A film that begins with the Armenian Genocide and follows the punishing jail-time of an innocent man might sound bleak but Amerikatsi has surprised audiences with its charm, comedy and message of hope.
It has also beaten the odds to make the Oscars’ 2024 international feature film shortlist, marking the first time Armenia has ever advanced this far in the race.
“This is an opportunity to introduce Armenia to the world cinema stage and show what is possible there,” says Michael Goorjian, the US actor and filmmaker of Armenian decent who wrote, directed, produced, co-edited and stars in Amerikatsi.
“For Armenia to get a nomination would be life changing for the country,” says Serj Tankian, an executive producer on the film who is best known as the Grammy-winning frontman of System of a Down. “For Armenia to have this cultural win would be incredible and throw open the doors,” adds the musician, who is also of Armenian descent and a political activist.
The story follows Charlie, an Armenian-American who, after getting arrested in a Chaplin-esque scene upon his return to Armenia in 1948, becomes fascinated with a couple he can see from his prison cell.
Goorjian was inspired the write the script in 2018 following a velvet revolution in Armenia, which opposed the country’s post-Soviet leaders and unseated prime minster Serzh Sargsyan.
“I’ve always had a drive to do something related to my Armenian heritage and I had been trying to find a project that would really help the country,” he recalled. “Watching this revolution and seeing so many young people from the diaspora going back to Armenia was so inspiring.
“Many of the films made about Armenians can be hard to watch and very depressing but we’ve been through a lot and survived. I wanted a film that Armenians could be proud of and also enjoy watching. The tone of the film came from not just wanting to wallow in heaviness.”
Tankian has been on board since reading the first draft of the script, after being introduced to Goorjian by US filmmaker Garin Hovannisian, the director of documentary Truth To Power that explored the heavy metal musician’s influence on political revolutionaries in Armenia.
“I thought the script was incredibly ambitious and adventurous and that if Michael could pull of 80% of what was in there, it would be a magnanimous film,” says Tankian from his studio in Los Angeles. “Usually, the scripts I see are better than the final film but here the result is something classic, unique and beautiful.”
Goorjian began shooting the film in March 2020 on location in Gyumri, in northern Armenia, while the prison exteriors were filmed in Ashtarak, just outside of the country’s capital city of Yerevan. Hayfilm Studios, a Soviet-era facility in Yerevan, was used for interiors.
The Covid pandemic and subsequent lockdown just 10 days into the shoot meant the schedule was extended from 26 filming days to 36, with principal photography wrapping in mid-July.
“The pandemic happened right at the beginning and we were on hold for months at a time,” recalls Goorjian. “There were a lot of challenges in getting this film made but not everybody has the chance to make something from their heart these days so I’m glad I did it – but it took a lot.”
The budget was compiled through US financiers and supported by the National Cinema Center of Armenia, which receives funds from the country’s ministry of culture. It is a People of Ar production in association with US outfit Palodeon Pictures, H&H Films and Armenia’s AnEva Productions. International sales are handled by UK-based Amadeus Entertainment and Variance Films has North American distribution rights.
The film premiered at the 2022 Woodstock Film Festival where it picked up best narrative feature and later won the audience award at Hamburg.
“The responses I’ve received after screenings is people telling me ‘I miss feeling like that after a movie, I miss films that that make me feel good’,” says the filmmaker of why the feature may have stuck a chord with the Academy and made it onto the 15-strong shortlist.
Tankian was among those to respond to the humour and hope of the film. “My favourite part is a comedic part of the film,” he says. “It’s an old man, who is Charlie’s friend in the yard, basically spewing off every Armenian historical cliche there is, in the funniest way. It is genius, comedic writing. This is the type of film that directors get known for, that establishes careers. It’s very special.”
Next up, Goorjian is working on a couple of separate projects but will “definitely” make another film in Amenia. “I’m working on something to do there, hopefully, towards the end of 2024,” he says. “It would be an English language film, but shot in Armenia because I want to be able to show what is possible in terms of shooting in Armenia as a location.
“The more people that see things like there’s a city called Yerevan, which is perhaps my favourite city in the world to live in… that helps the country on so many levels. As a filmmaker, it has the same feeling of shooting a film in the US in the 1990s. Thing are possible. The creativity is there.”
Nominations voting runs January 11-16 and nominations will be announced on January 23. The 96th Oscars will take place on March 10.
No comments yet