Birth of Armenian cinema

On April 16 in 1923, by decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the Armenian SSR, a decision was made to create the Armenian Film State Committee, which was headed by Daniel Dznuni and Hamo Beknazaryan. The creation of our own film industry began. «Armenfilm» was soon transformed into the State photo and trade and production joint-stock company. In a short time, it turned into a solid, mostly rental organization, which had close ties with leading studios in the country and as well as with film companies in Britain, France, Germany and the United States. Cinemas of «Armenfilm» were opened in the cities of Iran, where Russian, Soviet, and then Armenian films were first shown.

In April 1924 a cinema laboratory was organized in Yerevan. Based on this laboratory (later the film studio «Armenfilm» named after H. Beknazaryan), in 1924 the first national Soviet cinema art sample - the documentary film «Soviet Armenia» (supervisor - Kraslavsky, scriptwriters - Dznuni, Folian, Chubar), demonstrating the success of the young republic, was created.

In 1924, the artistic council of «Armenfilm» commissioned the production of the first feature film by Hamo Beknazaryan, who in 1926, based on the novel by Alexander Shirvanzade, created the film «Namus». In this picture, the cruel customs of the past were shown as the product of certain social conditions. The creators of the film carefully and creatively reacted to the literary source. The film was characterized by innovative editing and high level of acting (Hrachya Nersisyan, Hasmik, Hovhannes Abelyan, Nina Manucharyan, etc.).

In the film «Zare» (1927, screenwriter and director Beknazaryan) the motif «the East without embellishment» was developed and deepened on the material of the Kurdish nomads’ life. In the film «Кhas-push» (based on Raffi’s and Papazyan's stories, 1928, director Beknazaryan) this topic reached its culmination, removing the veil from the mosaic «east» and revealing its contradictions. In 1929, Beknazaryan’s film «The House on the Volcano» on the struggle of the international Baku proletariat against the exploiters was shot.

In 1928, the debut of director Patvakan Barkhudaryan took place. Together with Mikhail Gelovani, he directed the film «The Evil Spirit» (based on the novel Shirvanzade's novel «The obsessed»), mainly directed against the power of the adat (tradition). This film continued realistic traditions, outlined in the movie «Namus». Barkhudaryan's most significant work was the comedy «Kikos» (1931), which told of the poor peasant and his emergence as a person, about seeking their place in life. Dashnaks’ images are described by using some satirical techniques.

In 1926, the director Hamo Beknazaryan, based on the story by M. Bagratuni, shot a silent black and white film «Shor and Shorshor» ridiculing the rural idlers. This film has one more name – «Armenian Pat and Patashon». In 1932, a film pamphlet «Mexican diplomats» (directors - Amasi Martirosyan, Levon Kalantar) about the misadventures of two rural hairdressers (actors - Khachanyan, Amirbekyan) appeared.

In 1933, the film «Kurds-Yazidis» by Amasi Martirosyan about the formation of Soviet power in remote mountain villages was shot. In 1934, he also directed the film «Giqor» (according to the story by Hovhannes Tumanyan) about the tragic fate of a peasant boy, who was sent to study and work in the city.

Formation and development of the national cinema was conditioned by close connection of its masters with figures of cinematography of other Soviet republics. The Armenian cinematographers creatively perceived the innovative aspirations of Sergey Eisenstein, Vsevolod Pudovkin, Alexander Dovzhenko, and their search for a revolutionary way to develop filmmaking. In Armenia, such directors as Perestiani, Werner, Armand; operators Zavelev, Zabozlaev, A.V. Galperin, Anoschenko; artists Lansere, Komardenkov and many others worked and created their works. A large group of theater actors and writers worked in the Armenian cinema. This circumstance in the conditions of the overall growth of the national culture has led to significant successes of the national cinema art.