InternationalOlympia Dukakis discusses "Hove (The Wind)," which is premiering in Palm Springs
The unresolved legacy of the Genocide is the theme of writer and director Alex Webb’s film
Published: Friday June 26, 2009
Olympia Dukakis and Shirleyann Kaladjian in Hove (The Wind)..
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The short film Hove (The Wind), featuring Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis and Armenian-American actress Shirleyann Kaladjian screens today at the prestigious Palm Springs Short Film Festival.
The film is about two Armenian women who are struggling with their past and must come to terms with the unresolved legacy of the Armenian Genocide (See Armenian Reporter, June 20, 2009.)
The Armenian Reporter's Maria Titizian spoke with Alex Webb, who wrote and directed the film, and with Dukakis and Kaladjian about their role and involvement in the making of Hove.
Olympia Dukakis
Armenian Reporter: How did you come to be involved in this project?
Olympia Dukakis: I worked with Alex Webb on a production of Agamemnon in New York City.
AR: Did you know about the Armenian Genocide prior to your involvement with this film?
OD: We talked about genocide. My father was an Anatolian Greek who barely escaped the Turkish genocide with his family.
AR: How important do you feel it is to have a film that discusses this issue?
OD: Very important, especially in light of our country's refusal to acknowledge genocide and Turkish efforts to deny and lie about the millions of Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians, and Jews who were butchered, tortured, raped, and starved.
Alex Webb
Armenian Reporter: You are an actor, writer, and director. Can you please tell us about your provenance?
Alex Webb: My directing career probably started when I was a child and discovered that the local library had old 8 mm films of Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy. I got a used projector for my birthday and started showing these brilliant silent films to my parents and friends.
AR: How did you come to write and direct a movie about the Armenian Genocide?
AW: My wife Shirleyann Kaladjian is Armenian. I have now been in the Armenian community for some years and consider myself "ABC" - Armenian By Choice. From the start I was made to feel very welcome in the community and admired the music, culture, traditions, and of course the food! Now I am the father of our four-year-old Andranik (yes, the Eastern Armenian spelling) and so issues like the unresolved legacy of the Genocide have become my issues, my work.
AR: You also star in the movie as Julian. Can you please expand on his character and role in the film?
AW: Julian is really a minor character in this drama but he does play an important part. He tells the story of the outsider, who either fears this history, is unaware or doesn't care. The audience will decide.
I am excited to share this story with both Armenian and odar audiences. I think it brings something for both. It is a mystery and does a good job of pulling in the audience who might know nothing about this history and for the Armenian audience I hope it will resonate as an interesting look at how a crime almost a hundred years old can still affect lives every day.
Shirleyann Kaladjian
Armenian Reporter: How important was it for you to star in a film about the Armenian Genocide?
Shirleyann Kaladjian: It was important for me to be able to tell this particular story because there are so many parallels between myself and the character I play in the movie. I want to be able to tell the world that the legacy of the Genocide affects me today, as a second-generation Armenian-American. I feel that I carry the grief of my grandparents. When I was young, they never talked about how they survived or what they witnessed, and I have spent my life wondering what happened. I feel that by being a part of this film, I am honoring my grandparents in the only way I know how - as an actress.
AR: Please describe the significance of starring in a movie about your people's past written and directed by your husband, who is not Armenian, but is "Armenian by Choice."
SK: I'm blessed that my husband has so fully embraced my culture, to the point where it really is our culture. Alex is a talented writer/director who is non-Armenian, but just as passionate about our culture and history as any full-blooded Armenian. He brings his own unique perspective and voice to our story.
AR: Do you believe that the Armenian people will ever find what it is that they're looking for - justice, reconciliation with the past?
SK: I don't think that every single Armenian is looking for the same thing. Some want justice, some want acknowledgment, and some just want to move on. Personally, I feel that getting the word out through art can have a huge impact in how the world sees us and our history. That's why I think this film is so important.
AR: Have you ever visited Armenia? If yes, what were your impressions?
SK: We were in Armenia almost four years ago. It was so beautiful. I loved it, and I can't wait to go back.
