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This year marked the 100th birth anniversary of founder of the Faculty of Culture at the Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU), Merited Cultural Figure of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, Professor Karlen Mirzakhanyan. On this occasion, the Union of Cinematographers of Armenia hosted the screening of the film “Akunq” (Source) (creator: Diana Markosyan, director: Artyom Aghasaryan, director of photography: Hrayr Sirakanyan and editor: Artur Parsyan). Among those attending the film screening were intellectuals, as well as alumni (of various years) of the Faculty established by Mirzakhanyan, including representatives of cinema, theater, TV journalism and music.
In the film, as well as in the beginning of the event, President of the Union of Cinematographers of Armenia Harutyun Khachatryan confessed that perhaps he didn’t manage to worthily express gratitude to his good friend, teacher and the good person that Karlen Mirzakhanyan is. “I am lucky to have been a close friend of his and his family. Nobody has helped or supported me as much as Karlen Mirzakhanyan has. Today is the screening of a film that I have not seen yet, and maybe I had to produce it,” Harutyun Khachatryan stated and emphasized once again that he takes pride in the fact that he is a student of Karlen Mirzakhanyan.
The script for the film was written by Diana Markosyan, who is an alumnus of the Faculty of Culture. Although Karlen Mirzakhanyan was not one of her lecturers, she remembers him well. She says Karlen Mirzakhanyan would walk in the hallways with the right of a landlord and would “oversee his house” with his presence.
“This is not a film, but a documentary about a person who is the closest to my heart. When we were creating the film, we tried to find scenes featuring Karlen Mirzakhanyan, but there were no scenes. There were only a few photos. This attests to the fact that Karlen Mirzakhanyan worked without the aspiration to present his work and merit,” Markosyan stated and voiced hope that the film will spark warm memories among the gathered.
Diana Markosyan also said it is important that even though the other members of the crew are not students of Karlen Mirzakhanyan either, they are somehow linked to his activities; director Artyom Aghasyan graduated from the Faculty of Culture, while cameraman Hrayr Sirakanyan was a student of Albert Yavuryan, who served as Head of Chair in the Faculty of Culture for many years and educated generations of cameramen.
The film “Akunq” is about how Karlen Mirzakhanyan, who is a historian by profession, dedicated his whole life to pedagogy, established the Faculty of Aesthetic Discipline and later the Faculty of Culture of the ASPU and presided for 30 years. Karlen Mirzakhanyan the scholar also made major contributions to the development of historiography, but thanks to his efforts, the Faculty of Culture went on to become a major smithy for preparing high-quality specialists in the cultural arena of the country, starting from the foundation of the building and ending with the engagement of professions that are for creators.
This educational institution helped pave the way for hundreds of young creators, who would go on to become the best in their respective fields. This was logical since Karlen Mirzakhanyan had gathered the best specialists of the time, including creative masters, whose names are written in gold letters in Armenian cinema, music, dance and other sectors. A person who makes efforts to organize, has high taste, is sharp and witty and is a vivid person — this is how Karlen Mirzakhanyan is described by his students, who are now well-known scientists and artists. In the film, it is those alumni and colleagues who highly appreciate the person, the teacher, the scholar and the colleague who played a major role in their destinies. According to his students of different years, Karlen Mirzakhanyan had a keen eye — he would notice the future talented artist in a student and would do everything possible to pave the way for that student’s success. He was gifted as an organizer and was dedicated to his job, and the result of his dedication is the smithy spanning decades and his students, who bear the title of being his students with honor to this day.
The screening of the film “Akunq” seemed to be a unique tribute to the merited pedagogue-scholar, whose rich and prolific life left an indelible trace in the memories and impressions of all of his students.
