The 63rd Cannes Film Festival – Guest Blogger Harry Simitian

May 29, 2010 By 3 Comments
Note from Gino:
Harry is an extremely talented photographer and excellent writer who featured in a film that was launched the the 63rd Cannes Film Festival. Here’s what he had to say.
Also, you can find and follow Harry at his photography blog and at his personal blog

As most of you don’t know, I acted in a film that got into the 63rd Cannes Film Festival, La Selection Cinéfondation. I decided to make this post to clarify a few things all of you want to know about.

About the Film…

The film is called “Fifth Column” or “Hinkerort Zorasune” in Armenian. It’s a short 29min film by Vatche Boulghourjian (my uncle). The film takes place in Bourjdhammoud. The synopsis according to Vatche and as on the Festival’s Website is:

“A chronicle of desperation and mourning in the economically and culturally marginalized Armenian quarter of Beirut through a weave of allegorical narratives. In a panic, Hrag has stolen his father’s gun and fled home. As father searches for son, both discover paths to personal freedom in a city that offers no escape.”

I acted as Hrag, one of the main characters in the film. Although the synopsis makes it sound like a gloomy movie (and it is), the ending is happy and leaves you in a good mood, something found less often in films these days.

About the Festival…

Even though it may seem like a kilometer long on TV, the red carpet isn’t that long in real life. See it in the picture below? That’s the top view of it while workers are preparing it.

The festival is a big thing now, but you can’t say that it was self built. The French government has played a big role in making it big over the years, which emphasizes how much a big difference a good government makes. Inside the Palais de Festival, there’s an area specifically for the press called the Wifi Cafe where you can find hundreds of laptops, cameras, and news reporters. The photo below is of the Wifi Cafe from inside.
How the System Works…

Anyone can walk the red carpet, if they have a ticket. This is how it works, there are around six theaters scattered near or inside the Palais de Festival, they start screening films at around 8:30am and end around 10:30pm. Each film has a requirement such as a badge orinvitation. You can obtain a badge if you are part of the crew of a film in the official selection, if you are part of the press (journalist, photographer… etc.) that has been sent by the news agency you work for, or if you pay £700 and buy accreditation which includes a badge. Invitations can be obtained by asking offices that give invitations if they have any (they usually give the tickets to anyone who asks for them a few hours before the movie if they have any) or by standing outside the Palais de Festival and holding up an “Invitation Please” sign for hours. The only theater that always requires an invitation is “The Grand Theatre Lumiere”, the one that you have to walk the red carpet to get to. All the other theaters require a badge for entrance. The Cinema a la Plage is access libre, in other words, its for all the rest. Although, Cinema a la Plage is a pretty good idea, it’s a giant screen over the water that only screens movies at night so that it seems like it’s just the image floating over the water. Pretty good for free access.
About the Cinéfondation…
Gilles Jacob, the president of the Cannes Film Festival, began the Cinéfondation as an attempt to bring new film makers into the light since he realized all the good directors were either retiring or dying. A good idea to start the program, it’s what got Fifth Column into the festival.
The Jury
The Directors
About Cannes…

Cannes is an old French city on the seaside in the South of France. It has a climate similar to that of Lebanon. ALL of it’s people are influenced by the film festival. We walked into church one day and were surprised to see a priest praying for cinema. It went something like “…let the screens of cinema spread hope to the world…”.
About the Pavilions…
There were pavilions from almost every country in the world, including Lebanon. Each pavilion had posters of the films made by their citizens that were either being sold in the market or were in the official selection. Most of the pavilions were organized and paid for by their country’s cultural ministry but the Lebanese pavilion was organized and funded entirely of private sources, unfortunately. Anyone who wanted to enter the american pavilion had to pay £80, rip off.
Some Useful Links…

Vatche’s Website - Rebus Film Production

The Cannes Film Festival’s Website - Festival de Cannes

My photography blog - Photography at Work

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NDU Relocating to Dbayeh Seaside

April 18, 2010 By 9 Comments

Because there are so many places I could possibly be at, and so many things I can blog about, I appreciate contributions from blog readers about topics I’m sure you’ll all enjoy and find interesting.

To save face and be able to be as frank as possible, this guest blogger shall remain anonymous and will go by the initials PL

Here it goes:

There are moments in life where you just have to stop, look around you, and pinch yourself to make sure you’re not dreaming. Moments where you have to throw a sideways glance at Fate, Life, Irony, whatever the damn lady’s name is, and ask her: “Are you serious?”

Don’t know what I’m talking about? Really? Ok let’s clarify. I’m talking about one-man-shows and arguilas… on campus in private universities. I’m talking about students casually carrying their arguilas to Exam Halls and asking professors to keep them going while they do their tests. And… I’m talking about professors and administrators who smile it off and act like it’s ok.

AUB has a strict non-smoking policy on campus, with out-of-the-way areas clearly specified for smokers who really need to get a puff out in between classes. NDU, on the other hand, has a different kind of policy: smoking is not tolerated… unless you’re smoking something worthwhile. Cigarettes are outdated and no longer considered cool. Now it’s either arguila or basta. Yeah, we’re really cool. On Friday April 16th approximately one hundred arguilas were sold on campus during the lunch break while a one-man-show belted out music in the background. Why they were there, who brought them there, and what kind of administration allowed them in does not interest me. What does is the idea that this is supposed to be normal. Seriously?

So I’m guessing Monday morning there will be free “tirmos” distribution with every arguila bought, and NDU main campus will have closed its doors to relocate in a more appropriate location on the Marina sea side road in Dbayeh. For all you cool people who think puffing smoke around all day in your local cafeteria is great, please take note of this change in address. As for us, The Uncool, we’re going to go to university and get a life on Monday morning.
Thanks Gino.
P.L.

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Greener on the Other Side? By Guest Blogger Lori Kharpoutlian

February 27, 2010 By 14 Comments

Every now and then, when the material is good enough =P we’ll be having a guest blogger. This first entry is from my dearest Lori Kharpoutlian.

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A while ago, I read the story of a young Afghani teen who flees his homeland ravaged by war seeking a new and better way of life in the States. Once there, his father, a respected aristocrat, starts working as a gas station assistant, and they both move into a dilapidated apartment in the heart of Fremont, California. Despite the conditions they now live in, both father and son are satisfied with their Sunday afternoons at the flea market and the former’s long working hours, considering the States as a place to be free and start over. Let me ask you this: Which sane person would give up his luxury mansion and high social class to work as a gas station assistant? Maybe this father-son’s case was different, but what baffles me is how everyone nowadays seems to aim for a life in the “land of opportunities”.

“My services don’t cover that”, “I can’t risk hurting my back”, and “I take $20 an hour” are some answers you would get when hiring a housekeeper. Doesn’t this sound absurd when all you have to do here is pay Wadi3a 5000LBP to turn the house spotless in a couple of hours? Another thing is the late-night snacks and DVD’s us Lebanese enjoy so much. Here, you would call up a friend, invite him over, fetch a DVD from the closest shop renting out bootleg DVD’s for less than $2, and get some beers and chips from Abou Sako, the man who’s wiling to pile up your tab for a year without asking you to pay him back. How long would that process take? 10-20 minutes? That’s the time you’d need to reach the nearest 7-Eleven where you’d have to show some ID and be faced with the fact that you’re still not 21 and end up getting root beer instead. Let’s not forget the numerous speeding tickets you’d get when you realize your friend’s on his way and you take the wrong exit on the freeway. Plus, I think everyone knows that the chances of getting an illegal DVD in the US are close to…let’s say NILL.

Another misconception Lebanese people have is that education in the States is the best you’ll ever get. I, personally, had set my mind on getting into Brown or Harvard. Ivy League universities seemed to be the crème de la crème, and I thought having them on my résumé in the future would serve as one of those FASTPASS tickets you get at Disneyland. Then, I was told that (and when I say this, I am stating facts) AUB is acknowledged as better than 98% of American institutions for higher education.

I’m not going to bore you with anymore pro-Lebanon arguments, and I ask you not to view me as one of those “Lebanon’s youth should stay in their homeland and support its economy” people. But the thing is, I am American too and I know what lifestyle my relative have there; trust me, the grass is not always greener on the other side.

Think about that the next time you whine about getting disconnected everyday at 6 PM and curse the EDL.

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