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September 27, 2007 NCI Looks at the Influence of Foreign Films
NCI associate Davit Hakobian welcomed the audience with opening remarks. “Since the dubbing of foreign films into Armenian is a societal demand and a fact, a comprehensive discussion of this matter becomes all the more imperative,” he said. In his intervention, film critic Zaven Boyajian focused on the negative and positive aspects of dubbing motion pictures into Armenian. In his view, the practice of dubbing has not yet taken shape in Armenia, but this gap is being filled—and at least an attempt is being made—by the television companies and H1 public television in particular. According to Boyajian, H1 is now dubbing all foreign movies into Armenian and thus is breaking the stereotypes left behind from the Soviet era when only Russian-language dubbing was deemed acceptable. The speaker also emphasized that the dubbing process is a chain of sequences, and if any one of the sequences is faulty it will be impossible to receive a good-quality product. “Personally, I am against dubbing because such intrusion into a work of art damages its integral structure,” he argued. This notwithstanding, Boyajian also considered the dubbing of movies into Armenian a necessity since a large cross-section of the population prefers to view foreign motion pictures, including poor-quality and second-rate productions. In Boyajian’s firm belief, an unsophisticated language is used in dubbed films and its root cause is the lack of professional translators.
In her turn, NCI colleague Voskehat Isakhanian spoke about the impact which the dubbing of foreign films has on Armenian culture. She expressed a deep concern specifically with respect to the poor-quality dubbing of such movies which, in her view, are for the most part alien to the traditional Armenian mindset. According to Isakhanian, these motion pictures depict events and practices that are unacceptable for the Armenian people and could be detrimental to the education of the young generation. “Aside from the simplistic scenarios, improper and vulgar language has likewise become an ordinary thing nowadays,” she maintained. On the other hand, Isakhanian noted that films such as “Carlito’s Way,” “Julius Caesar,” “The Youngest Godfather,” and “Spartacus” are productions of great family value. The remainder of the session was dedicated to an exchange of views and recommendations among the public figures and policy specialists in attendance. Noteworthy were interventions by Heritage MP Stepan Safarian; prominent actors Karen Janibekian, Varuzhan Manukian, Arthur Karapetian, Luiza Ghambarian, and Satenik Hakhnazarian; director and producer Haik Ordian; NCI coordinator Hovsep Khurshudian; film critic Siranush Galstian; journalists Ruzanna Poghosian and Ruzan Zakarian; NCI media relations director Lilit Sarukhanian; and several others.
Who is thinking about the ethical, social, and psychological consequences of airing poor-quality films? Are the country’s authorities prepared to assume responsibility for overcoming the adverse effects of such movies, perhaps through a program of support for domestic film production? How can we prevent the apparent retreat of spiritual values? These were the primary civic concerns expressed by the roundtable participants during the exchange of opinions and recommendations.
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