Arpa Film Festival 2015 interviews with film directors
On November 14, at 2:00 p.m., Our Village will screen at the 18th Annual Arpa Film Festival. Director Yelena Arshakyan created the film with a goal of connecting with the audience and ensuring they comprehend the film’s message.
Yelena Arshakyan, director
Our Village tells the story of a rural, modern village, focusing on three neighbors — their lives, relationships, wishes, bothers, and immigration, which is a general problem for all Armenians.
Sharon Swainson, Arpa Film Festival writer, posed six questions to Arshakyan. Below are her answers.
Why did you choose to make your film?
I got an offer to start filming from film producer Armen Grigoryan. So we made a film, which consists of 16 parts for the Public Television of Armenia. Immediately after the film was completed, I knew that it was necessary to make a film about present day people living in Armenia, with their problems, values, lifestyle, and character.
Name a moment during shooting that made you proud.
The shooting took place in Dsegh, a village in Armenia, where our famous writer Hovhannes Tumanyan was born. It was majestic making a film in the land of such a genius. The sense of pride never left me. I completely understood and respected that I was working on a blessed land.
Was there a moment that became a creative breakthrough while making your film?
My answer may seem a bit strange, but during shooting the locals helped me a lot. To associate with them helped me understand how far we had drifted from nature and how we had lost a lot of human qualities which existed in these simple and humble people.
During the creative process, was there a moment when you let go of certainties and just ran with it, allowing creativity to do its thing?
We were living in Lori’s place, in Dsegh, for 4 months. During that time, I lost my connection with the city. I was alone, surrounded by beautiful nature. There were no interruptions. I allowed myself to completely absorb all that I felt and filmed with more depth.
Since an artist is truly never finished, is there anything that you would like to do differently or add to your film?
Of course there are some things that I would film differently. It is been two years since filming, and every time I watch the movie I am thinking that maybe I should have introduced a scene differently or perhaps added or taken out some things. Nevertheless, I feel very good about what I created, when I created it.
What does it mean to you to have your film selected by the Arpa International Film Festival?
I am extremely honored that my movie is a part of the Festival. This is a huge opportunity for me to share the story of this movie, and allow the audience to become familiar with this story. Also, winning the festival is not my main interest. I am happy with the fact that there are going to be a lot of Armenians who will come to watch the movie and support it. My main goal is for the audience to be touched by the movie and that they understand its message — this will be my conquest.
Written by Sharon Swainson
Communications & Content Development
2015 Arpa International Film Festival