The 10th Edition of Annual Arpa International Film Festival The 10th Annual Arpa International Film Festival will be on November 2nd-4th, 2007 as Arpa Foundation for Film Music and Art proudly presents. The festival will take place at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. The Festival will begin with an Opening Night Screening Party featuring recording artist Serj Tankian's (Voice of System of a Down) twelve new music videos from his solo album release "Elect The Dead", Emmy Award winning actor Michael Goorjian's film, "The War Prayer" starring Jeremy Sistso, and a special screening of Parallel Cut. There will also be a Closing Night Awards Gala to be held at the Sheraton Universal Hotel.
The festival is meant to cultivate cultural understanding and global empathy, by creating a dynamic forum for international cinema with a special focus on the work of filmmakers who explore the issues of diaspora, exile, and multiculturalism. It is also dedicated to celebrating the ideas of
independent thought, artistic vision, cultural diversity and social understanding.
Lifetime Achievement Award - Mardik Martin Screenwriter Mardik Martin is the co-author of the legendary films "Raging Bull" and "Mean Streets", along with Academy Award Winning Director, Martin Scorcese. Their collaborations also include productions like : "Last Waltz", "ItalianAmerican", and "New York, New York".
Career Achievement Award - Shohreh Aghdashloo Shohreh Aghdashloo is known for her unforgettable role in the film "House of Sand and Fog", alongside Sir Ben Kingsley. She can also be seen in other mouvies including, "The Lake House", "X-Men: The Last Stand", and "The Nativity Story". Shohreh was the first Middle Eastern actress to be nominated for an Oscar and continues to be a groundbreaking force in the arts.
Armin T. Wegner Award - Carla Garapedian
Filmmaker Carla Garapedian began her career as BBC's sole American on-screen journalist, as freelance reporter, and eventually producer. Now, her documentary film about the hard rock band, System of a Down, has solidified her as an important storyteller for her generation.
Comedic Performance Award - Ken Davitian Actor Ken Davitian is known for his hilarious performance in "Borat" and he now brought his character, Azamat Bagatov to life on the big screen. Due to his gift of evoking laughter, he has been cast in Warner Brothers film "Get Smart", starring Steve Carrel and Anne Hathaway.
Some of the past honorees:Levon Chalukian, Atom Egoyan, Dr. Michael Hagopian, Jim Hirsh, Howard Kazanjian, Arsineh Khanjian, Hank Moonjean, Robert Papazian, Arthur Sarkissian, and many others.
Some of the past attendees :Jennifer Blanc, Mindy Burbano, Dean Cain, Jason Cook, Denise Chamian, Dana Daurey, Josie Davis, Vivica A. Fox, Dean Haglund, Justin & Lindsay Hartley, Tippi Hedren, Sean Kanan, Joel Klug, Cindy Margolis, Kristin Malia, Cheech Marin, Valerie McCaffrey, Alanis Morrisette,
Shelley Morrison, Roselyn Sanchez, and many others.
A new dessert cookbook, My Sweet Vegan, has been released by Hannah Kaminsky, a young author with an an amazing culinary and artistic talent. The recipes, design, photographs and stories included in the book are highly original and they all belong to Hannah. Considered to be one of the best cookbooks in 2008, My Sweet Vegan can already be purchased.
