Don Askarian does not think it is a good sign if a film allows itself easily to be summarized in words; in his opinion, a camera can only ‘write’ cinematographically. Askarian also makes use of an intuitive and pure cinematographic approach. His film is not based on a written text. His approach can be compared with that of a fine artist: the space in front of the camera is shaped in every respect by Askarian himself. And, like his earlier film Komitas, Avetik is built up of fairly separate tableaux.Most of Avetik consists of the protagonist’s dreams, visions and memories which take place in a ‘mythical’ Armenia. Avetik is an Armenian documentary film-maker living in exile in Berlin; an obvious autobiographical element, because the Armenian Askarian also lives and works in Berlin and has made a documentary as well as feature films. The film comprises scenes which seem to have their origins entirely in the imagination, yet the maker says they are historically precisely documented. They refer faithfully to specific elements in Armenian history, language and culture. It is striking that the images in the film are sometimes constructed like paintings, yet are permanently in motion and not static.Avetik is divided into several chapters which tackle episodes from the life of Avetik or the history of Armenia. There is no fixed time span; it looks at the whole history of Armenia, from the earliest beginnings up to the present day. While the film is primarily an aesthetic evocation and can hardly be called political, Avetik evidences a great concern for the fate of the Armenian people and the destruction of Armenian culture.The Rotterdam Film Festival is screening Avetik at a special première.
