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8
WINTER
2010
Harry Simitian, an 8th grade student at
Ain Aar, was 12 when he was selected
by his uncle to star in “Hinkerort Zora-
sune” (Fifth Column), a short Armenian
film filmed in Bourj Hammoud last year.
The film, written and produced by Vache
Boulghourjian, is about a young boy, Hrag,
and his unemployed father. Hrag leaves
home with a handgun and doesn’t return.
His father sets off to find him. Fifth Col-
umn won First Prize at the Lebanese Film
Festival in August 2010, and was officially
selected by The Cannes Film Festival
Cinéfondation, winning Third Prize.
Q:Why were you chosen for this role?
A: We’re both Lebanese-Armenian boys
and I adapted to the role easily. Hrag’s
character isn’t that much different than
mine so I was able to relate to him mostly
because of the culture and tradition.
Q: Did it feel strange to have camera fol-
low you around?
A: Not really. It was only a crew of two. My
uncle did the camera work, lighting, and
audio and the other person was in charge
of the lighting. We were around 14 actors.
Q: Did you enjoy acting?
A: It was a fun experience. I really wanted
to do a good job. I’m not that great in
Armenian so I really had to concentrate
to get my lines right. My uncle would
recite the lines to me as I don’t really read
Armenian. I memorized them.
Q: How long did it take to film the
movie?
A: Exactly two weeks. We did it over
Easter break so I wouldn’t miss any
school.The toughest work day was three
hours in the morning and then five in the
afternoon.Then sometimes at night. I was
in most of the scenes so I had to be there
almost every time there was filming.
Q:Were your parents supportive?
A: Most of the film had my family in it
in some way or the other. My aunt plays
the piano.There’s an old clip of my mom
dancing and Vache used some of my great
uncle’s old films. So really, the whole fam-
ily did what they could.They also helped
find the actors. All the actors were paid at
the end. I’ve never been paid before. My
hobby is photography so I had enough to
buy a professional camera (I have my own
photography blog).
Q: How was Cannes?
A: It was fun but it’s not how it seems on
television.The red carpet isn’t that long
and it’s not very glamorous. But if you are
really serious about acting or filmmak-
ing, it’s a second home for artists where
they can discuss ideas. I learned a lot from
them.
Q: How did you know if people at Cannes
liked your film?
A: People just walk out in the middle! In
some films, a third of the audience left.
I was worried. But when it came to our
film, only one or two people walked out.
So I knew that people really liked it.
Q: Do you think you’ ll pursue acting as a
profession?
A: This character was easy for me to do.
I don’t know if I can do others. It was a
great experience but I want to study ar-
chitecture or engineering. And then I will
integrate art into that.
IC student stars in award winning film