Volume 9, No. 1 (97), NOVEMBER 2013 Toronto Armenian Community Newspaper
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POM 8 Prepares to Screen Its Strongest Program in Festival History
by Roubina Shnorhokian
Hamazkayin s 8th Annual Pomegranate Film Festival is set to take place from November 7-10, 2013, offering its strongest program to date headlined by Atom Egoyan s recent r e l e a s e D e v i l s K n o t a n d Emmanuel Shirinian s first feature film It Was You Charlie. The festival will be teased with a first ever Prelude to POM on Wednesday November 6th, 2013 with the presentation of Hamshen Nation, a documentary by Yerevan State University Professor Lusine Sahakyan, exploring the identity of the Hamshen peoples of Armenian origin and how they were forcibly Islamicized ( Turkified ) by the Ottoman Empire in the 18th century. Sahakyan lived with the Hamshen for nearly half a year, exploring their songs, dances, customs, and language in a meticulous fashion. The film serves not only as a window into the unique lives of the Hamshen community, but also illuminates their own conceptions of identity. Sahakyan s documentary will be screened with a playful short; Was Casanova Armenian? by Tanner Boyadjian, based on the 18th century Italian adventurer and the issue of his Armenian roots. This year s addition of the Wednesday night Prelude proves how quickly POM is growing and influencing Armenians in the film industry, said Sevag Yeghoyan, festival Chair. We had a record amount of great films apply to be a part of our festival this year which allowed us to tease the addition of a Wednesday night screening to film lovers. Orphans of the Genocide promises to be a captivating documentary by Florida-based director Bared Maronian who has received multiple Emmys for his professionalism and years of experience in filmmaking. He is best known for his previous films Komitas Hairig (POM V) and The Wall of the Genocide. His latest film is dedicated to the more than 150,000 orphans, who were shipped off to various communities around the world. It will be screened on Sunday November 10th at 3pm in conjunction with the Armenian Youth Federation. Maronian sheds light on the Armenian orphanage in Antoura, near Beirut, Lebanon. Run by Ahmad Jamal Pasha, the orphanage had one purpose: to turkify the hundreds of children housed there. Maronian s focus on the Antoura orphanage was inspired by journalist Robert Fisk s research, which brought to light the alarming discovery of US engineer Missak Kelechian pertaining to the insitution s dark
Director Atom Egoyan
A poster of Devil s Knot
past. Maronian skillfully weaves together archival footage, photography, and interviews, including the expertise of Taner Akçam all of which offer a powerful voice to all those orphans traumatized from the Genocide. Their voices deserve to be heard and their stories shared with the public. Maronian will attend the Festival and engage in a Q&A session following the screening. POM 8 lineup also includes Jack Topalian s Betrayal. Born in Yerevan, and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, Topalian is an accomplished actor and director. He has graduated from the American Conservatory Theater of San Francisco and the Stanford School of Drama. He has appeared in several well-known police dramas, as well as a role in the Oscar-winning film Argo by Ben Affleck. The film focuses on a mobster named Vazgen, who is pulled back into his past when his eldest son is accused of killing a Russian gangster. Topalian himself takes on the lead role, supported by a well-known cast including academy award winner Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight). Betrayal s producer, Valerie McCaffrey is best known for Lost & Found in Armenia (POM VII) and will be present for this World Premiere. Action-seekers will also enjoy
the Canadian Premiere of Prince Bagdasarian s Abstraction. Actor Ken Davitian, best known for acting as Borat s sidekick, will attend the screening along with several cast members from Abstraction. LA based Bagdasarian presents a high stakes heist for a valuable painting. Vahik Pirhamzei s Guardian Angel, is also set to make its World Premiere at POM 8, where it will serve as the Festival s Closing Film. Celebrated Iranian-Armenian Pirhamzei, best known for his previous film My Uncle Rafael, stars as Ray Ardalan, a man with a mission to protect a young aspiring model from the dark world of human trafficking. Guardian Angel boasts an all-star cast including Ray Wise (Twin Peaks), Chris Atkins (The Blue Lagoon), Christopher Knight (The Brady Bunch), Colin Cuningham (Falling Skies) along with Canadian star Anne Bedian (Lost and CSI). While Pirhamzei is known for his comedic talents, Guardian Angel promises to showcase the versatility of acting repertoire. Highlights of this year s festival include Canadian talents Emmanuel Shirinian and Atom Egoyan, who will screen their newest films on Friday evening at the Regent Theatre. Shirinian s comedy-drama is about a suicidal doorman named Abner, who
blames himself for the death of a woman who died in a car crash he survived. This is ultimately a story of redemption. Director Shirinian has been a huge hit at POM for his previous shorts: The Last Bang, Song of Solomon and Les Softies. He is a two-time recipient of the POM grant and is sure not to disappoint with this North American Premiere. Director Atom Egoyan will present his latest feature, Devil s Knot which explores the notorious 1993 West Memphis murders and the lynch-mob fever that gripped a small tightly knit community. It boasts an Oscar-winning cast including Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line) and Colin Firth (The King s Speech). Egoyan regulars Bruce Greenwood (The Sweet Hereafter) and Elias Koteas (Ararat) also join the cast in this thought-provoking piece which demonstrates the lethal results of a botched investigation and the hysteria related to the murders of three young boys. This screening is an exclusive opportunity, as Devil s Knot recently enjoyed its World Premiere at TIFF and has yet to be released publicly. Attendees will certainly relish the opportunity to hear Egoyan s personal remarks following the film presentation.