The issues of the Armenian movie production, as a rule, start at the projecting phase. And it is almost impossible to understand with vigilant consciousness why certain movies receive the sponsorship by the state. It is accepted that during the selection of projects they take into account several factors, the most tangible of which is the scenario package, which shows the outline of the to-be made movie (indeed without visuals but with description, which would make the expenses expedient and justified). The literately prepared plot enables to give not only creative assessment about the style of the future film but also have certain understanding on how many days are going to be needed for the final shooting, the technical equipment, which is supposed to be used. The film selection committee needs all that for its final assessment and conclusion on whether the project should receive funding or not. The committee should be most careful about this selection because they are not going to fund from their own pockets but at the expense of the state money (in other words, the money of the taxpayers). This means that the committee is accountable for its own selection and the movie sector is not considered merely a nepotism area (where friends can fund the projects of friends). The Armenian movie committee this year has made its selection in a more cynical way by enabling some people act the way they’d wish. By this I mean the “Beech or the commander’s walnut” film project, which was submitted with the violation of numerous protocols and most importantly without a clear plot package. In the documents presented by the film committee the film director of the mentioned movie is a Moscow resident Karen Hovhannisyan but it’s known that he wasn’t able to participate in any of the shooting episodes of the film. Instead the second filmmaker and assistants are working. The mentioned situation is explained in a quite vague manner as though Hovhannisyan is very busy. And the third filmmaker is a Russian woman, who is not familiar to anyone in Armenia. It is known that the staff of the shooting team of the film does have many people registered, however no one is professional. As film scenario writers the list includes actor, honored artist Michael Poghosyan and a Russian resident Teresa Varzhapetyan. Indeed, Poghosyan is a good actor but who said that actors are good plot writers as well. It is known that the actor-plot-writer (whenever he is required a scenario) offers to tell the scenario by mentioning that so it will be more descriptive. And so by telling these stories Michael Poghosyan was able to appear in the committee formed by the Ministry of Culture and was able to lobby for his project. And this fact has so much affected the members of the committee that they had decided to allot 19 million AMD (according to the data of the Ministry of Culture) and show a green light to Poghosyan’s project. And the total budget of the film is supposed to be 187 million AMD. Then the actor and member of committee Poghosyan started to apply to other places to add the budget of the project. By the way, he had mentioned in various places that he was going to Karabakh to get money and as the theme of the movie alludes to Karabakh, the task of getting money won’t be too difficult. Certain money has already been “grabbed” because several Diaspora Armenians have decided to support Mishik. This work style resembles the one of the Club of the Glad and Smart (KVN) because improvisation literally strangles professionalism. But if this is moving to the big screening or films it become tragic fakeness for the state. However, if we seriously pay attention we will see that the guys of the KVN have long ago turned into professionals because before shooting a movie they clearly understand the audience of the film and what they are going to benefit from that (both in the aspect of finances and image). As of the film of Beech the fact is that despite the support of the state it doesn’t have a scenario. So everything is going to be decided on the screening place. There is no clear working schedule because if you don’t know what you are filming you cannot have any idea about the location or the people you are going to need for that. Everybody thinks that everything is going to go very smoothly and easily and they won’t be accountable to anybody. This is the legacy of the soviet-era movie production, of which Armenia cannot get rid. And we add to this the movie projects, which are considered “balloons,” which are launched not with the purpose of becoming a good movie but for the purpose of filling the pockets of certain people and sufficing their ego. By the way, Poghosyan has managed to mention that once he receives money for the film he’s going to be land in Ashtarak. Indeed, the open cynicism has grown roots in certain sectors but the movie sector, which even without artificial balloons is in danger, has now appeared in the loupe. And if certain people are trying to disguise this by pretending that they are producing normal films, they shouldn’t forget that one day they are going to be accountable to that. If the film (shoe, lathe or any other product) doesn’t have a strong skeleton the product will fail no matter what. You may put nice clothes on the skeleton, put make-up, draw eyebrows and lips but what you have constructed, will collapse one day if the bones are structures incorrectly or are missing in general. And it’s more than simple that the Beech movie, which doesn’t have a skeleton-script, is an unsuccessful state investment and cannot become a good film. Everyone should do his job. The actor should play and the committee – discuss the script. But now it turns out that one is dancing, singing, applauding to himself and allots himself money. And if we are wrong then Poghosyan should have been honest enough to deflect from the committee. Or for the beginning at least the Ministry of Culture should have made him to do so. Afterwards, it should have elucidated the fact of the absence of the script.
