Zako
A feature-length animated film in development
Director:Tigran Arakelyan
Producer: Susanna Khachatryan, Ron Dyens, Justė Michailinaitė
Production:
ONOFF Studio (Armenia)
SACREBLEU PRODUCTIONS (France)
BROOM FILMS (Lithuania)
Zako – that’s what the Germans called the Armenian painter Sargis Mangasaryan, who endured the hell of concentration camps. Zako survived by drawing portraits of his tormentors.
In 1956, he visits a Picasso exhibition and is stunned as he stands before the great master’s iconic work: Guernica. Zako realizes how much he had missed in his own art. Though his talent saved his life, it was stifled first by war and then by the Soviet dictatorship.
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Format: Feature Animation
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Genre: Historical Drama
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Target: Adult / Young Adult
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Technique: Hybrid CG + Painterly NPR
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Status: Advanced Development
Zako's character is full of contrasts. He is both a survivor and a creator, thanks to the resilience of an artist's spirit. While he often seeks comfort in solitude, he remains an unwavering presence for his friends and family.
Born during the October Revolution of 1917 and passing away in 1991, the year of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Sarkis Mangasaryan, also known as Zako, is at the heart of our story. Zako's life is an extraordinary journey through the tumultuous 20th century.
A Soviet-Armenian artist, Zako honed his drawing skills in German camps during World War II. His talent as a draftsman not only saved him during his captivity but also afterward, in post-war Germany. However, it was art that ultimately allowed him to survive, though it was a far cry from his Soviet creative universe, where he risked exile to Siberia as a traitor to the nation.
"FIGHT WITH DEATH"
RESEARCH
The research project "Fight with Death" by Ashot Grigoryan focuses on the harrowing experiences of Sargis Mangasaryan during World War II in Nazi military camps. This investigation not only sheds light on the historical context of Mangasaryan's survival but also emphasizes the importance of preserving individual narratives from this dark period.
An expedition to the actual camps further enriches the research, providing firsthand insights that enhance the film's artistic and storytelling dimensions
