WATERTOWN, Mass.—The Hairenik Association has republished As I See It: Selected Writings of Leo Sarkisian as an e-Book. As I See It can be downloaded for $9.99 on the Kindle, iTunes and Google Play stores (search for “Leo Sarkisian”). The book contains a collection of essays on Armenian-American culture, politics, and current affairs by the late Leo Sarkisian (1934-1992), a prolific writer, commentator and activist who served for many years as regional chairman of the Armenian National Committee.

As I See It reflects Sarkisian’s lifelong commitment to the Armenian cause as well as to diverse spheres of involvement. The book is accordingly arranged into six sections entitled:

“Early Writings,”
“Armenian-American Community Life,”
“The Armenian Self-Image,”
“The Armenian Genocide,”
“International Politics,”
“Armenian-American Culture.”

The essays contained therein were written between 1951 and 1992, during Sarkisian’s several stints as a columnist for The Armenian Weekly.

Taken together, the collection reveals a wit, worldliness, a candor, and a conviction that combines to produce a rare brand of criticism, one that is as enlivening as it is informative.

During five decades of political activism, Sarkisian became widely regarded as a leader in the effort to promote and modernize the Armenian Cause. Working on behalf of the Armenian National Committee, Sarkisian was instrumental in politicizing the Armenian Genocide issue and worked in numerous forums— the United Nations, the United States Congress, the media, public schools, and grassroots coalitions—to present the story of dispossessed people as an international question of contemporary relevance.

The book’s editor, Antranig Kasbarian, is a former editor of The Armenian Weekly and worked closely with Sarkisian in that capacity. Kasbarian received his PH.D. in Geography at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.

In his introduction to As I See It, Kasbarian describes Sarkisian’s project as follows: “During his five decades of writing for The Armenian Weekly, Sarkisian not only dedicated himself to a wide range of themes and interests, but nearly always did so as a committed participant in Armenian national and community affairs, in which his involvement on the streets and in the corridors of power directly affected – and in turn were affected by – his broader reflections on our condition. Sarkisian thus achieved a rare clarity, force, and flexibility of argument, one in which he did not cloak his own values or assumptions, but instead revealed them forthrightly and sought to defend them with candor and logical persuasion.”

The book is available now for $9.99 on iTunes, Kindle and Google Play.

 

PanARMENIAN.Net – Voyage to Amasia, a new documentary by Randy Bell and Eric V. Hachikian, will screen in New Jersey on Sunday, May 19, at the Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Church, 461 Bergen Blvd, Ridgefield, NJ.

There will be a Q&A with director Eric Hachikian following the film with light refreshments. Admission is free.

The film had its world premiere at the Pomegranate Film Festival in Toronto in December 2011, where it won the prize for Best Documentary; it subsequently won the Special Jury Award at the Alexandria Film Festival in Alexandria, Virginia in 2012. It has also screened at numerous film festivals around the United States, at the Golden Apricot Film Festival in Yerevan, Armenia, and in Sydney, Australia.

Voyage to Amasia documents composer Eric Hachikian’s return to his ancestral home – Amasia, Turkey – nearly 100 years after Ottoman soldiers deported his grandmother during the Armenian Genocide. The film is set to Eric’s piano trio of the same name, which provided the initial inspiration for the documentary. Voyage to Amasia traces a path through the past, honoring Hachikian’s relationship with his grandmother and uncovering what her family’s life in Turkey might have been like. It also explores how the events of nearly a century ago continue to strain the relationship between Armenians and Turks today. Inspired by one family’s story, the filmmakers embark on their own journey in the hopes of finding a greater understanding between two peoples still at odds.

Randy Bell is a Washington, DC,-based independent filmmaker. His documentary films, which explore subjects as diverse as American popular music, mid-century European modernist architecture, and the AIDS orphan crisis in Kenya, have won awards from the Cleveland International Film Festival, the New England Film and Video Festival, and the Ivy Film Festival. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University in 2000, and his Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in 2010.

Eric V. Hachikian is an Armenian-American composer whose music has been hailed by the New York Times as “lovely and original.” His compositions and orchestrations can be heard in a variety of major motion pictures, network television shows, and national and international ad campaigns. They have been performed at New York’s Carnegie Hall, at Boston’s Symphony Hall, at The Getty in Los Angeles, and Off-Broadway in New York City.

Below is an article posted in The Armenian Weekly which tells about father and daughter Nubar and Abby Alexanians producing a film on the Armenian Genocide hoping that it will “address many issues on the international stage and foster some justice for our people.”

Nubar Alexanian, 62, has spent the past 35 years working as a photojournalist and filmmaker. He’s traveled to more than 40 countries shooting for such prestigious magazines as Life, Newsweek, Time, National Geographic, Fortune, and Geo.

He’s also published five books and rubbed elbows with some of the most influential people throughout the musical world like Paul Simon, Wynton Marsalis, and Garth Brooks.

Daughter Abby, 24, is a recent graduate of Vassar College. Over the past decade, she has spent summers and vacations working on her dad’s still photography and film sets in various positions.

Together, they’re a father-daughter team uniquely positioned to make a compelling film that speaks to the challenges that Armenian families face today.

Their work is entitled, “Journey to Armenia: Three Generations from Genocide.” It’s the inspiring story of how a young woman’s curiosity propels her reluctant father to join her in finally confronting their family’s dark past and discovering how the denial of this 1915 Armenian Genocide affects them today.

So why does this movie differ from others we’ve seen on the genocide?

“There are no others I have seen about the effects of denial and the silence that has been experienced over three generations,” says Nubar Alexanian. “It’s a feature length documentary about the scars of silence and how a staggering act of inhumanity has forever changed what it means to be Armenian.”

The Alexanians have targeted a release date of December 2014. The film will run between 55-75 minutes, and has added Errol Morris to their production team. The man is well known in this industry. His film, “The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara,” won the Academy Award in 2004 for Best Documentary Feature.

Nubar and Abby toured Historic Armenia last year and reveled at the land of their ancestors. It was an inspiring experience with Armen Aroyan as their tour guide and others, like Steve and Angele Dulgarian, who have made repeated trips to Armenia with their family. An added inducement was the clarinet virtuosity of Dr. Louis Najarian, who regaled the group at every turn.

The mere mention of his project brings emotional gyrations to Nubar Alexanian. He’s prepared to run the gauntlet with this, not only from his own family’s perspective, but his entire heritage intertwined. It’s a mission that weighs with determination, grit, and absolute necessity.

“The film tells a story that is deeply personal but also reflects the intergenerational experiences of immigrant families in America,” he says. “It explores larger questions about the devastating effects of denial, the scars of silence, and the healing power of curiosity. It echoes the story of families all over the world who suffer tragedies, flee, create new lives with old traditions, and search for their place in a heritage they only half understand.”

In her mid-20s and half-Armenian, Abby spent her life wanting to feel connected to her heritage, but always felt removed. The issue of genocide was never discussed in family confines.

“Her determination to uncover the truth finally forced me and my parents to confront the trauma that had been avoided for decades,” she says.

The film will include breath-taking scenes of eastern Turkey that will be used to juxtapose the majesty of this ancient and fertile land with stories of what happened there.

Alexanian spent much of his career traveling the world as a documentary photographer, but never once traveled to Armenia or eastern Turkey, where his family lived for centuries.

Although he was raised Armenian, he drifted from his roots, not looking back or wondering why until Abby surprised him by asking if they could visit Historic Armenia together.

“My grandmother was among the few survivors of the longest death march in the genocide era,” she says. “After witnessing the massacre of her parents, husband, and three daughters, she was forced to walk over 800 kilometers across the scorching desert from Yalova, Turkey, to Aleppo, Syria.”

Unlike other documentaries, the Alexanians haven’t gone down the black hole arguing whether genocide occurred or not. Their film assumes that fact and begins there. It’s current. And they’ve already received some backlash from it.

“We’ve gotten some death threats from Turkish lobbyists,” he brought out. “It only heightens the desire to proceed with it.”

The film incorporates DV home video footage of Armenians visiting their ancestral land, shown by Armen Aroyan, who’s been guiding tour groups over the past 20 years. The Alexanians have big plans for this, hoping to show it in movie theaters, film festivals, and on television and international broadcasts. The International Istanbul Film Festival has expressed an interest.

“Beyond that, we plan to market our film for home viewing with a special emphasis on educational venues,” Nubar Alexanian says.

His nutmeg venture is called Walker Creek Media, a company that prides itself in documentary films and photographs.

The family’s personal investment has been huge: 18 months of planning and preparation marked by an aggressive fund-raising campaign. A successful kick-starter campaign brought in $30,000 online. Nubar and wife Rebecca are the primary investors with over $100,000 in the project.

They’ve been living in Gloucester for many years and are very tuned into the history and traditions of this seacoast community.

“This spring and summer, we’ll be shooting interviews throughout the United States,” Nubar confirms. “Our final shooting trip will be a three-week excursion to eastern Turkey later this year. Final editing and packaging will take place next July, ready for broadcast in August or September of 2014.”

Nubar Alexanian recently spent two days reaching out to 350 students at Pingree School in Hamilton. Also addressed were teachers and community leaders. He was joined by Ruth Thomasian, the executive director of Project SAVE, based in Watertown. His film proved a perfect venue for discussion.

“The response was deeply moving,” he described. “We’re committed to engaging both the Armenian and non-Armenian communities in this way.”

As the centennial approaches in 2015, Nubar Alexanian hopes his documentary will address many issues on the international stage, answer the “Armenian Question” once and for all, get people in harmony with one another, and foster some justice for our peopl

14:41, 7 May, 2013

YEREVAN, MAY 7, ARMENPRESS: The Acclaimed Bulgarian journalist and filmmaker Tsvetana Paskaleva will visit Australia to showcase her award-winning documentary “Karabakh’s Wounds” in May 2013. As reported to Armenpress by the Armenian National Committee of Australia, Paskaleva was an eyewitness journalist, who covered the 1991 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan. The conflict erupted after the Azeri government quashed the democratic right to self-determination of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Karabakh’s Wounds” chronicles the struggles of the Armenian people during the brutal onslaught by the Azeri armed forces, which indiscriminately murdered innocent Armenian civilians. This acclaimed documentary has been showcased at numerous international film festivals and Paskaleva has been the recipient of numerous awards including from the President of the Republic of Armenia.

Tsvetana Paskaleva has travelled the world extensively, promoting the plight of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. She has had audiences in the Parliaments of France, Spain, the Czech Republic and various governmental and non-governmental organizations throughout the United States, Europe and the Middle East. She will be showcasing her documentary in London after her visit to Australia.

The New South Wales State Parliament will host the Australian premiere screening of “Karabakh’s Wounds” on May 7.

There will be a second community screening of “Karabakh’s Wounds” on Sunday 12 May, at Galstaun College.

This event has been organized by the office of the Representative of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh in Australia.

Tsvetana Paskaleva is a Bulgarian director, cinematographer and reporter. She was born in Bulgaria and graduated from National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia. The most famous films by Tsvetana Paskaleva are “Heights, hopes”, 1991, “Will there be a morning over Karabakh”, 1992, “My dear, alive and dead”, 1993, “Wounds of Karabakh”, 1994, “The soldiers of their land”, 1994, “Calm”, 1995, “Faith and spirit”, 2001.

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