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An event dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Yuri Yerznkyan, People's Artist of the Armenian SSR, a professor of the Chair of Directing at Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU), was held at the Faculty of Culture on March 29.
The event entitled "Master Classes by Yuri Yerznkyan" was a kind of a meeting which was attended by the professor’s colleagues and former students, who have become famous directors and filmmakers. The organizer of the master class by the great cultural figure Yuri Yerznkyan was Levon Galstyan, Head of the Chair of Television and Radio Journalism at ASPU. Thanks to Galstyan’s experience and meticulous choice, the attendees had an opportunity to enjoy some parts of Yerznkyan's film heritage, recalled the important messages that the famous film director (Yerznkyan) had conveyed to different generations of movie lovers.
“Not only in fine arts, but also among artists there are original and fake ones. Today we are here to remember and honour a real artist, the creator of twenty-two feature films and documentaries - Yuri Yerznkyan,” said Armen Amiryan. He is proud to have been taught by the great master during his years of study. Amiryan says it is necessary to learn lessons from the master classes of the famous film director [Yuri Yerznkyan], to enrich his legacy, and to honour those who honour [him] in order not to lose the perceptions of good and bad, good and evil, beautiful and ugly.
During the event, the attendees watched excerpts from the director’s films, while Armen Amiryan spoke about the important aspects of Yerznkyan’s films which show the director's mastery, his original and exclusive ideas, thanks to which his films are still watched and their message remains timely.
"I have a great desire to cooperate with you in any film. This proposal by Yuri Yerznkyan meant a world to me,” said composer Martin Vardazaryan, People's Artist of the Republic of Armenia. “The music of his [Yerznkyan’s] films was written by people who understood both cinema and music, like him. His pedagogic activity is also invaluable; thanks to him many directors have become popular in their sphere," Vardazaryan continued. Then the composer mentally transported the audience to the master's film world where he was playing a piece of music and the audience was trying to guess which of Yerznkyan's movies it was taken from.
Armen Elbakyan, Head of the Chair of Directing at Sundukyan National Academic Theatre, has many memories of Yuri Yerznkyan since childhood. "The master was a warm, honest and open-hearted person,” Elbakyan described Yerznkyan with these words. Then he spoke about the film "Khatabala" directed by Yerznkyan and said ‘by using all the rules of the game Yerznkyan was able to bring Tbilisi's Armenian culture [with all its aesthetics] to the cinema. Even today, many years later, Armen Elbakyan recalls Yuri Yerznkyan's loud voice when the latter was entering the studio; that's the way good and honest people speak. Armen Elbakyan thinks we can see the future by remembering and honouring the past and its prominent figures. Yerznkyan’s films are real lessons from the master that never lose their relevance, he added.
Yuri Yerznkyan was the person under whose leadership the Department of Film Directing opened at the Faculty of Culture. Film director Harutyun Khachatryan, President of the Cinematographers' Union of Armenia, is one of the first graduates of the department. He confesses that Yuri Yerznkyan has played a decisive role in his life. "I wanted to work in a film studio, but directors with many years of experience were against hiring an inexperienced young man. The master's word was enough [for them]. “He is my student,” he [Yerznkyan] said. It was a clear assessment, and I was hired. My master is a great master of cinema. Today I am here to bow down and express my gratitude to him,” Harutyun Khachatryan said adding that it is an extraordinary phenomenon that 6-7 out of a 15-person group become successful film directors. That is the indelible imprint of the great master.
Honored Art Worker of the Republic of Armenia, cinematographer, Professor David Muradyan had a lot of opportunities to meet the film director. He says their meetings and conversations enriched him. "He was a magnetic personality, with unique creative qualities. He had an exceptional sense of humour. He never buttoned his coat. It's a psychological nuance. He loved freedom; he was such a kind person,” David Muradyan said adding that the master had a dream, but did not manage to realize it… Times changed and there were no conditions for filming… The script of the film was translated into Armenian by David Muradyan. He says the unfilmed script was about the filmmaker's revenge for his father, politician Aramais Yerznkyan, who fell victim to the persecutions and repressions. "Yuri Yerznkyan is a unique person in the Armenian film industry and in our culture," said David Muradyan.
Professor Aneta Yerznkyan is proud that her father's 100th anniversary has been marked with various events in the last two years. "My father was very attached to this educational institution and it is no coincidence that his master class was held here,” she said and added that her father was a bright and interesting person both in the family and in public. Speaking about the creative achievements of the film director, Aneta Yerznkyan said they were not accidental; her father grew up among intellectuals. “He was a creative person. He opened Yerznkyan school, where he did not dictate his style, but taught pupils to see, be honest and create with their own approaches,” the ASPU professor said. She thanked the organizers of the event and the attendees for appreciating her father’s activity.
ASPU Rector Srbuhi Gevorgyan congratulated the attendees for participating in the unique master class and added, “This was a lesson from which I took a lot of substantive provisions and I will continue to have questions about them. It was an exclusive platform which also presented the famous educator Yuri Yerznkyan's questions in the name of our elders, cultural heritage. In addition, it was an exceptional intersection for students and attendees to listen to the master's classes, to participate in a dialogue that is called Yerznkyan school", the rector said advising the attendees to preserve the traditions of that school.
The rector reminded that in 2022 the University celebrated its 100th anniversary, and stressed that those 100 years are not just a history, but a history of people, personalities and great people, and Yuri Yerznkyan was one of them.
