Film Garegin Nzhdeh helped us create hero – Armenian director

A state which does not have an image of hero twenty years after gaining independence is in a very dangerous situation, an Armenian director said Wednesday, analyzing the film Garegin Nzhdeh.

The movie telling about the great Armenian political thinker and hero was premiered it Yerevan’s Moscow cinema on January 28, attracting a wide positive response by the public.

Speaking to Tert.am, Director Armen Mazmanyan admitted that he had certain fears before watching the première. “Nzhdeh is something that you would better leave untouched if he's beyond your reach,” he said. “But I was very happy upon leaving. The films objective is to make the hero reachable to us; and it has proven equal to the task.”

Mazmanyan, who is also the rector of the Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography, noted the film needs a professional approach, not based on individual tastes or preferences.

“The film’s genre is not a historical chronicle. This is a historical-epic action with its histrionics and sentimentalism. It does not seek historical truths; it’s another matter that it provokes an interest,” the director continued.

Speaking about the technical methods used, Mazmanyan said they aren’t bad in general though he pointed out to a couple of shortcomings.

“I have told the director in person that this has to do with the sound settings. They are sometimes monotonous, with music often deafening the sound. But it is very easy to clear that,” he said, adding that a comparison with internationally acclaimed films would not negatively affect Garegin Nzhdeh’s image.