Coming From The End. April Diary

On April 1, 2016, Areg Balayan received a call and appeared where he had never been. He said goodbye to the whole world, his wife and two children, parents, friends and himself.
He was a soldier at the time of a military operation, a Kalashnikov rifle in his hand, and during a peaceful hour, a photographer. In both cases he realized that what was happening was not a movie, but a reality. He survived and returned physically from the border to June, but only five months after his return he was able to open his April Diary for the world.
"Coming From The End. April Diary" is a documentary about war without any battle scene. It tells a sensitive story of a soldier-photographer who asks how it's possible to come back to life after feeling dead for several days.

  • Hasmik Smbatyan
    Director
  • Hasmik Smbatyan
    Writer
  • Hrayr Tamrazian
    Producer
  • Areg Balayan
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Վերջից եմ գալիս․ ապրիլյան օրագիր
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 7 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 1, 2017
  • Country of Origin:
    Armenia
  • Country of Filming:
    Armenia
  • Language:
    Armenian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Hasmik Smbatyan

Hasmik Smbatyan is a documentary filmmaker, her professional career as a journalist has begun in 2004; she started off as a photojournalist and a radio reporter at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Throughout the last 8 years, she got essentially involved in multimedia journalism, and she has been doing documentary film production for the last 5 years.

FILMMOGRAPHY

Coming From The End. April Diary- 2018 (Director, Editor)
Parajanov. A Ticket to Eternity - 2017 (Director Assistant)
Molokans: The Fifth Generation - 2017 (Director Assistant)
Witnesses to War - The Zoulamians - 2016 (Director, Video Editing)
Migration Tales - 2016 (Director, Video Editing)
Hidden Armenians - 2015 (Director Assistant)
A Roll Call in Vardenik - 2014 (Director, Video Editing)

EDUCATION
2008 - 2009 -Caucasus Media Institute (CMI)
Department of Photojournalism
2005 - 2007 - Yerevan State University (YSU)
Master’s degree in Art History; Faculty of History
2001 - 2005- Yerevan State University (YSU)
Bachelor’s degree in Art History; Faculty of History

EXPERIENCE
2004 - ongoing
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Armenian Service
Producer, Director, Broadcaster, Reporter, Editor
2008 - 2010
“Arit.am“ Cultural Directory
Freelance Photographer

AWARDS and PRIZES

November 2018
Coming From The End. April Diary-"Special Prize" at KIN 15th International FIlm Festival
Feb 2017
“Witnesses to War - The Zoulamians”; “The best feature-long documentary” prize among all RFE/RL services in January. (Director/Editor)
Sep 2016
“Migration Tales” Documentary Film – “Special award” by UNICEF- “Suitcase 2016”. (Director/Editor)
Dec 2014
“A Roll Call in Vardenik”- “Best Multimedia”- contest; “Suitcase-2014” Organized by People in Need (Director/Editor)
Dec 2006
First Prize: For the “Best Radio Feature” in the competition entitled “EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES” on the Coverage of Disability Issues; by the Bridge of Hope NGO, Mission East and PERSPECTIVA.
Dec 2005
Testimonial and an Encouragement Prize: For the Best Radio Materials in the competition entitled “EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES” on the Cover-age of Disability Issues; by the Bridge of Hope NGO, Mission East and PERSPECTIVA.
Jun 2005
DoBIE Certificate: In appreciation of participation in DoBIE competition for the Best Story on Youth at Crossroads; by the DoBIE (Division of Broadcasting Innovation and Excellence), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
Jan 2005
Winner Prize: For Best Short Stories in the Short story-writing competition based on the photos of the “LIVING TOGETHER” Photo-exhibition of Young Photographers from UK and South Caucasus; by the British Council in Armenia

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Director Statement

Everything that has to do something with the human is among my professional interests. This is why all of my stories are circling around the value of the human being; particularly I am very much concerned about the factors that keep alive or kill the human, about everything that is going on in the inner world of the human.