New film to be released locally

Ryan Carter

A new film produced by three local Armenian filmmakers about

rediscovering a homeland, its culture and love, will soon be on the

big screen in Glendale.

“The Journey” opens Friday at the Glendale Cinemas, 501 N. Orange

Street.

The story is set in 1991 and is about Eve, a photojournalist who

is sent from New York to her native Armenia, where political changes

are rapidly occurring and the country is moving toward independence.

In the process of covering the events for her magazine, Eve comes

to terms with the loss of a childhood friend who had been killed.

The film was made by Edwin Avaness, of Burbank, and Emy Hovanesyan

and Angela Zograyan, both of Glendale.

“Glendale has one of the biggest Armenian communities outside of

Armenia, and we are excited because this is an opportunity for not

only Armenians but local people to learn a little more about who

Armenians are,” Producer Edwin Avaness said. “It can also promote

better communications within the community.”

The film, which cost less than $1 million to make, was shot with a

digital camera in Armenia and in Los Angeles. The project was started

after the three met in January 2001.

Though it begins in New York, with English dialogue, it gradually

transitions into Armenian, with English subtitles, Avaness said.

“All English would have given an unreal look to the film,” he

said.

The filmmakers were conscious of not creating a piece that was

heavy on pontification.

“We didn’t want to create a film that had a message of ‘this is

how it should be,’ ” Avaness said. “We just have created film that

has a lot of information, education and entertainment. We want the

audience to get whatever they want to out of the film, to question

it, to talk about it and analyze it.”

Avaness said the film sold out in Italy during last year’s Milan

International Film Festival, where it won the festival’s Audience

Award. After a two-week run in Glendale, the film will be shown from

July 25 to July 31 at the Laemmle Playhouse at 673 E. Colorado Blvd.,

Pasadena.