Stone Time Touch

Colour, DIGIBETA
Canada, Armenia, 2007, 72 min
Section: Documentary Films in Competition

Synopsis

This experimental documentary essay by Gariné Torossian brings an unconventional picture of Armenia, its turbulent history and colourful present. An intriguing element of the film is introduced in the form of one of Armenia’s best known actresses, Arsinée Khanjian, who sets off for the country of her ancestors in order to discover the true essence of the “Armenian soul”. The entries in her travel diary loosely tie in with the individual chapters of the film, in which, among other things, we visit the town of Gyumri 18 years after the terrible earthquake, the ancient church of Hrispine and an ethnographic museum in Sardarabat. This isn’t a traditional travelogue, but more an emotive and freely assembled mosaic depicting the diverse face of Armenia. Using a dynamic editing style, the director presents an original, analytical view via all manner of formal filmmaking approaches, including black-and-white archive footage, fragments from family albums, coloured filters, out-of-focus shots and also captivating compositions of the Armenian landscape.

About the director

Gariné Torossian (b. 1970, Beirut) was born into an Armenian family. In 1979 the family moved to Canada. She is currently active as a filmmaker and visual artist in Toronto. Nineteen of her films were screened at various international festivals, and also at universities and galleries. A retrospective of her work was also presented at the Telluride film festival. Her film Girl from Moush (1994) was judged best experimental film in Melbourne and, for the film Sparklehorse, she won a Special Mention at the Berlin IFF in 2000. Select filmography: Drowning in Flames (1995), Sparklehorse (1999), Hokees (2000), Babies on the Sun (2001), Hypnotize / Mesmerize – System of a Down (2005), Stone Time Touch (2007).