“Don’t leave your homes to thieves”
Yerevan's oldest cinema, "Nairi" Cinema, closed down a couple of days ago. In that regard, we talked to filmmaker Tigran Khzmalyan.
"A1+": Mr. Khzmalyan, why are they taking our past away from us?
Tigran Khzmalyan: They have been taking everything from us-the past and the presentfor the past 20 years and now they are taking our future and that is much more dangerous. "Nairi" Cinema, as many other things, was public property and that issue will be solved when the issue of property is solved. What belongs to the people must be returned.
"A1+": When?
T. K.: When the society that senses that they are taking the past and the future away from them will not put up with it anymore and will stay at the squares until all issues are solved. We are a state, the government belongs to the people and not Alexan Harutyunyan, or Grigor Amalyan, who also orchestrated the shutdown of "A1+".
"A1+": Which is the solution? It seems as though the society has been resisting for years.
T. K.: I could say revolution is the only solution. But recently, I have come to realize that we don't want a revolution, but the opposite. We want to see the country where "Nairi" Cinema was ours, where we listened to Komitas and not Tata or Armenchik, where people lived like human beings and the government was truly a government. The revolution came at a time when our values were changed and there are still attempts to change them today.
"A1+": Perhaps the reason why "Nairi" Cinema's business became non-profitable due to the fact that people are becoming astray from culture, as correspondents say.
T. K.: The people can't become astray from culture because they are the ones bearing that culture. Taking away culture by robbing people and taking away their properties, dignity and freedom based on freedom, dignity, civil and human values is another story. Of course, "Nairi" Cinema was a symbol. They are not taking our past, but our lives.
They say one nation, one culture. Perhaps there is one nation, but cultures vary. They say there is no profit in culture, but should culture truly be profitable? It brings profit through other values. It is children's education, the atmosphere, our dignity and history. That is what they want to make profitable and it is ridiculous. It will never work out. Everything they are trying to steal will be returned.
"A1+": How would you assess the donations of apartments to cultural figures during the "Tashir 2011" awards?
T. K.: I view it as despicable, "a party during the plague". But the plague, as Mercucio told Shakespeare, will take two homes, the party will end, people will start working in a normal way and the homes will be given to those who really need them. Everything will be fine, just don't leave the country. Don't leave your homes to these thieves.
Interview by Diana Markosyan
