On Sunday, January 27, 2013, at 1:00 p.m., at the Pashalian Hall of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral the New York chapter of Hamazkayin Educational and Cultural Society organized the screening of the documentary film “Enemy of the People: Armenians Look Back at the Stalin Terror” directed and produced by Zareh Tjeknavorian.
Dr. Ara Caprielian, chairman of Hamazkayin of New York, began the program with his welcoming remarks, during which he expressed his gratitude to Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian for making the Pashalian Hall available gratis for such cultural events. Then, he introduced Zareh Tjeknavorian to the audience. Tjeknavorian was born in Fargo, ND, but grew up in a cosmopolitan international environment due to his father, composer and conductor Loris Tjeknavorian’s tours in various countries. Zareh lived in San Francisco, Iran, London, Germany, Paris, New York City, and Armenia. He graduated from Tisch School of the Arts, New York University in 1992, with a bachelor’s degree in film and television production.
“Enemy of the People,” narrated by Eric Bogosian, is Tjeknavorian’s most widely-known documentary film, which depicts Stalinist oppression in Armenia. In fact, National Geographic Magazine recommended it as one of three must-see films about Armenia, along with “The Color of Pomegranates” by Sergei Parajanov and “Ararat” by Atom Egoyan.
At the conclusion of the program, Dr. Ara Caprielian invited Fr. Mesrob Lakissian to the podium to make the closing remarks. Fr. Mesrob expressed his pleasure at seeing such a poignant film, congratulated Zareh Tjeknavorian on his accomplishment, and presented him with a beautifully crafted miniature replica of the Armenian Genocide Commemoration Monument erected in Antelias. He also praised Dr. Caprielian and the rest of the Hamazkayin board members for organizing this significant function. And, in response to Dr. Caprielian’s expression of gratitude for making the Pashalian Hall available gratis for such events, Fr. Mesrob said, *“We renovated the Pashalian Hall for that very same purpose. Anytime you organize a cultural event, the hall is yours. This is also your cultural
home.”
