Arpa International Film Festival is very excited that this year’s official selection of films includes films from over 20 countries including Venezuela, Turkey, Brazil , France , Peru , Canada , Malawi , Spain, China , India, Armenia, Iran and many more.
On Friday, October 23, the festival kicks off with the long anticipated North American premiere of Haik Gazarian’s “VENEZZIA.” Red carpet premier begins at 6:30 p.m., and the film at 8:00 p.m. with a reception to follow.
Other highlights include “Anjar: Flowers, Goats and Heroes,” a film about the history of the people of Musa Dagh by Canadian-Armenian filmmaker Noura Kevorkian; “Autumn of the Magician,” an homage to legendary Italian screenwriter Tonino Guerra and Armenia’s official selection in the Best Foreign Language Film category for the 2010 Academy Awards; “Komitas Hairig,” which tells the story of the beloved Komitas Vardapet; “Husher,” a film which documents the testimony of Armenian Genocide survivors who settled in Italy; Turkish filmmakers Mehmet Binay & M.Caner Alper’s documentary “Whispering Memories,” tells the story of a community of Armenians in Turkey who stayed behind during the Genocide and silently converted to Islam; the Olympia Dukakis vehicle “Hove ,” a film about the powerful, unresolved legacy of Genocide, directed by Alex Webb; actor-writer-director Shant Hamassian’s “Spaceman on Earth,” which debuted at this year’s Cannes Film Festival; Turkish filmmaker Ozcan Alper’s acclaimed “Sonbahar” (“Autumn”), the first feature length film ever to be shot in Homshetsma; Chasing Tchaikovsky,” a laugh-out-loud comedy about marriage and moviemaking directed by Greg Lalazarian. Other films feature the work of such acclaimed figures as Sting, Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons (“Power of the Powerless”) and “24” star Kiefer Sutherland (“Return to Mexico City”) which also includes interviews with President Barack Obama and Tom Brokaw.
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