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ACCLAIMED DIRECTOR TO HELM GENOCIDE FILM
http://asbarez.com/106555/acclaimed-director-to-helm-genocide-film/
Tuesday, November 13th, 2012
>From l to r: Edgard Tenembaum, Cigdem Mater, Micheline Marcom
Aharonian, Sona Tatoyan, Jose Rivera, Shekhar Kapur, and Vahe Yacoubian
Major Genocide Film Launched at TUMO Center
YEREVAN-Producers of the upcoming feature "Three Apples Fell From
Heaven," a drama set against the backdrop of the Armenian Genocide,
gathered at Tumo Center for Creative Technologies in Yerevan to
introduce award-winning director Shekhar Kapur who was in the country
to scout locations for the film.
"This is a challenging project that reveals a shameful chapter in
world history," said Kapur whose movies, including "Elizabeth" and
"The Golden Age," have earned nine Academy Award nominations. "I am
not one to back down from a challenge and I believe the world is ready
to join me in finally examining this tragedy and its far-reaching
consequences. My films aspire to put human faces on history and I
think that's what make them relevant. That's what I hope to do in
depicting the Armenian Genocide."
The Tumo Center event was held to welcome the production team to
Armenia where they hope to do some of the filming. "Three Apples Fell
from Heaven" is based on Micheline Aharonian Marcom's award-winning
novel of heroism and heartbreak set against the savage backdrop of the
Ottoman purge of its Armenian population during the years 1914-1917.
The film's executive producer, Vahe Yacoubian, introduced author
Marcom, along with producer/actress Sona Tatoyan and her husband,
Oscar®-nominated screenwriter Jose Rivera (The Motorcycle Diaries)
who has adapted Marcom's novel for the screen. They were joined on the
podium by the film's French producer, Edgard Tenembaum, and Turkish
co-producer, Cigdem Mater.
"I cannot express my joy in working with Shekhar Kapur on this
project," says Tatoyan. "Jose and I just spent a week with him in
Yerevan working on the script and location scouting. I'd read that he
is a director who works at the intersection of art, myth and activism
and that is a perfect description for this film." Tatoyan continues,
"The film is the first of its kind - an epic historical drama to be
filmed in a country with little film infrastructure. "Three Apples"
will be the catalyst to creating a world-class film industry in
Armenia so it really is an act of activism. The other important thing
to note with the film is that it is a co-production with Armenia,
France and Turkey. This is obviously historic and challenging in
an amazing way. The film is not only a narrative about genocide. It
works on several levels. Like the book, it is surrounded by passion
and love. We want to share the film with people around the world,
with all cultures and people of all faiths. Not only with Armenians,
but with all human beings who look at genocide as a universal tragedy."
"Launching this film in Armenia, surrounded by so many talented
artists and internationally recognized filmmakers, was an emotionally
charged experience," adds Yacoubian. "It gave the proper inspirational
foundation for making a film that will commemorate the Armenian
Genocide and help pave the way for a peaceful and harmonious future
for humanity."
After filmmaker introductions, Yacoubian introduced a performance
by electronic musician and vocalist K Á R Y Y N (Karin Tatoyan)
who was joined by an ensemble of classical musicians from Armenia's
Philharmonic Orchestra and the prestigious Yerevan Komitas State
Conservatory.
Following the musical performance, each guest spoke about their
involvement with the film. Rivera uttered a few Armenian phrases, to
which the audience responded with enthusiastic applause and laughter.
Following the presentation, the film's co-producer, Alex Kalognomos,
hosted a closing reception that allowed guests a closer look at
the state-of-the-art Tumo facility, and Kapur continued to share
his impressions of being in Armenia for the first time and his deep
respect for the historical significance of "Three Apples'" story.
Micheline Aharonian Marcom Three Apples Fell From Heaven was the
debut novel of award winning author Micheline Aharonian Marcom,
for which she won Columbia University's Anahid Literary Award. The
novel was also named a Notable Book by the New York Times, was cited
as one of the best books of 2001 by both the Los Angeles Times and
Washington Post, and was a runner up for the PEN/Hemingway Award for
First Fiction. Marcom has published four novels, including a trilogy
of books about the Armenian genocide and its aftermath. The second
book of the trilogy, The Daydreaming Boy, was the Los Angeles Times
Book of the Year for 2004 and was awarded the PEN/USA Award for
Fiction in 2005. Marcom was also the recipient of the 2004 Lannon
Foundation Fellowship, a 2006 Whiting Writers' Award for emerging
writers, and was a 2008 Fulbright Fellow.
Her fifth book, A Brief History of Yes, is forthcoming from Dalkey
Archive Press in spring 2013.
Shekhar Kapur Shekhar Kapur is a globally recognized film director,
activist, media visionary and proponent on the future of New
Media. Having started his career as an accountant, management
consultant and economist in London, he returned to India in search of
a new direction and went on to become a well known actor, director,
writer and producer. He is best known for films, such as "Elizabeth,"
"Golden Age," "Bandit Queen," "Mr India," "Masoom" and "Four Feathers,"
that have won or been nominated for numerous awards including the
Oscars, BAFTA's, and Filmfare Awards. He has diverse environmental
interests while currently championing the cause of Water as a
resource, and is recognized as one of India's leading proponents in
this space. He was given one of India's highest civilian state awards,
the "Padma Shiri", for his service to media in the nation.
Jose Rivera Screenwriter and Academy Award nominee, Jose Rivera, is
the author of "The Motorcycle Diaries," a film directed in 2004 by
Walter Salles. As a playwright Rivera had the honor of studying with
Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Marquez at the Sundance Institute
in 1989, and he's been the recipient of a Whiting Foundation Award,
a McKnight Fellowship, a Rockefeller Foundation Grant, and a Kennedy
Center Grant. On a Fulbright Arts Fellowship he was writer-in-residence
at the Royal Court Theatre in London. Since the success of "The
Motorcycle Diaries," Rivera has gone on to pen screenplays for Sony
Pictures, Dreamworks, Summit Entertainment, Miramax, and many others,
as well as teleplays for Showtime, HBO, NBC, and CBS. Re-teaming
with Walter Salles, Rivera wrote the screenplay adaptation of Jack
Kerouac's seminal novel On the Road, executive produced by Francis Ford
Coppola. The film recently premiered at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival
and stars Kristen Stewart ("Twilight"), Kirsten Dunst, and Amy Adams.
Sona Tatoyan Sona Tatoyan is a first-generation
Syrian-Armenian-American actress, producer, writer, and director
living in New York. Tatoyan is the founder and president of Door/Key
Productions. Currently in pre-production are "Three Apples Fell From
Heaven" and "Celestina." In development are a biopic on the Armenian
abstract expressionist artist Arshile Gorky and The Der Zor Project,
a documentary about the infamous death march through the Syrian desert
during the 1915 Armenian genocide. Marking Sona's feature writing and
directorial debut, The First Full Moon, (Sundance RAWI Middle-Eastern
Screenwriting Lab Fellow 2011, Dubai Film Connection/Festival 2012
project) mingles past and present to explore the ghosts, the traumas,
the guilt and the loves of a modern Armenian heroine. In this and
other projects, she seeks to explore the untold stories of her
scattered people and share her rich, ancient, multi-faceted culture
with the wider world. As an actress, lead roles on film include Eve
in "The Journey" (winner, Audience Award, Milan International Film
Festival 2002), and the No Name Girl in the short "The Tape Recorder"
(Jose Rivera, director), and Laila in Ms. Tatoyan's writing/directing
debut short, "Toujours" (Arpa International Film Festival 2012).
Upcoming: The title role in the independent feature "Celestina" (Jose
Rivera, director, Walter Salles, executive producer) and Lusine in
"Three Apples Fell From Heaven."
Tumo Center for Creative Technologies An innovative, open media studio
in the heart of Yerevan, Armenia.
Equipped with state-of-the-art digital technology and staffed by
educators and media professionals.
"Three Apples Fell from Heaven" Click here for more information about
"Three Apples Fell from Heaven."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
http://asbarez.com/106555/acclaimed-director-to-helm-genocide-film/
Tuesday, November 13th, 2012
>From l to r: Edgard Tenembaum, Cigdem Mater, Micheline Marcom
Aharonian, Sona Tatoyan, Jose Rivera, Shekhar Kapur, and Vahe Yacoubian
Major Genocide Film Launched at TUMO Center
YEREVAN-Producers of the upcoming feature "Three Apples Fell From
Heaven," a drama set against the backdrop of the Armenian Genocide,
gathered at Tumo Center for Creative Technologies in Yerevan to
introduce award-winning director Shekhar Kapur who was in the country
to scout locations for the film.
"This is a challenging project that reveals a shameful chapter in
world history," said Kapur whose movies, including "Elizabeth" and
"The Golden Age," have earned nine Academy Award nominations. "I am
not one to back down from a challenge and I believe the world is ready
to join me in finally examining this tragedy and its far-reaching
consequences. My films aspire to put human faces on history and I
think that's what make them relevant. That's what I hope to do in
depicting the Armenian Genocide."
The Tumo Center event was held to welcome the production team to
Armenia where they hope to do some of the filming. "Three Apples Fell
from Heaven" is based on Micheline Aharonian Marcom's award-winning
novel of heroism and heartbreak set against the savage backdrop of the
Ottoman purge of its Armenian population during the years 1914-1917.
The film's executive producer, Vahe Yacoubian, introduced author
Marcom, along with producer/actress Sona Tatoyan and her husband,
Oscar®-nominated screenwriter Jose Rivera (The Motorcycle Diaries)
who has adapted Marcom's novel for the screen. They were joined on the
podium by the film's French producer, Edgard Tenembaum, and Turkish
co-producer, Cigdem Mater.
"I cannot express my joy in working with Shekhar Kapur on this
project," says Tatoyan. "Jose and I just spent a week with him in
Yerevan working on the script and location scouting. I'd read that he
is a director who works at the intersection of art, myth and activism
and that is a perfect description for this film." Tatoyan continues,
"The film is the first of its kind - an epic historical drama to be
filmed in a country with little film infrastructure. "Three Apples"
will be the catalyst to creating a world-class film industry in
Armenia so it really is an act of activism. The other important thing
to note with the film is that it is a co-production with Armenia,
France and Turkey. This is obviously historic and challenging in
an amazing way. The film is not only a narrative about genocide. It
works on several levels. Like the book, it is surrounded by passion
and love. We want to share the film with people around the world,
with all cultures and people of all faiths. Not only with Armenians,
but with all human beings who look at genocide as a universal tragedy."
"Launching this film in Armenia, surrounded by so many talented
artists and internationally recognized filmmakers, was an emotionally
charged experience," adds Yacoubian. "It gave the proper inspirational
foundation for making a film that will commemorate the Armenian
Genocide and help pave the way for a peaceful and harmonious future
for humanity."
After filmmaker introductions, Yacoubian introduced a performance
by electronic musician and vocalist K Á R Y Y N (Karin Tatoyan)
who was joined by an ensemble of classical musicians from Armenia's
Philharmonic Orchestra and the prestigious Yerevan Komitas State
Conservatory.
Following the musical performance, each guest spoke about their
involvement with the film. Rivera uttered a few Armenian phrases, to
which the audience responded with enthusiastic applause and laughter.
Following the presentation, the film's co-producer, Alex Kalognomos,
hosted a closing reception that allowed guests a closer look at
the state-of-the-art Tumo facility, and Kapur continued to share
his impressions of being in Armenia for the first time and his deep
respect for the historical significance of "Three Apples'" story.
Micheline Aharonian Marcom Three Apples Fell From Heaven was the
debut novel of award winning author Micheline Aharonian Marcom,
for which she won Columbia University's Anahid Literary Award. The
novel was also named a Notable Book by the New York Times, was cited
as one of the best books of 2001 by both the Los Angeles Times and
Washington Post, and was a runner up for the PEN/Hemingway Award for
First Fiction. Marcom has published four novels, including a trilogy
of books about the Armenian genocide and its aftermath. The second
book of the trilogy, The Daydreaming Boy, was the Los Angeles Times
Book of the Year for 2004 and was awarded the PEN/USA Award for
Fiction in 2005. Marcom was also the recipient of the 2004 Lannon
Foundation Fellowship, a 2006 Whiting Writers' Award for emerging
writers, and was a 2008 Fulbright Fellow.
Her fifth book, A Brief History of Yes, is forthcoming from Dalkey
Archive Press in spring 2013.
Shekhar Kapur Shekhar Kapur is a globally recognized film director,
activist, media visionary and proponent on the future of New
Media. Having started his career as an accountant, management
consultant and economist in London, he returned to India in search of
a new direction and went on to become a well known actor, director,
writer and producer. He is best known for films, such as "Elizabeth,"
"Golden Age," "Bandit Queen," "Mr India," "Masoom" and "Four Feathers,"
that have won or been nominated for numerous awards including the
Oscars, BAFTA's, and Filmfare Awards. He has diverse environmental
interests while currently championing the cause of Water as a
resource, and is recognized as one of India's leading proponents in
this space. He was given one of India's highest civilian state awards,
the "Padma Shiri", for his service to media in the nation.
Jose Rivera Screenwriter and Academy Award nominee, Jose Rivera, is
the author of "The Motorcycle Diaries," a film directed in 2004 by
Walter Salles. As a playwright Rivera had the honor of studying with
Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Marquez at the Sundance Institute
in 1989, and he's been the recipient of a Whiting Foundation Award,
a McKnight Fellowship, a Rockefeller Foundation Grant, and a Kennedy
Center Grant. On a Fulbright Arts Fellowship he was writer-in-residence
at the Royal Court Theatre in London. Since the success of "The
Motorcycle Diaries," Rivera has gone on to pen screenplays for Sony
Pictures, Dreamworks, Summit Entertainment, Miramax, and many others,
as well as teleplays for Showtime, HBO, NBC, and CBS. Re-teaming
with Walter Salles, Rivera wrote the screenplay adaptation of Jack
Kerouac's seminal novel On the Road, executive produced by Francis Ford
Coppola. The film recently premiered at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival
and stars Kristen Stewart ("Twilight"), Kirsten Dunst, and Amy Adams.
Sona Tatoyan Sona Tatoyan is a first-generation
Syrian-Armenian-American actress, producer, writer, and director
living in New York. Tatoyan is the founder and president of Door/Key
Productions. Currently in pre-production are "Three Apples Fell From
Heaven" and "Celestina." In development are a biopic on the Armenian
abstract expressionist artist Arshile Gorky and The Der Zor Project,
a documentary about the infamous death march through the Syrian desert
during the 1915 Armenian genocide. Marking Sona's feature writing and
directorial debut, The First Full Moon, (Sundance RAWI Middle-Eastern
Screenwriting Lab Fellow 2011, Dubai Film Connection/Festival 2012
project) mingles past and present to explore the ghosts, the traumas,
the guilt and the loves of a modern Armenian heroine. In this and
other projects, she seeks to explore the untold stories of her
scattered people and share her rich, ancient, multi-faceted culture
with the wider world. As an actress, lead roles on film include Eve
in "The Journey" (winner, Audience Award, Milan International Film
Festival 2002), and the No Name Girl in the short "The Tape Recorder"
(Jose Rivera, director), and Laila in Ms. Tatoyan's writing/directing
debut short, "Toujours" (Arpa International Film Festival 2012).
Upcoming: The title role in the independent feature "Celestina" (Jose
Rivera, director, Walter Salles, executive producer) and Lusine in
"Three Apples Fell From Heaven."
Tumo Center for Creative Technologies An innovative, open media studio
in the heart of Yerevan, Armenia.
Equipped with state-of-the-art digital technology and staffed by
educators and media professionals.
"Three Apples Fell from Heaven" Click here for more information about
"Three Apples Fell from Heaven."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress