 October and with President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on 17 October, and held consultations with the respective Foreign Ministers and Defence Ministers in both capitals.

During their visit, the Co-Chairs also met with the de facto authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh. In Baku, the Co-Chairs met with the Chairman of the Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh. While in Nagorno-Karabakh, the mediators were briefed on humanitarian issues by the local representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The two leaders briefed the Co-Chairs on their recent conversation during the CIS summit in Ashgabat and presented their ideas on how to advance the settlement process. The Co-Chairs welcomed the prospect of implementing specific humanitarian and security measures to prepare the populations for peace and reduce tensions. The Co-Chairs once again stressed the critical importance of monitoring missions led by the PRCIO, in accordance with his mandate and longstanding practice. The Co-Chairs called on the sides to continue to support fully the activities of the PRCIO and his team and to ensure that any obstacles potentially interfering with monitoring missions are removed immediately. The Foreign Ministers confirmed their intention to meet again under Co-Chair auspices before the end of the year. The Co-Chairs will travel soon to Vienna to brief the OSCE Permanent Council and the members of the Minsk Group,” concluded the press statement.