FRESNO — The Armenian Studies Program, the AGBU Greater Fresno Chapter, AGBU Arts, and CineCulture present “Armenians in Film: Six Short Films by Armenian Filmmakers” at 5:30PM on Friday, October 4, 2024, in the Leon S. and Pete Peters Educational Center Auditorium (west end of the SaveMart Center), 5010 N. Woodrow Ave., on the Fresno State campus. Following the screening, which is part of the Armenian Studies Program Fall 2024 Lecture Series, the audience will have the opportunity to virtually discuss the films with the directors.

Established in 2015, AGBU Arts’ “Armenians in Film” Film Series is an annual, international event that unites talented Armenian filmmakers from all over the globe. In the past ten years, over fifty short films have been screened by filmmakers from the United States, Canada, France, Brazil, the United Kingdom, China, Bulgaria, Armenia, and more.

These talented artists featured are graduates of prestigious film schools, such as the NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Columbia University, and UCLA, and have screened their films at legendary festivals such as the Cannes Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Sunset Film Festival, and more.

Film lineup:

Hishé

Hishé (Remember), directed by Anahid Yahjian, is a meditation on alienation, confusion, grief and the burden of remembering. These four elements frame the director’s relationship with the Nagorno-Karabakh region now more than ever. This film is an attempt to capture this process and is comprised of footage and photographs that she and others have accumulated in the last 10-12 years of areas in the region where she is no longer permitted to go and ask her questions. In English, 5:53 minutes.

250km

When a war suddenly breaks out in Artsakh, a 14-year-old boy finds himself faced with a decision that could save his family, with no time to think, he embarks on a treacherous 250-kilometer journey to safety. Directed by Hasmik Movsisyan. In Armenian with English subtitles, 22:30 minutes.

Anahide

A girl and her father speak about their culture, roots and mother. Directed by Arnaud Khayadjanian. In Armenian with English subtitles, 8:53 minutes.

Levon – A Wondrous Life

Levon is a 60-year-old rollerblader living exuberantly in the post-Soviet landscape of Yerevan, Armenia. He is aware of the struggles his people face and understands why they are emigrating in droves. But that doesn’t change his enduring belief in and contentment with the simple magic of being alive. Directed by Anahid Yahjian and Emily Mkrtichian. In Armenian and English with English subtitles, 6:49 minutes.

Taniel

Constantinople, April 24, 1915. As the British prepared their landings in nearby Gallipoli, hundreds of arrest warrants are issued across the city. The arrival of police at poet Taniel Varoujan’s door would shatter his home, destroy his work, and his family would never see him again. Film Noir in style, “Taniel” pays homage to the era of dramatic filmmaking with extreme lighting and camera angles. The narrative is mostly heard through poetry, with Varoujan’s poems in Armenian expressing the emotions in each of the scenes; and narrative poetry in English delivered with an emotive depth of feeling by Sean Bean. Directed by Garo Berberian, 20 minutes.

From the Border

The old man is the only one who did not leave the village, he repairs the door of an abandoned house every day. One night suddenly the villagers’ dialogues and children’s voices are heard. The dog looks at the man in surprise. He is wearing a white suit, and smugly “turned on the voice of the village.” Directed by Artur Saribekyan. In Armenian with English subtitles, 7:05 minutes.

Admission for the film screening and discussion is free and free parking is available near the west entrance of the SaveMart Center. A parking pass is not required after 4PM for the Friday evening screening.

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