It’s 2017. Donald Trump is driving a wedge between ordinary Americans. Syria is locked in a deadly Civil War. And nationalism is making a comeback across the globe as the wealth gap continues to widen. It might seem more than a little bit naive to think that art can make a difference in times like these. But not to the founders of Creative Armenia, a new hybrid non-profit production company which intends to prove that art can indeed change the world--though not in the way most people expect.
At a May 2 launch Gala hosted by the UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television, Creative Armenia announced its first “Creative Challenge,” titled The Art of impact: “Focus your lens on a human rights story that matters to you,” says Oscar-winning director Terry George (Hotel Rwanda and The Promise), in a short online video addressing filmmakers across the world. “You have 60 seconds to show it to us. You can use some music, but no dialogue please.” The winners will receive a $5,000 cash prize and opportunities to network with industry professionals.
It seems like a concept perhaps too broad or simple. But don’t be fooled. After speaking to founder Garin Hovannisian and Vice President Alec Mouhibian it doesn’t take long to realize that their project is no mere exercise in agitprop, or the kind of self-righteous sentimentality that typically passes for social impact entertainment. (The two colleagues also co-wrote and directed the suspense-ridden 1915 The Movie, a mystery set 100 years after the Armenian Genocide.)
Serj Tankian, Garin Hovannisian, UCLA Film School Dean Teri Schwartz and producer Eric Esrailian
The challenge’s no-dialogue requirement is designed to encourage pure visual storytelling: “the struggle of light against shadow,” as George puts it in the challenge video. “It’s rare to see human rights stories handled in a genuinely artistic, rather than merely political way,” says Hovannisian: “To be able to create a transcendent image in a few moments requires true talent.” The Art of Impact is part of Creative Armenia’s long-term plan to “create a new kind of cultural infrastructure for the digital age.” In our increasingly fractured, atomized culture it has become especially difficult to get one’s creative talents noticed and nurtured: thousands of people vie for milliseconds of keystroke time or nanoseconds of page view attention. It’s become easier and cheaper than ever to make something, but harder for it to stand out.
Hence Creative Armenia combines aspects of a non-profit foundation with that of a robust production studio. The idea is to identify and cultivate a global creative network by curating programs that anyone can enter, and ultimately produce and complete multi-platform projects that might otherwise be doomed to their respective versions of Hollywood turnaround hell. Hovannisian: “As a creative production company, we’re not in the business of throwing money at artists. We have a global mandate to make things happen, to bring careers and projects onto the world stage.”
Alec Mouhibian, Creative Armenia’s VP of Programs and Productions, spoke at length about the cultural void the organization aims to fill: “In the old days, you had all these visionary figures with a real passion for discovering young talent. Magazine editors like Harold Ross, H.L. Mencken, Harold Hayes. Literary publishers like Alfred Knopf and Robert Giroux. Film producers like Irving Thalberg and Dino De Laurentiis. Music moguls like John Hammond and Berry Gordy.” But the era of such career-making giants is long gone, as every major cultural industry—music, publishing, print journalism, film--has descended into a type of creative chaos stemming from the digital revolution. And except for the lottery-like chances of one’s video or song going viral, nothing has come along to fill the void that these moguls once did. “People of influence suddenly had little interest in nurturing or discovering talent; all they cared about was clinging to their ever-precarious jobs,” Mouhibian reflected, perhaps simplifying the issue at hand: “The laws of Clickbait took over. Vision was out; data was in. A miserly spirit pervaded. That’s why we think of Creative Armenia as a cultural intervention.”
Creative Armenia V.P. Alec Mouhibian in the Los Angeles Theater (Where 1915 The Movie was shot)
Creative Armenia has also debuted a lively online cultural magazine and plans to add grants and fellowships to its programs. The organization’s Advisory Board includes a bevy of talented creatives such as Heavy Metal Demi-God Serj Tankian (System of a Down), designer Michael Aram, and iconic playwright Eric Bogosian, among others. In a novel twist, Creative Armenia also launched with one rather unusual partner: a movie. Financed by the late billionaire casino king and MGM owner Kirk Kerkorian, the $100 million Armenian Genocide epic The Promise (directed by Terry George and starring Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac) will see all its proceeds donated to charitable causes.
“To have something like this come out of a dark chapter of our history, moving into the light, is extraordinary,” commented Dr. Eric Esrailian, who produced The Promise with Mike Medavoy and also serves as a founding member of Creative Armenia. Dean Teri Schwartz of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television underscored the organization’s unique cultural positioning: “We look forward to the exciting work that Creative Armenia will be doing, as it plays a leading cultural role at the cross-section of human rights, entertainment, and creative technologies.”
Of course, the first thing that catches your eye about Creative Armenia may well be its very name. “Armenia is not our destination but our inspiration,” Hovannisian explains: “All artists are welcome to join the creative country we are building. “ Only time will tell how successful the founders will be—but this writer, for one, wouldn’t bet against them.