Samuel Khachikian | |
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ساموئل خاچیکیان Սամուէլ Խաչիկեան | |
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| Born | October 21, 1923 Tabriz, Iran |
| Died | October 22, 2001(2001-10-22) (aged 78) Tehran, Iran |
| Resting place | Burastan Cemetery,Khavaran, Tehran |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter, author, film editor |
| Years active | 1951–1994 |
Samuel Khachikian (Armenian:Սամուէլ ԽաչիկեանArmenian pronunciation:[sɑm'vɛlχɑtʃʰik'jɑn];Persian:ساموئل خاچیکیان; October 21, 1923 – October 22, 2001) was anIranian film director, screenwriter, author, and film editor ofArmenian descent. He was one of the most influential figures ofIranian cinema and was nicknamed "Iran'sHitchcock".[1]
Born 1923 inTabriz to a family ofArmenian immigrants.[2] Khachikian's father escaped theArmenian genocide in 1915 and settled in Tabriz. His mother admired cinema and the arts and often took her children to the theater.[1] Samuel Khachikian published his first poem "The Prison" in the Armenian newspaperAlik when he was nine. Five years later, he gave his first stage performance in Tabriz in a play titled "Seville". He completed his education in History and Journalism, and wrote eight plays which went on stage not only in different cities of Iran, but also in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Greece.
Khachikian made his first film in 1953, titledReturn.[3] He was among the first and few directors who used the decoupage technique on the film set, preparing the complete shooting script in advance. The success of his works attracted a lot of attention to the advantages of this filmmaking approach. As an innovative filmmaker, he turned the production ofmurder mysteries andnoir thrillers into a popular new wave in the Iranian filmmaking. He made the first ever movie trailer in the history of Iranian cinema for the movieA Girl From Shira in 1954. Subsequent films, such asThe Strike andThe Eagles, were box office hits of their times.
The 1956 filmA Party in Hell directed by Khachikian was entered into the8th Berlin International Film Festival.
Khachikian's brother Souren Khachikian was also heavily involved in the production of his films. Souren's grandson Ara H. Keshishian is working as a film editor inHollywood. Samuel Khachikian's son Edwin Khachikian is also a director.
He died on October 22, 2001, at the age of seventy-eight in Tehran, Iran.[4]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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