Rah, Rah, Rafael

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

We, as a community, have gotten pretty good at supporting books published that address our concerns as a means of getting the word out about our issues.  Balakian’s, Berberian’s, Bohjalian’s, and Powers’ books are a few easy examples that come to mind.

But there are obviously other media that reach even more people than books.  Here, we haven’t developed our support quite as much, largely because the opportunities have been scant.  I’m referring to the movies, of course.

Now, we’ve got a chance.  On September 21, My Uncle Rafael will be opening in New York, Toronto, Fresno, San Diego, Orange County, Encino, Burbank, Glendale and other cities.

You probably heard about this movie a few months ago when it got some good publicity as it was being made.  Now, we get to go see it.

If you’ll remember from when Atom Egoyan’s Ararat came out, what happens on the opening weekend makes a big difference in how long the film ultimately runs and how widely it is distributed.  This film is a comedy, but with Armenian based characters.  In this respect, it is very important to have our non-Armenian friends and neighbors see it.  Why?  This kind of exposure makes our community a better integrated part of the social fabric of the places we live in.  It creates a subconscious understanding of things Armenian that makes life easier for all of us when interacting with everyone else because they aren’t confronting something/someone they don’t have a comfortable understanding of.

You can learn more about the movie by checking out these links: http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/myunclerafael/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1604589/
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118056321
http://asbarez.com/103811/my-uncle-rafael-set-for-theatrical-release-on-september-21/
http://www.myunclerafael.com/

So, make you plans accordingly.  Get your friends together and go en masse to see My Uncle Rafael when it opens next week at a theatre near you!