The 2015 programming selections for screening at the annual Arpa International Film Festival on November 13–15 is a stimulating collection of independent cinema created by a passionate and intrepid group of established and up and coming filmmakers. Celebrating the festival’s 18th year, Arpa has a 2015 competition slate of 45 films from 22 countries all showcased at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
“We are proud to recognize the diverse tapestry of international cinema and showcase a selection of films that fit our mission of cultivating cultural understanding and global empathy,” said Sylvia Minassian, festival founder. “We are celebrating our festival’s 18th year, a dynamic forum for international cinema, and I think this year’s festival is our most varied and interesting program yet.”
Opening the festival is Lost Birds, a social drama about the Armenian Genocide by Turkish and Armenian directors respectively, Ela Alyamac and Aren Perdeci. The story is set in 1915 in an Armenian village when two children, left behind during the exile, take their beloved bird and embark on a journey in search for their mother. Lost Birds will compete in the feature film category with five dramas and one animation. Two of the category’s dramas explore emotional constructs from a fearless young man’s refusal to atone for a past wrongdoing in Don’t Tell Me The Boy Was Mad, to the film Off where a medical student’s promising future clashes with his illegal street-racing habit.
Festival director, Michael Ashjian shared his enthusiasm, “Yet again, the Arpa Programming team has done an incredible job selecting the best films from all over the world for the festival’s 18th year. We’re proud to announce several United States and Los Angeles premieres to the festival program.” He continued, “We strive to provide the best forum for filmmakers to showcase their work and be recognized for their efforts.”
Competition Awards
An international panel of judges will select award winners in five categories: Best Feature Film, Best Screenwriter, Best Director, Best Documentary Film, and Best Short Film. All screenings will take place in the Egyptian’s historic Lloyd Rigler Theatre and Steven Spielberg Theatre. It is easy to solve your curiosity about Arpa’s 18th annual competition jury and get the latest 2015 Arpa Film Festival updates by frequently checking out our website.
During the awards night on November 15, special recognition will be given to recipients for lifetime achievement, career achievement, and humanitarian efforts. Keep an eye out for our announcement of these recipients in October.
2015 Programming Selections
Arpa’s 18th annual International Film festival presents the screenings of seven narrative feature films, 11 documentaries, and 27 short films — a cross-cultural program of films delving into myriad of social and cultural experiences.
FEATURE FILM COMPETITION
I Want to Be A King (2014) | Iran | Director: Mehdi Ganji | Writer: Mehdi Ganji | Language: Persian
Lost Birds (2015) | Turkey | Director: Ela Alyamac, Aren Perdeci | Writers: Ela Alyamac, Aren Perdeci | Language: Turkish, Armenian
Off (2015) | Serbia | Director: Predrag Stojic | Writer: Marko Krstic | Language: Serbian
Our Village (2013) | Armenia | Director: Yelena Arshakyan | Writer: Hovhannes Yeranyan | Language: Armenian
Three Windows and a Hanging (2014) | Kosovo | Director: Isa Qosja | Writer: Zymber Kelmendi | Language: Albanian
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Aliyah Dada (2015) | Romania | Director: Oana Giurgiu | Language: English
Armenia Sings on in Our Hearts (2015) | Brazil | Director: Isabella Bablumian | Writer: Isabella Bablumian | Language: English
Armenopolis, Armenian Soul (2015) | Romania | Director: Florin Kevorkian and Isabella Bostan | Writer: Florin Kevorkian | Language: Rumanian
Daylight After a Century (2015) | United Kingdom | Director: Hollie Harrington | Language: English
Goodbye Theresienstadt (2015) | Denmark, Czech Republic | Director: Carl Otta Dethlefsen | Language: Danish
Lee Scratch Perry’s Vision of Paradise (2015) | Germany | Director: Volker Schaner | Writer: Volker Schaner | Language: English
My Life in China (2014) | U.S.A. | Director: Kenneth Eng | Writer: Ehren Parks | Language: Chinese
N64Q: Born Free (2015) | U.S.A., Japan | Director: Sasha Gransjean | Writer: Sasha Gransjean | Language: English
Paul the Birdman (2015) | U.S.A. | Director: Taniel Kilajian | Writer: Taniel Kilajian | Language: English
Superjednostka (2014) | Poland | Director: Teresa Czepiec | Writer: Teresa Czepiec | Language: Polish
Tell Spring Not to Come This Year (2015) | United Kingdom | Director: Michael McEvoy, Saeed Taji Farouky | Language: Dari
SHORT FILM COMPETITION
Ablution | USA, Iran, Canada | Director: Parisa Barani | Writer: Amin El Gamal | Language: English
Bed Bugs and Company (2015) | U.S.A. | Director: Serena Dykman | Writer: Serena Dykman | Language: English
Bad Advice | U.S.A. | Director: Kegham Berajekelian | Writer: Aaron Fitzgerald, Scott Javore, Adam Lesar | Language: English
Caregivers (2014) | Armenia | Director: Viktorya Aleksanyan | Writer: Beniamin Gevorgyan | Language: Armenian
Family Dance | U.S.A | Director: Naré Mkrtchyan | Writer: Chris Commons | Language: Armenian
Gear | U.S.A. | Director: Kevin Adams and Joe Ksander | Writer: Kevin Adams and Joe Ksander | Language: English
Get Up (2012) | Australia | Director: Dan Balcaban | Writer: Dan Balcaban | Language: English
Greenland (2014) | Israel | Director: Oren Gerner | Writer: Oren Gerner | Language: Hebrew
Hazel & Louis: Animal Agents (2014) | U.S.A. | Director: Sy Ozcan, Marissa Madsen | Writer: Sy Ozcan, Marissa Madsen | Language: English
Hursit (2015) | Turkey | Director: Selcen Yilmazoglu | Writer: Selcen Yilmazoglu | Language: Turkish
In The Clouds (En Las Nubes) (2014) | Argentina | Director: Marcelo Mitnik | Writer: Marcelo Mitnik | Language: Spanish
Night of the Slasher (2015) | U.S.A | Director: Shant Hamassian | Writer: Shant Hamassian | Language: English
Sabre Dance (2015) / U.S.A | Director: Ilya Rozhkov | Writer: Ilya Rozhkov | Language: English
Seagulls (2014) / United Kingdom | Director: Martin Smith | Writer: Martin Smith | Language: English
Shattered (2015) | Canada | Director: David Hovan | Writer: David Hovan | Language: English
Straw Dolls (2015) | U.S.A. | Director: Jon Milano | Writer: Jon Milano | Language: Armenian
Tamara, Echelon (2014) | Romania | Director: Kristina Cepraga Goodwin | Writer: Kristina Cepraga Goodwin | Language: Romanian
Test (2015) | U.S.A. | Director: Jay Lifton | Writer: Jay Lifton, Catherine Ho | Language: English
The Jungle (2015) | Turkey | Director: Onur Saylak, Dogu Akal | Writer: Onur Saylak, Dogu Akal | Language: Arabic
The Loss (2015) | Israel | Director: Dekel Nitzan | Writer: Dekel Nitzan | Language: Hebrew
The Loyalist (2015) | South Korea, USA | Director: Minji Kang | Writer: Willem Lee | Language: Korean
The Sandwich Island Man (2015) | France | Director: Levon Minasian | Writer: Levon Minasian, Ester Mann | Language: French
The Story of Snow (2015) | South Korea | Director: Younsik Kim | Writer: Younsik Kim | Language: Korean
Up The Valley and Beyond (2013) / U.S.A. | Director: Todd Rosken | Writer: Todd Rosken, Bobby D. Lux | Language: English
Welcome (2014) | Ecuador | Director: Javier Fesser | Writer: Javier Fesser | Language: Spanish
Welcome (2015) | U.S.A. | Director: Serena Dykman | Writer: Serena Dykman | Language: English
While They Were Flying to the Moon (2015) | Serbia | Director: Borisa Simovic | Writer: Borisa Simovic | Language: Serbian
Written by Sharon Swainson
Communications & Content Development
2015 Arpa International Film Festival