On October 24, 2017, at 7:00pm, Glendale community’s book lovers had gathered at the Glendale Public Library hall to take part in the event dedicated to the life and poetry of Vahe Oshagan, the revolutioner of the Armenian literary thought.
The Regional Executive Board of Hamazkayin Western America, in cooperation with UCLA Naregatsi Chair, had organized the presentation of Hrayr Anmahouni's documentary film Vahe Oshagan: Between Acts, prepared by its director during the last twenty years.
Regional Executive Board member Vilma Sarkissian Kouyoumjian delivered the opening speech. She emphasized the importance of such initiatives, saying that the Hamazkayin Association had always organized suchlike events for public. "Today, we are hosting the author and director of the film Hrayr Anmahouni, the head of UCLA Naregatsi Chair Dr. Peter Cowe, the lecturer of UCLA Prof. Hagop Kouloujian, the lecturer of the American University of Armenia and Boston University, as well as the translator of the film Talin Voskerichian and, of course, the main hero of the film, Vahe Oshagan in this hall," she said.
Then she invited Dr. Peter Cowe to the stage to present the life and activities of Hrayr Anmahouni. Peter Cowe briefly, but in a complete way, presented the director’s biography since Lebanon, where he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, until he settled in the USA and received his B.F.A. and M.F.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute. His films have been screened in different parts of the United States, as well as in Armenia and Dubai. As a lecturer, Anmahouni was invited to various regions and participated in special programs dedicated to the unsolved issues of the Armenian nation (the Genocide). He is the founder of San Francisco Armenian Film Festival.
Since 1986, Anmahouni has made documentary and art-related films, ten of which are remarkable for their serious messages and high quality performance. Hrayr Anmahouni’s approach to the art is profound. Essentially, he is a philosopher, and using artistic means, he tries to reveal and define the possibilities of art expression in search of relations between our external and internal realities. Since he mostly touches upon the Armenian issues trying to clarify them, neither the American environment has properly responded to his work, nor the Armenian community has given a deserved assessment. Therefore, Dr. Peter Cowe stressed that Anmahouni's art still has cognitive value, and it is very important to organize such events and introduce the artist to the community.
For about an hour, the audience was attentively watching the film Vahe Oshagan: Between Acts. Krikor Beledian, Mark Nishanian, and Krikor Shahinian expressed their views in the film, and Vahe Oshagan's presence and his voice made the atmosphere more cordial. Oshagan was reading fragments from his writings and poems, and the three critics were making their analyses. They expressed their views about Oshagan's story Odzum/Consecration as if completing each other. They said that for Oshagan everyday routine system is boring, and subsequently it is a trap that doesn’t allow the human to be a human. According to the writer, the system needs to repair itself, it should demolish the old and rocky to build a new one, but this demolition is an inner terror, a literary terror. It is a terrorist act that defiles the sacred, which could only be done by the brave seeker of truth Vahe Oshagan. Oshagan speaks frankly about his literature saying: "I feel the success of my writings only when I move closer to the truth, and I never worry about whether people like it or not. It is only my long lasting struggle against uncertainty that is expressed in my prose and poems to finally get closer to the truth. In my opinion, any creation must survive regardless the author″.
At the end of the film, Prof. Hagop Kouloujian was invited to the stage. He mentioned that Oshagan’s personality and his literature are unique, but intelligible. Any person is always in search of the truth, but the materialism and daily rutine withdraws him from it. However, Oshagan lived all his life in search of the truth. His literature, his approach to it, and his wisdom are much closer to the heart of today's freethinking youth. "Today Vahe's time has arrived, and the new generation will read his literature with great pleasure," concluded Hagop Kouloujian.
Then the Enlightening conference started in the head of Dr. Peter Cowe, Prof. Hagop Kouloujian, Hrayr Anmahouni, and translator Talin Voskerichian. The latter joined them on Skype, and generally talked about the difficulties, which she had faced during the translation of the film, also mentioning that despite those difficulties, she did the work with love, and enjoyed every second of her work.
Director Hrair Anmahouni who did more than obtaining only an interview with Vahe Oshagan noticed that the writer’s literature is inexhaustible. Although the filmmaking process took him very long time, and he made great efforts, he still felt completely satisfied when he saw the success of his film. "This work is the first in its kind, and subsequently, it is a vanguard for future films. Most probably, the work will be continuous, and there will be films dedicated to the great figures of Armenian culture," he promised. He also thanked the Hamazkayin Association for giving him the impetus to screen the film and for sponsoring it along with the Gulbenkian Foundation.
Dr. Peter Cowe, Talin Voskerchian, Prof. Hagop Kouloujian and Hrayr Anmahouni answered the questions from the audience and also gave additional explanations on the film and Oshagan’s literature.
At the end of the event, Ara Oshagan was invited to the stage. He spoke about Hrayr Anmahouni’s scrupulous work, which eventually revealed his father's personality and thoughts. He expressed his gratitude to the director Hrayr Anmahouni, translator Talin Voskerchian, the literary critics that took part in the film, the speakers of the Enlightening conference and the Hamazkayin Regional Executive Board for providing such opportunity.
At the end of the event, a reception was held, as well as sales of books and DVDs.