Armenian Cinema Book Siranush Galstyan: An Overview

December 6, 2014 By administrator

Siranush Galstyan

Quick Overview

This book is the first English language study of Armenian cinema. It is divided into twelve chapters, followed by an appendix on animation.

Chapter 1 explores the birth of cinema in Armenia in 1899 with a screening in Yerevan and provides the setting for the following survey. Chapter 2 is dedicated to the founder of the Armenian cinema, Hamo Beknazaryan, whose work represents an entire era not only of Armenian but also in Soviet cinema, since his name stands alongside those of Eisenstein, Pudovkin, Dovzhenko, and other great filmmakers.

Chapter 3 concerns other works created during the silent period in Armenia. Chapter 4 discusses the processes of Armenian cinema in the Stalin era, broadly covering the period from 1930 to 1959. New filmmakers appeared on the stage during those years. The role of the short film genre is mentioned, as well as films that were shelved by Soviet censorship. Chapter 5 analyzes the most significant films for the subsequent rise of Armenian cinema as well as musical films.

Chapters 6 and 7 are devoted to prominent filmakers, Sergei Parajanov and Artavazd Peleshyan, subjecting their works to theoretical and morphological analyses. Chapter 8 is about Armenian documentary cinema and its unique traditions. Chapter 9 deals with the theme of World War II in Armenian cinema. Chapter 10 focuses on the creative search during the 1970s for variety in style and genre, which increased film production. The films of Henrik Malyan and Frunze Dovlatyan are singled out in the discussion, and the most famous films of those years and their international recognition are examined. Chapter 11 explores the work of filmmakers who left their trace on Armenian cinema during the 1970s and 1980s, representing the way of thinking of a new generation and their films, and the successful adaptations of classical works. The chapter also offers a summary of Armenian cinema of the Soviet period. Finally, chapter 12 deals with feature films and documentaries of the post-Soviet era (1990-2010), exploring changes of consciousness and representations of national identity in films of the new era, as well as the international recognition of some films. The appendix provides a brief history of Armenian animation.
While writing the book, the author has tried not to omit any important or significant film or filmmaker. In certain cases, she also dwelt on the actors and their performances as well as the camera operators’ work and the films’ music. As in art history, it is even more so in film history that the content of films is closely connected or even inseparable from the history of the country of production. Therefore, the author sometimes draws brief parallels to decisive and important events in Armenia. Only thanks to such details and explanations do some national nuances of the films become perceptible.

The author has discussed mainly the formation and development of Armenian film history in the context of Soviet cinema, and in some cases, as for example Beknazaryan’s, Parajanov’s, and Peleshyan’s films, she has explored their original film language and their distinctive style in the context of world cinema.
No matter how modern is the look of the book, it would be incorrect to ignore or dismiss the observations of film critics of previous generations; therefore, the author has often given quotations from articles and books from the distant and not so distant past, thus relating past assessments to present views.

Siranush Galstyan

Professor Siranush Galstyan received her degree from the Yerevan State (the former Yerevan State Polytechnic Institute) in 1991. In 1999 she graduated from the School of History of Cinema, Theory and Film Criticism at the Yerevan State Institute of Theater and Cinema. In 2008, she completed her doctoral thesis “Metaphors, Symbols and Allegory in Armenian Cinema,” at the Institute of Arts in the Academy of Sciences of Armenia in Yerevan. Since 1995, she had been contributing critical and theoretical articles to various newspapers and magazines in Armenia. Some of her work has also been published abroad. Beginning in 1999, she has lectured on the History of Film at the Yerevan State Institute of Theater and Cinema and, since 2002, at the Yerevan State University. She has been a member of the FIRESCI since 2000 and the Union of Cinematographers of Armenia since 2007. She has also participated as FIPRESCI jury member at different film festivals.

Publisher http://www.mazdapublishers.com/book/an-overview

Availability: Forthcoming

Published: 2015

ISBN: 978-1568593029

New Book on Genocide To be Sent to Turkish Leaders

November 22, 2014 By administrator

YEREVAN (PanArmenian.net)—On October 17, the Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum, Dr. Hayk Demoyan hosted a presentation of his book “Armenian Genocide: Front Page Coverage in the World Press.”

The illustrated volume, released in Armenian and English languages, contains reports of the British, French, American, Italian, Russian, Austrian, Czech, German and Norwegian media on the crime against humanity committed in the Ottoman Empire.

The Genocide Museum and Demoyan himself spent six years to gather from the world press of 19th and 20th centuries the materials detailing the atrocities, published on the front pages.

During the presentation, Demoyan signed three copies of the book to be sent to Turkish President, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. “From now on, all publications on the Armenian Genocide will be sent to the above-mentioned [Turkish] officials,” he said.

The publication was sponsored by Ameria Group of Companies.

“This book is the expression of our gratitude to the countries and people who lent a helping hand to Armenians. Sponsorship in the publication of the book was a matter of honor to Ameria. It’s been our 3rd collaboration with the Genocide Museum and we’re proud with the partnership. As Hemingway says, the bell tolls for all, it is in the heart of each of us, and this book can let other people hear it who study our history,” Ameria Development Director Tigran Jrbashyan said.

An Inconvenient Genocide: Who Now Remembers the Armenians? by Geoffrey Robertson (Video)

November 6, 2014 By administrator

The most controversial issue left over from the First World War – was there an Armenian Genocide? – comes to a head on 24 April 2015, when Armenians throughout the world commemorate the centenary of the murder of 1.5 million – over half – of their people, at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish government. Turkey continues to deny it ever happened – or if it did, that the killings were justified.

This has become a vital international issue. Twenty national parliaments have voted to recognise the genocide, but Britain equivocates and President Obama is torn between Congress, which wants recognition, and the US military, afraid of alienating an important NATO ally. In Australia three state governments have recognised the genocide (despite threats to ban their MPs from Gallipoli), but the Abbott government has told the Turks that Australia does not.

Geoffrey Robertson QC despises this mendacity. His book proves beyond reasonable doubt that the horrific events of 1915 – witnessed by Australian POWs – constituted the crime against humanity that is known today as genocide. In this book he explains how democratic countries can combat genocide denial without denying free speech, and makes a major contribution to understanding and preventing this worst of all crimes. His renowned powers of advocacy are on full display, as he condemns all those – from Sri Lanka to the Sudan, from Old Anatolia to modern Gaza – who try to justify the mass murder of children and civilians in the name of military necessity.

– See more at:

http://www.randomhouse.com.au/books/geoffrey-robertson

A famous Australian lawyer Geoffrey Robertson presented in Canberra his book on the Armenian Genocide

October 22, 2014 By administrator

The famously known for the Defence of Human Rights Australian lawyer, Geoffrey Robertson, who also works at the UN on legal cases has just written a book on the Armenian genocide. Geoffrey Robertson presented his book “An iconvenient genocide” (an inappropriate genocide) subtitled “Who now remembers the Armenians” (who today remembers the Armenians?) At the National Press Club in Canberra (Australia). The author presents compelling evidence of the reality of the Armenian genocide and claims that under international law and knowledge, qualification of “genocide” is irrefutable.

Krikor Amirzayan

UK Shifts Policy on Armenian Genocide after Jurist Robertson’s Report

October 8, 2014 By administrator

BY HARUT SASSOUNIAN

Geoffrey Robertson, prominent British expert on international law, wrote a 40-page report in 2009, exposing the false and inaccurate statements on the Armenian Genocide by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

Robertson’s investigative report, “Was there an Armenian Genocide?” was based on internal British documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, which revealed that the Foreign Office had denied the Armenian Genocide and misled the British Parliament on this matter in order to curry favor with Turkey.

Mr. Robertson had sent me an advance copy of his new 286-page book, “An Inconvenient Genocide: Who Now Remembers the Armenians?” to be published this month in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and the United States. Anyone who reads this influential jurist’s meticulously researched book will have no doubt about the true facts of the Genocide and Armenians’ just claims for restitution.

The confidential FCO documents recently obtained by Robertson reveal that the British government has made a gradual shift in its position on the Armenian Genocide, going from denial to declining to state its position. The Foreign Office acknowledges that the change in governmental policy is a direct result of the powerful legal arguments advanced by Mr. Robertson in his 2009 report.

Until recently, Great Britain had tenaciously clung to its outright denialist position on the Armenian Genocide. A secret 1999 FCO memo, quoted by Robertson, admitted that the British government “is open to criticism in terms of the ethical dimension. But given the importance of our relations (political, strategic, and commercial) with Turkey, and that recognizing the genocide would provide no practical benefit to the UK or the few survivors of the killings still alive today, nor would it help a rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey, the current line is the only feasible option.”

However, shortly after the publication of Robertson’s 2009 report, British officials quietly shifted their position from denial to avoidance of taking a stand on the genocide issue. In a 2010 internal memo, FCO stated: “Following Mr. Robertson’s report and the publicity it attracted, we have updated our public line to make clear that HMG [Her Majesty’s Government] does not believe it is our place to make a judgment (historical or legal) on whether or not the Armenian massacres constituted genocide.” In another memo, FCO explained that it will no longer maintain that “the historical evidence was not sufficiently unequivocal to persuade us that these events should be categorized as genocide.” The memo went on to assert that “there is increasing agreement about the extent of the deaths and suffering experienced by the Armenian community” and that “jurisprudence in relation to genocide, and particularly the nature and type of evidence required to prove the relevant intent, has developed significantly in the wake of events in Rwanda and the Balkans in the 1990’s.” Yet, FCO still advised against an explicit recognition of the genocide because “the Armenian diaspora in the UK is relatively small (less than 20,000) and there is limited wider public interest.”

Nevertheless, in view of the upcoming Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, the British government has decided to become a bit more accommodating on this issue. Last year, when the British Ambassador to Lebanon asked London for guidance on attending an April 24 commemoration in Beirut, the Foreign Office advised him to go ahead. FCO also recommended to its staff not to “give the impression that we deny what happened in 1915…we still consider them (the massacres and deportations) to be truly dreadful and in need of remembrance.”

To bring the genocide issue to a legal resolution, Mr. Robertson makes two suggestions: that the Armenian government submit it “to adjudication at the International Court of Justice [World Court] pursuant to Article IX of the Genocide Convention” or ask the UN Secretary General to establish an ad hoc court on the Armenian Genocide.

Geoffrey Robertson should be commended for authoring a most important book on the eve of the Armenian Genocide Centennial. The Armenian National Committee of UK has already purchased 1,000 copies for distribution to elected officials and members of the media in London. The book is available from Amazon.com. I feel honored that Mr. Robertson has made half a dozen references to my columns in his monumental work.

Mr. Robertson has appropriately dedicated his book to the cherished memory of Ben Whitaker, author of the 1985 UN Report which classified the Armenian mass killings as genocide.

Karanian’s ‘Armenia and Karabakh’ Earns Prestigious National Book Award

June 21, 2014 By administrator

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The Independent Book Publisher’s Association (IBPA) recently awarded a silver medal to author Matthew Karanian’s Armenia and Karabakh: The Stone Garden Travel Guide in the category of Best Travel Book for 2014.

The book award, which is known to the publishing industry as a Benjamin Franklin Award, or “Bennie,” is among the most prestigious national awards for independent book publishers. The competition recognizes excellence in book editorial content and design.

The award was announced on May 28, which, by coincidence, is Armenian Independence Day.

The silver medal is the book’s second major award of the year. Armenia and Karabakh was recently recognized by Writer’s Digest Magazine as one of the Best Reference Guides published in the past year.

A complete list of IBPA book award winners is available online by visiting www.ibpa-online.org. The publisher’s association recognized four travel books for excellence this year; the other travel books are titles about Costa Rica, the Canyon Lands of the American Southwest, and Washington State.

Karanian was traveling in Western Armenia doing research for a future book when the award was announced. He said he considers the award to be an acknowledgement of the merits of Armenia, as well as of his book. “Awards such as these help to give Armenia and Artsakh the recognition that they deserve” among Armenians and non-Armenians alike, he said.

Armenia and Karabakh: The Stone Garden Travel Guide can be previewed at www.ArmeniaTravelGuide.com and is available for purchase by mail order for $30 post paid in the U.S. from Stone Garden Productions, P.O. Box 7758, Northridge, CA 91327.

Source: The Armenian Weekly

book “Armenian genocide from beginning to end” published by Danish historian

June 11, 2014 By administrator

The book “Armenian genocide from beginning to end” (Det armenske folkedrab fra til begyndelsen enden) by the Danish historian and expert on genocide comparison Matthias Bjørnlund was published in Denmark and Danish readers present irrefutable evidence and materials on the genocide perpetrated against the Armenians in Turkey between 1915 and 1923.

The book “The Armenian Genocide from beginning to end” was published by Kristeligt Dagblads Forlag in April 2013. The book covers the entire history of the Armenian Question and the Armenian Genocide, the reforms and the massacres of the 19th century to the 1920s and in the aftermath of genocide.

Based on a wealth of archival sources, contemporary publications, and the latest international research, this is an ambitious write the story of the destruction of Ottoman Armenians as the history of the world attempt, as a series of events that have affected a generation of politicians, intellectuals, and ordinary people, from Scandinavia to Australia. The book was well received by the Danish press, with a journalist calling it “a monument to the Armenian Genocide.”

Wednesday, June 11, 2014,
Stéphane © armenews.com

Turkish nurse writes book about Genocide-surviving Armenian grandmother

June 10, 2014 By administrator

June 10, 2014 | 08:08

Aysel Karsli, who works as Senior Nurse at Lokman Hekim Etlik Hospital in Ankara, Turkey, has introduced her book about the life of her Armenian grandmother.

Karsli held her book’s official presentation with active participation of readers, and she sold the book with her autograph, reported Milliyet daily of Turkey.

Karsli noted that in her book, which is titled Ali of Vartanush, she presented the life story of her Armenian grandmother named Vartanush.

It is also noted that, in the coming days, Aysel Karsli will attend presentations in the Turkish cities of Istanbul, Bursa, Malatya, and Giresun, during which likewise she will sell the book with her autograph.

Powerful Photos Dig Into Turkey’s Taboo History of the Armenian Genocide (Book)

May 29, 2014 By administrator

By: Jakob Schiller

May 29, 2014 – 13:07 AMT

A flock of birds flies over the coast of Lake Van in eastern Turkey where the largest population of Turkey’s Armenians had lived for centuries.

Kathryn Cook

Kathryn Cook’s book Memory of Trees tells a complicated and moving story of the Armenian genocide through a visceral and broadly visual survey of the people and places that were, and still are, affected by the tragic events of a century ago.

“I hope that it presents a unique way of looking at the issue,” she says. “I think photography perhaps is one of the only ways to keep exploring the story because it leaves room for interpretation and can capture some of the pieces that people haven’t already heard.”

Historians peg the start of the genocide as April 24, 1915, when the government arrested more than 200 Armenian community leaders in Constantinople. Some 1.5 million Armenians were killed as the Ottoman Empire crumbled and what is now Turkey took shape. Discrimination against Armenians continued for decades, and even now many Turkish citizens of Armenian descent hide their identity and history for fear of reprisals.

Cook was drawn to the story shortly after moving to Turkey in 2006 and seeing how the issue of Armenian identity and history bubbled under surface. She decided to explore the issue through photography after Hrant Dink, a Turkish journalist of Armenian descent, was assassinated because of his outspoken views on Armenian identity. His death helped prompt a growing social movement to address the Armenian plight in Turkey.

“I photographed the funeral, and from there things just took off,” she says.

Cook started photographing sites throughout Turkey linked to the Armenian community–churches, monasteries, and other Armenian buildings that were destroyed or left to crumble from neglect. For her, these structures represented disappearance and erasure. To this day, the Turkish government disputes the notion that Armenians were systematically targeted, but these destroyed buildings seemed to say otherwise.

What broke the story open for Cook was her visiting the small village of Ağaçlı in southeastern Turkey. She happened upon the village after reading about the mayor’s decision to resurrect the Armenian tradition of weaving headscarves from the cocoons of silk worms. The scarves and silk cultivation had become an important source of income for the community, and Cook was fascinated that the tradition had been revived–and in a Kurdish community. “It was exactly the kind of work I wanted to dive into because it was on the human level,” she says. “It was this subtle way of remembering and celebrating the legacy of a people and a very charged topic.”

Over time, Cook took half a dozen trips to Ağaçlı and got to know the community well. The name of her book comes from the name of the town, which means “place of trees.” As she spent more time in the town, her connections grew and she met more and more people willing to be photographed. The project still unfolded slowly, but she’d finally found a way into the Armenian communities. “I just had to be patient,” she says.

Cook also traveled the well-known routes along which Armenians were forcibly evacuated during the genocide. She visited locations in the Syrian desert, for example, where men, women and children were prodded along death marches toward concentration camps. She also went out into the Black Sea and made pictures where boats full of Armenians were purposely sunk. Without knowing the historical context or the significance of the location, many of Cook’s photos can be hard to read. But as viewers come to know the story, her seemingly abstract approach makes sense. Many of the photos seem overly vacant, for example, but that’s intentional, because so much of the story is about absence.

“In this context, the emptiness means something,” she says. “It’s sort of like everything that’s not said, speaks.”

Cook spent seven years on Memory of Trees and says she could have kept going for many more. But she felt the work needed to be seen. The timing of the book also coincides with what continues to be a growing movement in Turkey of people demanding justice for ethnic Armenians and others who face discrimination.

“I think a new national narrative is slowly starting to get written,” she says. “And hopefully the work plays a part in exploring this change.”

Photo: Kathryn Cook

Wired. Powerful Photos Dig Into Turkey’s Taboo History of the Armenian Genocide

Armenian genocide, new evidence in the UK (Book)

May 29, 2014 By administrator

According to the Italian newspaper “La Stampa” a book recently published in Britain, “In the front line: a doctor between War and Peace” written as a private for his children by Dr Alec Glen memo provides novel evidence and testimony about the genocide of Armenians and other Christian minorities – especially Greek and Syriac – by the Turks in 1915.

According to the journalist Marco Tosatti Alec Glen was a doctor in the British Army, and in 1918 he walked in northern Iran to Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, where he witnessed the plight of Armenians who had attempted to escape deportation and massacres of 1915. Indo-British troops had joined Glen met thousands of Armenian refugees every day.

“It was a tragic and surprising vision … we passed a person who died on the way, or someone who is already dead and half eaten by dogs and jackals … we’ve collected some- one of the youngest, who was lucky to survive. We put on the backs of mules and we’d take in the closest “villages.

“Craig Salisbury (another doctor, author’s note UK) told me later that he had taken care of an old refugee on the road, and, before dying, gave a leather belt full of coins, asking him to spend it to help the refugees. “