Tweet
A YOUNG FILMMAKER'S QUEST TO FIND HER VOICE IN CINEMA
by Lilly Torosyan
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/01/30/a-young-filmmakers-quest-to-find-her-voice-in-cinema/
January 30, 2013
An Interview with Talin Avakian
A recent graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design
(MassArt), Talin Avakian is already making strides in the film
industry. Her senior thesis, a 30-minute film titled "Demi Pointe,"
chronicles a young girl's struggles with a speech disorder. The film
is about to make its debut, quite likely at a festival later this
year. Avakian spoke with the Weekly about the project, as well as
her sources of inspiration.
Talin Avakian on the set of Voltage, the 2011 MassArt Senior Fashion
film.
Lilly Torosyan: You have quite an eclectic background-your father
is Armenian, and your mother is of mixed African-American and
Native-American ancestry. What was it like growing as part of three
very different and historically oppressed cultural groups? Did you
identify more with one over the other?
Talin Avakian: My background has a lot to do with my outlook on life,
and what I have invested most of my time into, growing up. It has
been both a great blessing and also quite a struggle. On the one
hand, I have had the great fortune of being exposed to the richness
of each culture, and on the other hand, I have felt the misfortune
of not knowing where I truly 'belong,' because I have never been
'full' anything.
At times, I have definitely identified with one more than the other.
It depends on who I'm with, and where I am. I guess in that sense you
could call me a chameleon. I definitely have my ways of blending in
where I want to blend in, which has been beneficial, fun, and painful
for me. Growing up, I would say I 'felt' more Armenian, and that
had a lot to do with the fact that I grew up in the Armenian Church,
surrounded by my father's side of the family most of the time. That
is not to say my mother didn't remind my sisters and I of who we were
daily. I remember car rides when my mom would talk to us about slavery,
and what it meant to be black and 'Indian' growing up in her time.
Talin Avakian in traditional regalia at the 2012 Nipmuc Nation pow
wow at the Hassanamisco reservation.
Regardless of which community I spend more time with, I have always
felt very much a part of all three of my backgrounds. Every family
member always reminded me of the importance of knowing who I am
and where I came from. I see it as my duty, as an artist, and as a
representative of my people, to use my voice, through film, to give
a stronger voice to my people, who cry out for recognition and unity.
L.T.: Are any of your projects embedded in your personal life? For
example, 'Danny Attuk' is a short film about a Native-American man
dealing with an identity issue. Is this more or less based on your
own personal experience?
T.A.: I don't usually realize this until most of the project is
completed, but yes, most of my projects, if not all of them, are based
off of my own personal experience to some degree. 'Danny Attuk' was a
story written by the wife of a man in my tribe, which I adapted into
a script, but I must have been intrigued by it because of its themes.
Unlike the main character in the story, however, I have not
intentionally removed myself from my tribe's traditions-it is quite
the opposite for me. The older I get, the more I want to know about
who I am, and what our traditions are as a people.
L.T.: On your Vimeo account, it says that your films often deal
with adolescence, social psychology, and movement. What draws you to
these themes?
T.A.: I think the process of maturing into an adult is beautiful, and
it is different for everybody. Children's perception of reality is so
peculiar, and I like to explore that in my work by shooting from their
point of view. Unlike adults, they are not afraid to let themselves
imagine and speak their mind-if not verbally, in some way or another.
They are honest, vulnerable, and curious creatures. It's amazing how
much we lose from our childhood as we grow into adulthood. Through
my work, I try to reconnect the world with what it is like to be a
child again.
Director Talin Avakian gives opening remarks at the premiere screening
of Demi Pointe, at Mass. College of Art and Design, May 2012.
L.T.: Your latest film incorporates all of these themes, as well. What
was the motivation behind the protagonist, Sydney, the schoolgirl
who suffers from selective mutism?
T.A.: I have always been interested in shooting from the point of view
of a child, so I knew I wanted my protagonist to be a young girl. My
mother is a speech language pathologist, and the idea of a child who
struggles with speech-or doesn't speak at all, like Sydney-caused me
to ask questions like, what does their world look like? How are they
viewed by their peers? I admired the empathetic and personal approach
that a speech language pathologist takes; it's not just one curriculum
for all students, it's an individualized approach. It's more about
a relationship of trust and patience between a student and a therapist.
Perhaps more approaches like this between adults and children would
lead to children that absorb more knowledge, and are not as anxious
in the classroom.
Through this film, I wanted to stress that communication is not always
verbal; if anything, we nonverbally communicate more than we speak.
Yet as a society, we are more accepting of those who articulate
themselves more eloquently. Through this story, my intention is to
challenge my audience to accept and understand those who may not
choose verbal communication as their primary voice.
Sydney sitting in class, listening to Ms. Kammel's instructions for
the group presentation
L.T.: Talk about your future projects.
T.A.: For now, I'm working in Worcester, Mass., at an ad agency,
helping out with shooting, editing, compiling, and splicing footage
for the many TV spots they do for clients. I intend on continuing to
make my own personal work, and collaborating with my colleagues from
MassArt. We really built an amazing community and work ethic at MassArt
that I hope to remain a part of for the rest of my filmmaking years.
Everyone asks me, 'So, are you going to move to NYC or Hollywood?'
Those are not my intentions, at all, but I guess you never know where
you'll end up. I'm usually open to whatever opportunity comes my way.
I would love to continue making my own films, working with my
colleagues from MassArt in the indie film industry, making my work
known through the film festival circuit.
For more information on Avakian's films, visit her Vimeo account at
http://vimeo.com/talinavakian. To check out some of her photographs,
visit http://talinavakian.com.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
by Lilly Torosyan
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/01/30/a-young-filmmakers-quest-to-find-her-voice-in-cinema/
January 30, 2013
An Interview with Talin Avakian
A recent graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design
(MassArt), Talin Avakian is already making strides in the film
industry. Her senior thesis, a 30-minute film titled "Demi Pointe,"
chronicles a young girl's struggles with a speech disorder. The film
is about to make its debut, quite likely at a festival later this
year. Avakian spoke with the Weekly about the project, as well as
her sources of inspiration.
Talin Avakian on the set of Voltage, the 2011 MassArt Senior Fashion
film.
Lilly Torosyan: You have quite an eclectic background-your father
is Armenian, and your mother is of mixed African-American and
Native-American ancestry. What was it like growing as part of three
very different and historically oppressed cultural groups? Did you
identify more with one over the other?
Talin Avakian: My background has a lot to do with my outlook on life,
and what I have invested most of my time into, growing up. It has
been both a great blessing and also quite a struggle. On the one
hand, I have had the great fortune of being exposed to the richness
of each culture, and on the other hand, I have felt the misfortune
of not knowing where I truly 'belong,' because I have never been
'full' anything.
At times, I have definitely identified with one more than the other.
It depends on who I'm with, and where I am. I guess in that sense you
could call me a chameleon. I definitely have my ways of blending in
where I want to blend in, which has been beneficial, fun, and painful
for me. Growing up, I would say I 'felt' more Armenian, and that
had a lot to do with the fact that I grew up in the Armenian Church,
surrounded by my father's side of the family most of the time. That
is not to say my mother didn't remind my sisters and I of who we were
daily. I remember car rides when my mom would talk to us about slavery,
and what it meant to be black and 'Indian' growing up in her time.
Talin Avakian in traditional regalia at the 2012 Nipmuc Nation pow
wow at the Hassanamisco reservation.
Regardless of which community I spend more time with, I have always
felt very much a part of all three of my backgrounds. Every family
member always reminded me of the importance of knowing who I am
and where I came from. I see it as my duty, as an artist, and as a
representative of my people, to use my voice, through film, to give
a stronger voice to my people, who cry out for recognition and unity.
L.T.: Are any of your projects embedded in your personal life? For
example, 'Danny Attuk' is a short film about a Native-American man
dealing with an identity issue. Is this more or less based on your
own personal experience?
T.A.: I don't usually realize this until most of the project is
completed, but yes, most of my projects, if not all of them, are based
off of my own personal experience to some degree. 'Danny Attuk' was a
story written by the wife of a man in my tribe, which I adapted into
a script, but I must have been intrigued by it because of its themes.
Unlike the main character in the story, however, I have not
intentionally removed myself from my tribe's traditions-it is quite
the opposite for me. The older I get, the more I want to know about
who I am, and what our traditions are as a people.
L.T.: On your Vimeo account, it says that your films often deal
with adolescence, social psychology, and movement. What draws you to
these themes?
T.A.: I think the process of maturing into an adult is beautiful, and
it is different for everybody. Children's perception of reality is so
peculiar, and I like to explore that in my work by shooting from their
point of view. Unlike adults, they are not afraid to let themselves
imagine and speak their mind-if not verbally, in some way or another.
They are honest, vulnerable, and curious creatures. It's amazing how
much we lose from our childhood as we grow into adulthood. Through
my work, I try to reconnect the world with what it is like to be a
child again.
Director Talin Avakian gives opening remarks at the premiere screening
of Demi Pointe, at Mass. College of Art and Design, May 2012.
L.T.: Your latest film incorporates all of these themes, as well. What
was the motivation behind the protagonist, Sydney, the schoolgirl
who suffers from selective mutism?
T.A.: I have always been interested in shooting from the point of view
of a child, so I knew I wanted my protagonist to be a young girl. My
mother is a speech language pathologist, and the idea of a child who
struggles with speech-or doesn't speak at all, like Sydney-caused me
to ask questions like, what does their world look like? How are they
viewed by their peers? I admired the empathetic and personal approach
that a speech language pathologist takes; it's not just one curriculum
for all students, it's an individualized approach. It's more about
a relationship of trust and patience between a student and a therapist.
Perhaps more approaches like this between adults and children would
lead to children that absorb more knowledge, and are not as anxious
in the classroom.
Through this film, I wanted to stress that communication is not always
verbal; if anything, we nonverbally communicate more than we speak.
Yet as a society, we are more accepting of those who articulate
themselves more eloquently. Through this story, my intention is to
challenge my audience to accept and understand those who may not
choose verbal communication as their primary voice.
Sydney sitting in class, listening to Ms. Kammel's instructions for
the group presentation
L.T.: Talk about your future projects.
T.A.: For now, I'm working in Worcester, Mass., at an ad agency,
helping out with shooting, editing, compiling, and splicing footage
for the many TV spots they do for clients. I intend on continuing to
make my own personal work, and collaborating with my colleagues from
MassArt. We really built an amazing community and work ethic at MassArt
that I hope to remain a part of for the rest of my filmmaking years.
Everyone asks me, 'So, are you going to move to NYC or Hollywood?'
Those are not my intentions, at all, but I guess you never know where
you'll end up. I'm usually open to whatever opportunity comes my way.
I would love to continue making my own films, working with my
colleagues from MassArt in the indie film industry, making my work
known through the film festival circuit.
For more information on Avakian's films, visit her Vimeo account at
http://vimeo.com/talinavakian. To check out some of her photographs,
visit http://talinavakian.com.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress