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ARMENIA-SET FILM "HERE" OPENS IN U.S.
http://www.reporter.am/go/article/2012-04-27-armenia-set-film--here--opens-in-u-s-
Published: Friday April 27, 2012
Braden King filming HERE in Armenia. Courtesy image
Armenia itself is a character in Braden King's movie, "Here"
Here and now
New York - "Here" premiered at the 2011 Sundance and Berlin Film
Festivals and has gone on to screen throughout the world. A live
installation version of the project, HERE [THE STORY SLEEPS], premiered
at The Museum of Modern Art in 2010, travelled to Mass MoCA and was
mounted at the 2011 Sundance and Houston Cinema Arts Festivals.
Tamar Gasparian spoke with filmmaker Braden King after a successful
New York City premiere earlier this month and just before HERE opens
in Los Angeles on April 27 and in San Francisco on May 11.
Q: Tell us about the journey that brought you HERE.
A: It's been a long and winding road. Lately I've been comparing the
process to archaeology. Most films come about in a more architectural
way. A filmmaker has an idea that he or she wants to realize,
sketches it out and builds it. HERE was more of an expedition into
the unknown. I was following the breadcrumbs, looking for clues. I
started pulling this string many years ago, and it eventually led me
to these characters, this story and to Armenia itself. It's been an
expanding, satisfying, mysterious journey. In many ways, the film is
a document of that process.
Q: HERE is opening in all these cities with significant Armenian
populations in the same month as Armenians all over the world are
commemorating the Armenian Genocide. However, HERE is not about the
Armenian past. HERE is about today's Armenia. It is about the ordinary
people and two main characters, Will (Ben Foster) and Gadarine (Lubna
Azabal), whose story begins and develops on the roads of Armenia,
against the gorgeous landscape of the country. It is an interesting
coincidence that the U.S. premieres are in April, isn't it?
A: It is. This film has always worked in mysterious ways. HERE somewhat
studiously avoids direct political commentary, but the occupation of
the American mapmaker, Will Shepard, can never truly be an apolitical
act. Any time you're drawing a line on a map, you're changing the
world - for better or for worse.
There is a kind of freedom from history that Will's traveling partner,
Gadarine Najarian, represents. She's very interested in the NOW, and
yet she discovers that there are these deep roots and traditions that
run deeply, if unconsciously, through her. The film asks questions
about how we can exist in a way that's liberated from history and
tradition while simultaneously appreciating it, acknowledging it and
paying tribute to it. I'm not Armenian, but I think these themes are
universal - they exist to one degree or another in every culture,
every family, in all of us.
Q: During your opening remarks at the NYC premiere you explained that
the open space left in the frame of the film was there on purpose,
for the viewer to explore and use that space. Also, during one of our
conversations several months ago, you told me about the triangles
that you created with the characters. Tell us more about the space
and the shapes you have created within the frame of the film.
A: Films are not only about the stories they tell. There is a lot of
space within these images but there is also a lot of space within the
experience of HERE for the viewer to wander around in, on their own.
I wanted to make a film that would allow a viewer to inhabit it,
not just watch it. That is kind of a big ask for some viewers. The
characters are almost silently saying, "Come. Join us. You don't have
to just sit back and watch." The people who are most affected by the
film seem to be able to say yes to that proposition. I definitely
encourage viewers to let Will and Gadarine wander off on their own
every once in a while and to just explore these images, aside from
the story, in their own time and in their own way.
In terms of the triangulation you're asking about - that's a mapping
term and practice that goes back to geometry. If you know the length
of two sides of a right triangle you can calculate the third via
the Pythagorean Theorem. But I don't think this idea only applies
to mathematics. We do this kind of thing in so many different ways
in our lives. Our relationships and experiences are like points on a
map - we use them to orient ourselves and to measure and make sense
of our world. We thought about this kind of thing a lot when writing
the film. How do we map our existence? What is the distance between
A and B? How do I get there? With who?
Q: In the film, I see Armenia as a country of breathtaking landscapes
and kind people, who are happy to share their food and homemade vodka
with strangers passing by. However, some acquaintances of mine were
unhappy with the images of Armenians as poor and constantly drinking.
They expected to see Armenia at its best and interpreted the images
in the film as anything but. How did you see Armenia and Armenians?
A: I can understand the desire to see Armenia portrayed as one
might wish it to be, to only point the camera at the new Northern
Boulevard in Yerevan and to avoid less "developed" locations. But
that's simply not the truth on the ground. Almost everything you see
in HERE is real. There are very few sets - perhaps one, actually. Many
of the characters are played by non-actors. The script is based on
extensive research and travel that took place from 2004 - 2009. In
some respects the film can be seen as a documentary with a fictional
narrative mapped on to it - at least in its portrayal of the landscape
and locations circa 2009, when it was shot.
I see very little poverty in these images. I see life. I see
strength. I see poetry. I see warmth, hospitality and love. We went out
of our way to photograph Armenia and its people in a neutral, objective
manner. This is a gorgeous, complicated country and culture. We made
a great effort to capture it as we found it. I see nothing in the
film that one cannot take profound pride in, and I would encourage
anyone who sees it to travel this road for themselves, to discover
the beauty, resilience and warmth of this landscape, this culture
and these incredible people.
Q: When I saw the film for the very first time, I was pleasantly
shocked. In the film, you noticed and captured something that, when
I was a child, had fascinated me and made me wonder if anyone else
noticed it. I am referring to the window of the bus that for several
seconds takes over the entire screen, reminding me of my childhood.
There are many reasons why I love this film, but that scene reinforced
it.
A: My methodology on HERE had a lot to do with being quiet - looking,
listening, observing. I tried to set up a situation in which the
cast, crew and I could explore ourselves in the same ways that the
film's characters do. We were constantly asking, "What does it feel
like when one travels in this way? What do we remember? What does
an experience look like when it's recalled years later in fleeting,
fragmentary images?" It's gratifying to hear about the ways in which
that bus window connected you back to your childhood. It means that,
at least for that moment, we did our job the way we intended.
Q: I love the music in HERE. Are you planning to release a soundtrack
and when can we expect the film on DVD?
A: We are going to release a soundtrack, most likely around the time
of the DVD release, in July. I'm so proud of the music that composer
Michael Krassner and Boxhead Ensemble created. All of it was recorded
in Armenia, at the end of production. In many cases, it was recorded in
the very locations in which the film was shot, with additional sessions
at the Sergei Parajanov museum and at a disused Soviet recording studio
on the outskirts of Yerevan that used to belong to Melodia records.
The group featured Michael Krassner, Shahzad Ismaily, Laraine
Kaizer, Eyvind Kang and Jessika Kenney with Vartan Baghdasaryan,
Karine Hovhannisyan, Jim Becker and Tim Rutili. It's a combination
of musical cultures, recorded in an environment that was foreign for
many of them. I think that sense of displacement and wonder comes
across in the beautiful, very mysterious music they created.
For more on the film link to http://www.herefilm.com/
http://www.reporter.am/go/article/2012-04-27-armenia-set-film--here--opens-in-u-s-
Published: Friday April 27, 2012
Braden King filming HERE in Armenia. Courtesy image
Armenia itself is a character in Braden King's movie, "Here"
Here and now
New York - "Here" premiered at the 2011 Sundance and Berlin Film
Festivals and has gone on to screen throughout the world. A live
installation version of the project, HERE [THE STORY SLEEPS], premiered
at The Museum of Modern Art in 2010, travelled to Mass MoCA and was
mounted at the 2011 Sundance and Houston Cinema Arts Festivals.
Tamar Gasparian spoke with filmmaker Braden King after a successful
New York City premiere earlier this month and just before HERE opens
in Los Angeles on April 27 and in San Francisco on May 11.
Q: Tell us about the journey that brought you HERE.
A: It's been a long and winding road. Lately I've been comparing the
process to archaeology. Most films come about in a more architectural
way. A filmmaker has an idea that he or she wants to realize,
sketches it out and builds it. HERE was more of an expedition into
the unknown. I was following the breadcrumbs, looking for clues. I
started pulling this string many years ago, and it eventually led me
to these characters, this story and to Armenia itself. It's been an
expanding, satisfying, mysterious journey. In many ways, the film is
a document of that process.
Q: HERE is opening in all these cities with significant Armenian
populations in the same month as Armenians all over the world are
commemorating the Armenian Genocide. However, HERE is not about the
Armenian past. HERE is about today's Armenia. It is about the ordinary
people and two main characters, Will (Ben Foster) and Gadarine (Lubna
Azabal), whose story begins and develops on the roads of Armenia,
against the gorgeous landscape of the country. It is an interesting
coincidence that the U.S. premieres are in April, isn't it?
A: It is. This film has always worked in mysterious ways. HERE somewhat
studiously avoids direct political commentary, but the occupation of
the American mapmaker, Will Shepard, can never truly be an apolitical
act. Any time you're drawing a line on a map, you're changing the
world - for better or for worse.
There is a kind of freedom from history that Will's traveling partner,
Gadarine Najarian, represents. She's very interested in the NOW, and
yet she discovers that there are these deep roots and traditions that
run deeply, if unconsciously, through her. The film asks questions
about how we can exist in a way that's liberated from history and
tradition while simultaneously appreciating it, acknowledging it and
paying tribute to it. I'm not Armenian, but I think these themes are
universal - they exist to one degree or another in every culture,
every family, in all of us.
Q: During your opening remarks at the NYC premiere you explained that
the open space left in the frame of the film was there on purpose,
for the viewer to explore and use that space. Also, during one of our
conversations several months ago, you told me about the triangles
that you created with the characters. Tell us more about the space
and the shapes you have created within the frame of the film.
A: Films are not only about the stories they tell. There is a lot of
space within these images but there is also a lot of space within the
experience of HERE for the viewer to wander around in, on their own.
I wanted to make a film that would allow a viewer to inhabit it,
not just watch it. That is kind of a big ask for some viewers. The
characters are almost silently saying, "Come. Join us. You don't have
to just sit back and watch." The people who are most affected by the
film seem to be able to say yes to that proposition. I definitely
encourage viewers to let Will and Gadarine wander off on their own
every once in a while and to just explore these images, aside from
the story, in their own time and in their own way.
In terms of the triangulation you're asking about - that's a mapping
term and practice that goes back to geometry. If you know the length
of two sides of a right triangle you can calculate the third via
the Pythagorean Theorem. But I don't think this idea only applies
to mathematics. We do this kind of thing in so many different ways
in our lives. Our relationships and experiences are like points on a
map - we use them to orient ourselves and to measure and make sense
of our world. We thought about this kind of thing a lot when writing
the film. How do we map our existence? What is the distance between
A and B? How do I get there? With who?
Q: In the film, I see Armenia as a country of breathtaking landscapes
and kind people, who are happy to share their food and homemade vodka
with strangers passing by. However, some acquaintances of mine were
unhappy with the images of Armenians as poor and constantly drinking.
They expected to see Armenia at its best and interpreted the images
in the film as anything but. How did you see Armenia and Armenians?
A: I can understand the desire to see Armenia portrayed as one
might wish it to be, to only point the camera at the new Northern
Boulevard in Yerevan and to avoid less "developed" locations. But
that's simply not the truth on the ground. Almost everything you see
in HERE is real. There are very few sets - perhaps one, actually. Many
of the characters are played by non-actors. The script is based on
extensive research and travel that took place from 2004 - 2009. In
some respects the film can be seen as a documentary with a fictional
narrative mapped on to it - at least in its portrayal of the landscape
and locations circa 2009, when it was shot.
I see very little poverty in these images. I see life. I see
strength. I see poetry. I see warmth, hospitality and love. We went out
of our way to photograph Armenia and its people in a neutral, objective
manner. This is a gorgeous, complicated country and culture. We made
a great effort to capture it as we found it. I see nothing in the
film that one cannot take profound pride in, and I would encourage
anyone who sees it to travel this road for themselves, to discover
the beauty, resilience and warmth of this landscape, this culture
and these incredible people.
Q: When I saw the film for the very first time, I was pleasantly
shocked. In the film, you noticed and captured something that, when
I was a child, had fascinated me and made me wonder if anyone else
noticed it. I am referring to the window of the bus that for several
seconds takes over the entire screen, reminding me of my childhood.
There are many reasons why I love this film, but that scene reinforced
it.
A: My methodology on HERE had a lot to do with being quiet - looking,
listening, observing. I tried to set up a situation in which the
cast, crew and I could explore ourselves in the same ways that the
film's characters do. We were constantly asking, "What does it feel
like when one travels in this way? What do we remember? What does
an experience look like when it's recalled years later in fleeting,
fragmentary images?" It's gratifying to hear about the ways in which
that bus window connected you back to your childhood. It means that,
at least for that moment, we did our job the way we intended.
Q: I love the music in HERE. Are you planning to release a soundtrack
and when can we expect the film on DVD?
A: We are going to release a soundtrack, most likely around the time
of the DVD release, in July. I'm so proud of the music that composer
Michael Krassner and Boxhead Ensemble created. All of it was recorded
in Armenia, at the end of production. In many cases, it was recorded in
the very locations in which the film was shot, with additional sessions
at the Sergei Parajanov museum and at a disused Soviet recording studio
on the outskirts of Yerevan that used to belong to Melodia records.
The group featured Michael Krassner, Shahzad Ismaily, Laraine
Kaizer, Eyvind Kang and Jessika Kenney with Vartan Baghdasaryan,
Karine Hovhannisyan, Jim Becker and Tim Rutili. It's a combination
of musical cultures, recorded in an environment that was foreign for
many of them. I think that sense of displacement and wonder comes
across in the beautiful, very mysterious music they created.
For more on the film link to http://www.herefilm.com/