BELMONT, Mass. — Acclaimed filmmaker Eric Nazarian will give a lecture titled “Shattered Screens: Can Cinema Break Taboos About the Armenian Genocide?” and show his short film Bolis on Thursday, May 2, at 8 p.m. at the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), 395 Concord Ave.
Nazarian’s 20-minute-long film “Bolis” (2010) tells the story of an Armenian oud musician returning to Istanbul to find his grandfather’s oud shop and a family heirloom that disappeared during the Armenian Genocide. “Bolis” was the recipient of the Best Short Film Award at the 14th Arpa International Film Festival in 2011. It has been shown in numerous film festivals, including in Armenia, Istanbul, Sarajevo and Dubai.
In 2012, Nazarian wrote and directed “Occupied Tears,” a 3D- and 2D-animation music video for Serj Tankian about children in war and the Middle East. He is a fellow of the inaugural cycle of the Fox Writers Intensive at 20th Century Fox Studios and is currently adapting Chris Bohjalian’s acclaimed novel, The Sandcastle Girls, for the big screen.
Nazarian is a screenwriter, filmmaker and photojournalist. Born in Armenia, he grew up in Los Angeles, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in film production from the University of Southern California’s (USC) School of Cinematic Arts. During his student years, he was a freelance photojournalist covering stories in Southern California and Armenia/Nagorno-Karabagh.
In 2007, Nazarian wrote and directed “The Blue Hour,” his first feature film that premiered in competition at the 55th San Sebastian International Film Festival, going on to win six international awards.
In 2008, he received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting for his original screenplay, “Giants.” In 2010, he was invited to participate in “Do Not Forget Me Istanbul,” an omnibus film being produced as part of the European Capital of Culture’s Istanbul 2010 program.
