June 21, 2010
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Chicago Hosts Debut Screening of "Voyage to Amasia"

  • "Voyage to Amasia"'s violinist Andie Springer, cellist Alisa
    "Voyage to Amasia"'s violinist Andie Springer, cellist Alisa Horn, composer Eric Hachikian, pianist Meg Zervoulis, filmmaker Randy Bell, and film editor Emily O'Brien following the preview of the new documentary and a concert performance.

Composer Eric Hachikian retraced his grandmother's lost Armenian life

Inspired by a beloved grandmother who gave him a lifetime passion for music that became his career, composer Eric Hachikian imagined a journey back to the land of her birth as a tribute to her when she died, and wrote a song to honor it. On May 2, a full house at the AGBU Chicago Norehad Center took that journey with him, as Hachikian and award-winning filmmaker Randy Bell presented a sneak preview of their new feature-length documentary, "Voyage to Amasia," and a performance of the music that inspired the documentary.

The presentation was the premiere event of the chapter's debut Kooyumjian Chicago Armenian Humanities Festival, a year-long celebration of Armenian culture sponsored by Thomas Kooyumjian Foundation of Chicago. A grant from the foundation helped the filmmakers reach their final rough cut, and they are in the process of seeking final funding.

Beginning the program, violinist Andie Springer, cellist Alisa Horn and pianist Meg Zervoulis gave a stirring performance of Hachikian's composition. A special exhibit of Hachikian's travel photographs showed the crumbled remains of old missionary buildings and churches boarded up or now used as mosques in his grandmother's childhood hometown.

The filmmakers spent 23 days traveling throughout Turkey and Armenia, visiting Amasia and following Hachikian's family's route of exile to Malatia and Istanbul. While telling the story of Hachikian's grandmother, the film examines perspectives on the dark past of the Ottoman Empire among present-day Turks and Armenians and explores how the Armenian Genocide affects Turkey, Armenia, and the diaspora today. The filmmakers hope to be able to showcase their work in both Armenia and Turkey.

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