Distinguished Films and Winners 2012

Opening Night Film 2012

Lost & Found in Armenia (2012) is the story of Bill (Jamie Kennedy), an American tourist who travels to Turkey to get his mind off a bad break up. In a comedic and dangerous turn of events, Bill unknowingly ends up in a small village in Armenia, where he is accused of being a Turkish spy. It is in that small village that he meets a beautiful Armenian girl (Angela Sarafyan), who helps him escape from misfortune.

Centerpiece Program 2012

What fuels an Awakening World (2012) that’s what filmmaker Sebastian Siegel sets out to uncover through interviews with renowned authors, and globally recognized artists and leaders. This 1st installment of the 7 year documentary project, LOVE SEX GOD, explores fundamental questions at the core of human fulfillment, such as “what is love?” and “what is the purpose of life?”. Influences on the filmmaker from growing up in Hawaii to immersion in the arts and Indian mythology drive the exploration. Scored discussions are woven into a dialogue culminating in the advocation of a specific methodology as an essential means necessary to perpetuate widespread human joy…and in the payoff the film drives compassion, and inspires. Zenne Dancer (2011) is the contemporary story of three unlikely friends: Ahmet, a masculine gay man, Can, a male belly dancer (Zenne), and Daniel, a German photo-journalist, who are confronted by a systemic, institutionalized and culturally embedded homophobia that leads to tragedy.

Closing Night Gala 2012

If Only Everyone (2012) is Armenia’s Official Submission to the Foreign Language Category at the 85th Academy Awards®. This story perhaps touches on the most sensitive string for our nation today, Artsakh. Why did people die, what was the war about, what motivated the heroic deeds? Some have found the answers, others are still searching. But these questions eclipse real lives of real people, whom we often think about the least, unfortunately. Whereas they are living right next to us and maybe are asking the same questions…Our protagonist Gurgen is a common guy, an electronics wiz in a body shop, ostensibly enjoying everybody’s respect and, perhaps, awe. His gloomy appearance may be the reason, or is it his combat merit in the battle for Artsakh? A young Russian girl calls on him, the daughter of his fallen brother in arms.

Arpa Festival Nominees 2012

  • BEST FEATURE FILM nominees: AZAD (France, Armenia), UPSIDE DOWN (India), WANDERING (Armenia), ZENNE DANCER (Turkey).
  • BEST DIRECTOR nominees: Nicolas Tackian (Azad), Ajay Singh (Upside Down), Arshaluys Harutyunyan (Wandering), Caner Alper (Zenne Dancer).
  • BEST SCREENPLAY nominees: Nicolas Tackian (Azad), Ajay Singh (Upside Down), Aram Sukiasyan (Wandering), Caner Alper & Mehmet Binay (Zenne Dancer).
  • BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM nominees: ARMENIAN RHAPSODY (Brazil), AWAKENING WORLD (USA), DONKEYMENTARY (Kenya, Armenia), TONI & ROSI (USA, UK, Austria).
  • BEST SHORT FILM nominees: JUST LIKE HER (USA), MIDNIGHT FISTFIGHT (USA), PAYING FOR IT (USA), PRIVATE SUN (Palestinian Territories), THE EPIPHANY (USA).

Arpa Festival Winners 2012

  • BEST FEATURE Award 2012 to Nicolas Tackian for his French drama AZAD (2009).
  • BEST DIRECTOR Award 2012 to Caner Alper and Mehmet Binay for the Turkish film ZENNE DANCER (2011).
  • BEST SCREENPLAY Award 2012 to Arshaluys Harutyunyan for the Armenian drama WANDERING (2011).
  • BEST DOCUMENTARY Award 2012 to Yara Lee for THE SUFFERING GRASSES: WHEN ELEPHANTS FIGHT, IT IS THE GRASS THAT SUFFERS (2012).
  • BEST SHORT FILM Award 2012 to Eddie Deleon Melikyan for JUST LIKE HER (2011).

Special Arpa Festival Awards 2012

  • ARMIN T. WEGNER HUMANITARIAN AWARD 2012 – Lusine Sahakyan for Hamshen at Crossroads of Past and Present (Armenia, Turkey)
  • ARPA CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2012 – Frances Fisher
  • ARPA BREAKTHROUGH ACTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD 2012 – Hrach Titizian
  • ARPA ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD 2012 – Michael Poghosian
  • ARPA AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN INTERNATIONAL CINEMA 2012 – Lost & Found In Armenia
  • AFFMA FOUNDATION AWARD 2012 – USC Shoah Foundation

Arpa Festival Participants 2012

Feature Films 2012

  • AS A BEGINNING (2006) Country: Armenia Director: Art Sevada Writer: Art Sevada Producer: Art Sevada
  • AZAD (2009) Country: France, Armenia Director: Nicolas Tackian Writer: Nicolas Tackian Producer: David Kodsi
  • CONFINE (2012) Country: United Kingdom Director: Tobias Tobbell Writer: Tobias Tobbell Producer: Emily Corcoran
  • CROSSROAD (2012) Country: USA Director: Shervin Youssefian Writer: Shervin Youssefian Producers: Shervin Youssefian, Danny Simonzad, David Dginguerian, Amy Weber
  • DISAPPEARING BAKERSFIELD (2012) Country: USA Director, Writer, Producer: Sophiah Koikas
  • UPSIDE DOWN (2012) Country: India Director: Ajay Singh Writer: Ajay Singh Producer: Junaid Memon
  • WANDERING (2011) Country: Armenia Director: Arshaluys Harutyunyan Writer: Aram Sukiasyan Producer: Aram Sukiasyan

Documentary Films 2012

  • AMERICAN IMAM (2012) Country: USA Director: Donya Ravasani Producer: Donya Ravasani
  • ARAGIL, THE WHITE STORK (2010) Country: Armenia Director, Writer, Producer: Shirak Khojayan
  • ARMENIAN ACTIVISTS NOW! BIRTH OF A MOVEMENT (2012) Country: USA, Armenia Director, Producer: Robert Davidian
  • ARMENIAN ECHOES (2012) Country: Canada, Armenia Director, Producer: Hagop Goudsouzian
  • ARMENIAN MINSTRELS (2011) Country: Canada, Armenia Director: Hagop Goudsouzian Producer: Hagop Goudsouzian
  • ARMENIAN RHAPSODY (2012) Country: Brazil Director: Cassiana Der Haroutiounian, Cesar Gananian, Gary Gananian Writer: Cassiana
  • BORN IN GOMA (2012) Country: USA, Congo Director, Producer: Chris Carpenter
  • DONKEYMENTARY (2012) Country: Kenya, Armenia Director: Arman Yeritsyan, Vardan Hovhannisyan Producer: Vardan Hovhannisyan
  • FATHER’S LAND (2012) Country: Armenia Director: Anzhela Frangyan & Marianna Abrahamyan Writer: Anzhela Frangyan & David Sargsyan Producer: Tiran Hayrapetyan
  • GENOCIDE MEMOIR (2012) Country: Australia Director: Shahane Bekarian Producer: Shahane Bekarian
  • HAMSHEN AT CROSSROADS OF PAST AND PRESENT (2012) Country: Armenia, Turkey Director: Lusine Sahakyan Producer: Lusine Sahakyan
  • HUMBLE THE POET (2011) Country: USA, Canada Director: Brendan Nahmias Producer: Brendan Nahmias
  • MEMORIES WITHOUT BORDERS (2012) Country: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey Director: Mehmet Binay, Levon Kalantar, Ayaz Salayev Producer: M. Caner Alper, Harutyun Mansuryan, Nailia Babayeva
  • MY MOTHER’S VOICE (2012) Country: USA Director: Mark Friedman Writer: Kay Mouradian Producer: Mark Friedman, Kay Mouradian
  • RETURN TO ASBURY (2012) Country: USA Director, Writer: David Norian Producer: Dot Gain Films
  • SO FAR FROM HOME (2009) Country: Canada Director, Writer, Producer: Lorne Shirinian
  • THE SUFFERING GRASSES: WHEN ELEPHANTS FIGHT, IT IS THE GRASS THAT SUFFERS (2012) Country: USA, Syria, Arab Republic, Turkey Director, Producer: Iara Lee
  • TONI AND ROSI (2012) Country: USA, UK, Austria Director: Todd Murray, Will Wyatt Producer: Todd Murray, Will Wyatt
  • TUMOR, IT’S IN THE SYSTEM (2012) Country: USA, Australia, Canada Directors, Producers: Valerie McCaffrey, Cindy Pruitt
  • VIOLINS IN WARTIME (2011) Country: Israel Director, Writer: Yael Katzir Producers: Yael Katzir, Dan Katzir
  • VOYAGE TO AMASIA (2011) Country: USA, Armenia, Turkey Director: Randy Bell Producers: Randy Bell, Eric Hachikian
  • WOMEN AT WAR: FORGOTTEN VETERANS OF DESERT STORM (2012) Country: USA Director, Writer: Christie Davis Producers: Christie Davis, Dennis Davis

Short Films 2012

  • 140 DRAMS (2012) Country: Armenia Director, Writer: Oksana Mirzoyan Producer: Emily Mkrtichian, Anahid Yahjian
  • 4 MINUTES (2011) Country: USA Director, Writer: Stephen Sepher Producer: Stephen Sepher
  • AFTER WATER THERE IS SAND (2012) Country: USA, Armenia Director, Writer: Saro Varjabedian Producer: Mira El Koussa
  • BARBARIANS INSIDE THE GATES (2012) Country: USA Director: Frederikos Writer, Producer: Nick Mann
  • THE EPIPHANY (2012) Country: USA Director, Writer: Ella Hatamian
  • HIGH CARD TRUMPS (2012) Country: USA Director: Geoffrey Quan Writer: Stacey Parshall Jensen Producer: Frances Chang
  • HOLLYWOOD & HAMMER (2012) Country: USA Director: Ryan Green Writer: Ryan Green, Nathaniel Eyde Producer: Nathaniel Eyde
  • HYEPOWER (2011) Country: USA Director: James Jay Ellis
  • JOLLY B. FIERCE (2012) Country: USA Director, Writer: Allison Arachea Producer: Angelica Robinson
  • JUST LIKE HER (2011) Country: USA Director, Writer: Eddie Melikyan Producer: Avi Quijada
  • LATER THAN USUAL (2012) Country: Canada Director, Writer, Producer: David Hovan
  • MACHINEHEAD (2012) Country: USA Director, Writer, Producer: Micah Gallagher
  • MAKE IT A GREAT DAY (2012) Country: USA Director: Joshua Jones Writer: Daniel Klein Producer: Joshua Jones, Daniel Klein
  • METZARENTS (2012) Country: USA Director, Writer: Hayk Hambartsum Producer: Shahe Barsoumian
  • MIDNIGHT FISTFIGHT (2012) Country: USA Director, Writer, Producer: Robert Nazar Arjoyan
  • MOSSADEGH (2011) Country: USA Director: Roozbeh Dadvand Writer: Roozbeh Dadvand, Nathaniel C. Leonard Producer: Amber Beard, Marina Davis, Grace K. Lee
  • MOVING STORIES (2012) Country: France, USA Director, Writer, Producer: Nora Armani
  • PARALLAX (2012) Country: USA Director, Writer: Paul DeNigris Producer: Paul DeNigris, Steve Briscoe, Laura DeNigris
  • PAYING FOR IT (2011) Country: USA Director, Writer: Lauren Lillie Producer: Narineh Hacopian
  • PRIVATE SUN (2011) Country: Palestinian Territories Director, Writer: Rami Alayan Producer: Rami Alayan, Muayad Alayan
  • QUITTER (2012) Country: USA Director, Writer: Garen Mirzaian Producer: Tomohisa Imagawa
  • SECRET OF LIGHT (2012) Country: USA Director, Writer: Vahram Hakobyan Producer: Vahram Hakobyan, Autumn Fawn
  • THREE COLORS IN BLACK AND WHITE (2008) Country: Armenia Director: Art Sevada Writer: Harutyun Kbeyan Producer: Armen Hambardzumyan
  • TOUJOURS (2011) Country: USA Director, Writer: Sona Tatoyan Producer: Ted Feldman, Andrei Bowden-Schwartz, Sona Tatoyan
  • VAI, KIKOS, VAI… (2009) Country: Armenia Director, Writer, Producer: Aviva Barkhoudarian
  • VENA AMORIS (2012) Country: USA Director, Writer: Armando Hermosilla Producer: Sergio Arroyo, Akbar Farooq
  • VENUS VS. MARS (2011) Country: USA Director, Writer: Talin Malekian Producer: Talin Malekian, Nansia Movidi, Jeffrey DeChausse
  • VUCCIRIA (2011) Country: Italy Director, Writer: Michele Di Salle Producer: Massimo Sigillo Massara