Kim Kardashian West joins SXSW 2020 speaker lineup
February 12, 2020 – 16:24 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – South By Southwest (SXSW) announced the final, jam-packed round of speakers for its annual Austin conference and festival on Tuesday, February 11, lawyer-in-training, Armenian-American reality TV star Kim Kardashian West will sound off on criminal justice reform.
South by Southwest (abbreviated as SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Texas, United States.
Newly-added keynote speakers include American singer, songwriter, rapper Janelle Monáe; Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross; music multi-hyphenate St. Vincent (a.k.a. Annie Clark) in conversation with Sleater-Kinney founding member Carrie Brownstein about their new film collab, The Nowhere Inn; and SM Entertainment founder Soo-Man Lee in conversation with Capitol Music Group COO Michelle Jubelirer. In addition, mega film director Michael Moore has been added to a previously-announced conversation with Pink Floyd founding member Roger Waters, Billboard reports.
The featured speakers list now includes Ozzy Osbourne; Stephen Colbert interviewed by Judd Apatow; electronic musician and composer Holly Herndon; music journalist Cherie Hu; Beastie Boys Story film director Spike Jonze; and Margo Price. And as for industry executives, you can count on talks from Platoon CEO/founder Denzyl Feigelson; Since the 80s co-founder Kei Henderson; 300 Entertainment founder Kevin Liles; and DropLabs founder and former Beats By Dre CEO Susan Paley.
Elsewhere, Raekwon will discuss his newest cannabusiness venture alongside The Breakfast Club’s Charlamagne tha God; and Rashida Jones will talk about her upcoming Netflix series #blackexcellence alongside co-executive producer Kenya Barris and — if you can believe it — much more.
“Today’s announcement is one of the most significant we’ve made in the 34 year history of SXSW,” said the conference’s chief programming officer, Hugh Forrest. “The Keynote and Featured Speakers added to the lineup are can’t-miss luminaries who are headed here to share the theories, strategies, and motivation behind their success. We’re honored to share the whole of this year’s stellar conference schedule with our attendees. There’s definitely something for everyone at the 2020 event.”
Previously-announced speakers include Diplo, Sonic Youth bassist-singer Kim Gordon, and Chic’s Nile Rodgers in conversation with Hipgnosis Songs founder Merck Mercuriadis. View the schedule, in its humungous entirety, here.
SXSW hits Austin for its 34th edition March 13 through 22.
Armenia will have its first-ever stand at Berlinale film market
February 12, 2020 – 15:56 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia will have its first-ever stand at the European Film Market of the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) in 2020, the country’s National Cinema Center said on Tuesday, February 11.
A film trade fair held simultaneously to the Berlinale, the EFM is the world’s third biggest industry meeting for the international film circuit.
The artistic director of the National Cinema Center, Melik Karapetyan, will also curate the Armenian stand at the event.
According to him, the booth will help Armenian producers and directors to better organize their work – meetings, presentations, events – within the film market.
The Armenian stand will be set up at Marriott Hotel.
Armenian Athena promises mind-blowing show: Athena Manoukian seriously aimed at the “Eurovision”
YEREVAN, 12 Feb — Sputnik. Popular Greek singer, member of the British X-Factor Athena Manoukian always wanted to represent Armenia in the Eurovision song contest. About it the singer said at a press conference in Yerevan.
This year she has a real chance to perform on the big European stage from the face of Armenia.
“Always wanted to represent Armenia at the Eurovision song contest, and this year everything turned out great, and the song was ready on time. That’s why I decided to take part in the national selection competition “the Eurovision” this year”, – said the singer told reporters.
The girl considers all the participants of the national selection are very talented, and every song is unique. However, she is confident that she will represent their homeland in the best way.
“I have a big experience of participation in international competitions. In addition, we made a huge effort to organise a great show,” said Athena.
Talking about his song, the singer said that he wrote it with his producer (she is the words and he the music) in his Studio at work on a new album. The composition of this that each of us has a diamond that sometimes we want to select, but make it Shine perhaps only those who it is given from birth.
The girl is not willing to disclose the intrigue and the question of what awaits viewers on February 15 at the national qualifying competition, with a smile replied: “It’s a surprise.”
However, the plans for the pop singer not only participation in the upcoming show. She wants to stay for some time in the historic homeland, to visit iconic places and even become a part of the Armenian show business.
She first visited Armenia in 2015, where he performed a concert, visited Swan lake, went to Tsitsernakaberd (memorial to the victims of the Armenian Genocide of 1915), saw the IV century monastery of Geghard and tried the local cuisine.
“Now I don’t have enough time to properly explore. But I would like to stay here for some time to be creative and, why not, to cooperate with the local stars,” said Athena.
The girl added that he wants to record a song in Armenian.
© Sputnik / Asatur Yesayants.
In addition, she is very artistic has demonstrated their knowledge of the Armenian language: “Hello! How are you doing? I am proud of Armenia. Proud that I was an Armenian.”
“We realized that we want more”: Sergey Arutyunov wants to go to Eurovision from Armenia>>
The singer admitted that the family is a little jealous, because while the chance to visit Armenia they had.
15 Feb live Public television of Armenia will host the final round of the project “Eurovision”, which will be attended by 12 candidates.
Oscars slammed for leaving Armenian screenwriter Mardik Martin out of “In Memoriam” list
The Armenian Film Society has slammed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the failure to include the Armenian-American screenwriter Mardik Martin in the In Memoriam segment during this year’s Oscars broadcast.
The Academy has updated their website with a “full
list” and he is once again not included.
The Armenian Film Society has contacted the Academy directly in hopes that they may rectify this.
Canadian Armenian filmmaker Atom Egoyan said earlier that as a member of the Academy, he was disappointed not to see the passing of Mardik Martin mentioned during “In Memoriam” section of the Oscars.
“Mr. Martin was an essential collaborator on Martin Scorsese’s early work, and wrote several drafts of the masterpiece Raging Bull. In addition to continuing to write for the screen, Mr. Martin taught at USC for many years, helping to inspire and educate a new generation of writers,” Egoyan said.
Meanwhile, the Academy has responded to complaints about the exclusion of some entertainment figures from its annual In Memoriam segment on Sunday’s Oscar telecast.
“The Academy receives hundreds of requests to include loved ones and industry colleagues in the Oscars In Memoriam segment,” the organization said in a statement.
“An executive committee representing every branch considers the list and makes selections for the telecast based on limited available time. All of the submissions are included on Oscar.com and will remain on the site throughout the year,” it added.
Kobe Bryant led off the Oscar telecast’s In Memoriam segment and Kirk Douglas was the last film personality it honored.
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Mardik Martin, the co-screenwriter behind Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets, New York, New York and Raging Bull, died in September 2019 at 84.
Of Armenian descent, Martin was born in Iran on Sept. 16, 1934, but raised in Iraq. He left for America at age 18 and studied at NYU in the early 1960s, when he met fellow student Scorsese.
After several projects made in college, including a documentary about Scorsese’s parents called Italianamerican, the duo’s first feature was the gritty drama Mean Streets, with Martin co-writing the screenplay based on a story by Scorsese.
Released in 1971 to critical acclaim, Mean Streets signaled Scorsese’s arrival as a filmmaking talent and launched the acting careers of stars Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel.
In 2008, a documentary on Martin’s life titled Mardik: Baghdad to Hollywood was released and featured contributions from Scorsese, George Lucas, Amy Heckerling and Irwin Winkler as well as author Peter Biskind.
Martin’s final film work was co-writing the screenplay to Turkish-German director Fatih Akin’s 2014 film The Cut, which explored the legacy of the Armenian Genocide, a subject close to his heart.
Martin Scorses remembers how Armenian professor inspired him
February 11, 2020 – 16:53 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – Hollywood legend Martin Scorsese has told the story of how Armenian-American professor of film Haig P. Manoogian inspired him to become a filmmaker.
“Having the asthma, I was not allowed to play sports, so everything came to me through movies on television,” Scorsese said in a video prepared by Rolex to promote excellence in filmmaking.
“I lived on Elizabeth street between Prince and Houston (in New York City – Ed.), but I never went to the West Side. And so I just went to the corner of Elizabeth and Houston, made a left and walked about six blocks and was in another universe.”
The future Oscar-winning director was accepted to the Washington Square College which was part of NYU (New York University).
“And so I attended this orientation day — this was an eye-opening situation — and this gentleman got up and spoke with such passion and such energy about cinema. I became part of the cult. His name was Haig Manoogian,” he said.
“Haig really inspired us. He pushed us and he cajoled us, he beat us down and he built us back up again. He set a fire in our hearts. It’s one of the most precious gifts I have ever received.”
Scorses said that his experience with Manoogian led him to becoming a guide for other young people coming up to him.
Manoogian is the author of the book “The Film-Maker’s Art”, published in 1966.
Scorsese’s 1980 film “Raging Bull”, a winner of two Academy Awards, was dedicated to the Armenian teacher.
Armenian Soprano Dazzles at Dresden Event
Soprano Ruzan Mantashyan performs at the 2020 SemperOpernball festival in Dresden, Germany
Armenian soprano Ruzan Mantashyan dazzled the audience at the SemperOpernball 2020 festival in Dresden on Friday with a dramatic performance of Tatiana’s aria from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin opera.
Mantashyan became a household name last month after SemperOpernball organizers reneged her invitation when a Azerbaijani tenor Yusif Eyvazov said he would not perform with the Armenian soprano because of her ethnicity. After many protests and confrontation from Mantashyan’s agents, the singer was reinstated to the program
“I am happy that the performance took place and reached its logical and triumphant end,” Mantashyan told Armenpress after the event.
Yerevan Komitas State Consevatory lecturer Margarite Sargsyan shared a video of Mantashyan’s performance on Facebook, and praised the soprano. “This was truly brilliant. Well-done….This is our school,” she said.
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Other musicians who performed at the concert included violinist Pavel Milyukov, soprano Yulia Muzichenko and pianist Alexander Kashpurin, as well as the Azerbaijani Eyvazov.
Today on Twitter
Here is a selection of some of the tweets about Armenia. Get in touch with us via Twitter if you want to be part of this Twitter list. We retweet occasionally.
No, not finished yet… Greco-Roman #wrestlers
Karen #Aslanyan (67 kg) & Karapet #Chalyan (77 kg) ensured the presence of the Armenian flag
on pedestal by taking the #bronze medals
during #EuropeanChampionship. Congrats to our heroes! #wretslerome
PM Nikol Pashinyan has met ambassadors of @OSCE member states. During the meeting the PM has presented in detail the current situation of the Constitutional Court.
Important conversation on #education & adolescent girls, with Bono of @U2 and @ONECampaign, Mary Robinson, Chair of @TheElders. Quality #education for all named N1 priority by @antonioguterres. Armenia is committed to equal access to education #InternationalDayOfWomenInScience
Politicians and experts call #Ugulava a “political prisoner” and assert #Georgia is departing from democracy and the western course:
While celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, today we remember this remarkable #Armenian-#American woman, who dedicated her entire life to science.
#WomenInScience
@USNATO, @NATO_SPS, @NATO1325
Anna L. Kazanjian 
– the first woman scientist in the #US in the field of controlling unmanned aerial vehicles. In the 1960s, she established the American #Saturn rocket launcher. #WomenInScience
#Journalists and 
#cameramen of National Assembly of the Republic of #Artsakh. We took a decision requiring to change law & immediately stop practice when #detainees r placed in #prison #disciplinary #cells & isolated for acts of self-harm. These people should be under #psychological & #psychiatric care! The problem detected by #NPM unit. @OmbudsArmenia
I looked at composition of Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s first elected parliament (1991-95). Some things stood out: of 81 seats, 6 were set aside for NKR’s Azerbaijani minority (3 in Shushi, 1 in Khojali, 1 in Karadagli & 1 in Umudlu); they remained vacant. https://twitter.com/ArmenianStudies/status/1227282593516621824
Leading up to #elections in #Karabakh scheduled for March 31, here is a look back at electing #Artsakh’s Parliament in 1991 by @emil_sanamyan for #FocusOnKarabakh https://armenian.usc.edu/electing-artsakhs-first-parliament-conditions-and-composition/
#Armenia FM in #Austria, meets with #IAEA chief
https://artsakhpress.am/eng/news/121062/armenia-fm-in-austria-meets-with-iaea-chief.html
Yestreday, MEP #CostasMavrides hosted a conference with the title “The forgotten #refugees: What Happened to the #Armenians of #Baku?” in the @Europarl_EN.
Keynote speakers were #BaronessCarolineCox, @AnnaATurcotte and David Babaev.
Press Release
https://eafjd.eu/forgottenrefugees.html
Today on Facebook
These are several Facebook posts about Armenia. Contact us on Facebook if you want to be included in this list. We share posts occasionally.
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Armenia in the News 