Armenian-Turkish film platform will feature historical truth, says Golden Apricot director

In an interview with Tert.am, the Golden Apricot International Film Festival’s founding director, Harutyun Khachatryan, addressed the agenda of the 2015 annual cultural event, focusing particularly on the Armenia-Turkey film platform (which next year will address the Armenian Genocide topic).

 
What films is the Armenia-Turkey platform going to feature ahead of the Armenian Genocide centennial?

For several years now, we have been approving those screenplays, which have been shot by Armenians, Turks and Kurds. Some of those films are complete; others have yet to be produced. There will be five or six movies by the Turkish side and about four movies by Armenia. And they will be included in the Golden Apricot 2015 program.

And what about those films’ content?

The films feature mainly the memories of those Turks, Kurds and Armenians, who are inclined to search for their own roots; [those are] recollections of their parents and grandfathers who turned out crypto-Armenians. There is also a screenplay on the Kurdish Genocide, as well as chronologies shot by Armenians, which trace back to the Armenians’ presence in Istanbul and other Turkish cities and towns. All the films feature Armenophilic and pro-Armenian stories; they reflect the historical truth. And the episodes, if any, are pro-Armenian too.

 
How do Turkish directors treat the fact that the pro-Armenian element is present in all the movies?

Their reaction was normal, because there were even a couple of debates at the Istanbul International Film Festival where the screenplay had to receive the jury's approval. And the scenario, which was submitted by Turks and had to receive funding, was a story of a grandson remembering his grandfather who, for some reason, was not buried in their village. That’s a documentary film, and the hero rakes up his ancestors’ story to find out that he had an Armenian grandfather who was not allowed to be buried in their village. And that story proves the starting point that makes many remember that their grandfathers too, have Armenian roots. This is one of the screenplays which is very exciting and important for me, as it is based on facts, without any inventions and any artificial parts added.

So has a Turkish director submitted such a screenplay?

Yes, stories of the kind were submitted also by directors from Beirut, but we, unfortunately, do not have so much money to fund several films simultaneously. But those best ones were funded and shot. Those are episodes based on the [historical] truth.

And what programs are you planning in the festival’s frameworks in the run-up to the Genocide centennial?

There will be one program, [a film] dedicated to the Genocide, which has been shot by foreigners; we also have a program covering the history of world genocides. So there will be several films about world genocides to involve the world in the same program like Armenia and the Armenian Genocide. All the directors who have produced a film about the Armenian Genocide will be invited to the festival.

What other program do you think can be implemented to give a maximum possible world resonance to the issue?

We have envisaged such a program; we must have the festival's best films screened in the world’s best capitals and conduct debates to be able to spread those stories about the Genocide. Otherwise, screening them in Armenia will be no use; that way, only we and our guests will be the ones to watch [them]. Over 30 films are going to be presented, and when the final program is approved, it will be clear what films are going to be screened and in what countries.

The festival addresses the Genocide topic every year. What role do you think Golden Apricot has played in the Genocide recognition issue?

As I have coordinated the programs a couple of times, [I can say that] we have addressed not only the Genocide but also the Nagorno-Karabakh issue and our problems with the Turks. We invite Turkish directors and intellectuals [to present] their movies; [one of them was] Fatih Akin who shot a movie about the Armenian Genocide. We do not much care about the quality and the success it had; what matters is that we managed to bring the great director to Armenia. We took him to the Genocide Museum and the Genocide Memorial; that man was so moved that he dedicated himself to the topic for several years. He produced a film which he later presented at the Venice Festival. And that was very important. His film is now being screened in different corners across the globe, and it will be screened on the sidelines of Golden Apricot too. In this way, they got to know both about the Genocide and Armenia, and the Armenian art and the problems [in the country]. And everyone seemed to have shared those stories in his or her own art. A couple of people are now producing [films].

And what films normally have a success? Those featuring cruel episodes or those presenting all that allegorically?

Talented films are the ones that succeed. Cruel episodes do not matter that much; they have to be talented and professional films. If the film is talented, it influences everything; if you screen a successful movie with cruel episodes, it may have a negative impact.