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A tribute to a city that was lost but remains eternal

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  • A tribute to a city that was lost but remains eternal

    A tribute to a city that was lost but remains eternal
    by Artsvi Bakhchinyan

    http://www.reporter.am/go/article/2011-11-05-a-tribute-to-a-city-that-was-lost-but-remains-eternal-
    Published: Saturday November 05, 2011


    Eric Nazarian with Bosnian filmmaker Aida Begic in Istanbul.

    The name of Armenian-American film director, Eric Nazarian, is not
    unknown to Armenia's film audiences. For three years successively, he
    participated in the Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival
    from 2008-2010. His first feature film as writer-director, The Blue
    Hour, was awarded four prizes in 2008 - The Golden Apricot for Best
    Film in the Armenian Panorama, The Ecumenical Jury Award, The Prime
    Minister's Award and the Diaspora Ministry's Special Award for
    Directing.

    It was a nice surprise to learn that Eric's next movie has been made
    in Turkey, as part of an international omnibus project entitled Do Not
    Forget Me, Istanbul. The premiere of this film took place at the
    Istanbul Film Festival last April and is currently on the festival
    circuit. In this film, seven different filmmakers present some scenes
    from the life of the various ethnic minorities of Istanbul. Josephina
    Markarian, a Greek-Armenian, currently living in Istanbul, is also a
    part of the project.

    Eric Nazarian, who was born in Armenia and lives in U.S. since
    childhood, presents a personal story of his compatriot who is the
    descendant of the one of oldest communities of the city on the
    Bosphorus. In 18 minutes, Nazarian's film entitled "Bolis," captures
    through images of everyday life, the conversations and brief encounter
    between a Diaspora Armenian musician and a Turkish widow. Through
    their encounter, the tragic history of one nation is unraveled through
    the musician's story.

    This is a simple story reminding us about the presence of the past
    within the modern-day psyche of Armenians worldwide and the
    responsibility of the inheritors on both sides to never forget and
    speak openly about a history that has been buried but refuses to be
    forgotten. My conversation with Eric Nazarian intends to reveal some
    aspects of this unprecedented Armenian-Turkish cooperation...

    Q. - Well, Eric, nowadays all kinds of Armenian-Turkish collaborations
    are no longer surprising... but how it happened that you appeared in
    this project?

    EN: My friend Cigdem Mater introduced the project to me. Huseyin
    Karabey the producer invited me to participate in the omnibus. The
    theme of what we remember and what we force ourselves to forget is
    important for me as an Armenian and as a filmmaker. The goal of the
    project that was initially pitched to me was to reminding Istanbul
    through these films of the past cultures that contributed to what the
    city is today. These past cultures have over time been "forgotten,"
    hence the title "Do Not Forget Me Istanbul." I felt my story of
    Armenak's journey to Bolis (Istanbul) fit thematically. The film is
    based on my feature screenplay "Bolis" that follows Armenak from Los
    Angeles to Istanbul to find his grandfather's oud shop and a family
    heirloom that disappeared during the Armenian Genocide.

    Q. - You were born in Armenia, your parents came from Iran, now you
    live in US. What is Armenian Bolis for you?

    EN: When I was a child, I went to American school on weekdays and
    Armenian school on weekends. Everything I learned about cinema,
    literature and art I owe a tremendous gratitude to my beloved father
    Haik, aunt Parik, uncle Haso and my entire family who raised me to
    appreciate the cultures and arts of all nations.

    My first recollection of this term "Bolis" is from my beloved
    grandfather Hovhannes who would tell me these beautiful and textured
    stories of all the writers and poets of Constantinople, as Istanbul
    was called in the days of black and white Daguerrotype photographs. He
    introduced me to Daniel Varoujan, Siamanto, Krikor Zohrab. My aunt
    Parik introduced me to Komitas Vartabed. My father Haik who was a
    photographer introduced me to the timeless images of Ara Guler. My
    grandfather, father and aunt taught me about the amazing Armenian
    heritage and culture of Bolis.

    When I went back to make my film, I wanted to pay tribute to this
    world of "Old Bolis" through music because cinema is an audiovisual
    medium. For me, cinema is my wife. Music is my mistress. The music of
    Udi Hrant Kenkulian is the essence of Istanbul Armenian blues. What
    Ray Charles was to Soul and Blues, Udi Hrant is to Armenian/Turkish
    music...a true legend. When I first heard him in college, I didn't
    know he was blind. When I read more about his life, his music
    resonated with me even more. "Srdis Vra Kar Muh Gah" is every bit as
    pure and powerful as the great Blues spirituals of the Mississippi
    Delta of the '30s and '40s.

    The first day I docked in Istanbul, I told my assistant to take me
    straight to the Sisli Armenian Cemetery where I visited Udi Hrant's
    family plot and later shot a pivotal scene in the film there. It was
    an honor and deeply humbling to be standing by the ground where he
    rests.

    Q. - I completely agree with your hero, that Istanbul is a kind of
    opium, that city is very addictive.

    EN: Istanbul for me is a paradox and a mystery. It's an onion I peeled
    everyday knowing I would never get to its core. The city is too
    complex and full of so much history. I'm not sure if it is possible to
    uncover even a fraction. I arrived in Istanbul with extremely mixed
    emotions.

    When the plane docked, my mind fluttered with all the images of Armin
    Wegner and the archive photos of the Near East Relief during the time
    of the genocide: the deportations, Komitas, Siamanto, Daniel Varoujan
    and all the intellectuals and members of society arrested on that
    awful day. I arrived tensed up and angry but thanks to my friends and
    Bolsa-Hyes, I soon realized that a part of my cultural DNA truly hails
    from there.

    There are certain streets in Istanbul that inspired an extremely
    uncanny sense of deja-vu. I still don't know how to describe this
    feeling. It felt as if I was coming home yet I knew I was still a
    stranger in this city. It was a very bizarre but also very poetic
    state of mind to be drifting in. I realized in this state that not
    Genocide, not persecution, not politics can ever dilute or diminish
    the extraordinary contributions of the Armenian people to the
    architecture, culture, history, heritage, music and society of
    Istanbul.



    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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