“Don’t Be Afraid” 20 Years Later: A Discussion of the Book and Film with the Creative Team (Photos)

The presentation of the book and a discussion marking the film’s 20th anniversary took place at the Woods Center. The creative team behind both the film and the book revisited memories of the filming process, the story behind the project, and the journey from screen to page.

The idea and title of the film about the war originated with Aleksan Harutyunyan, former Chairman of the Board of the Public Television of Armenia (2003-2013).

Gnel Nalbandyan recalled how the title was chosen:

“Alex Harutyunyan loves titles with biblical motifs. In this case, no other option was even considered. The title ‘Do not be afraid’ has magical power. It is neither a call, nor a request, nor a suggestion, nor a message. You can even not put an emphasis, just ‘do not be afraid.’ The film’s producer, Hrach Keshishyan, suggested writing a novel.”

According to Nalbandyan, the film played a significant role in the 2000s, becoming the first feature film produced by a television company in Armenia.

“This film will have a long life, in twenty years it may also have documentary significance, documentary value. There was no political demand or message that was mandatory for the script, but there was a motivation and idea of what characters should be, how the plot line would develop. We even thought for a long time about the name and surname of the main character, why it should be Arman Aramyan.

The film had two storylines: the Yerevan and Artsakh stories. I am the author of the Artsakh part, and Levon Galstyan of the Yerevan part. It was important for us not to put the enemy in the place of a fool. The strategic enemy is smart, ruthless, you need to appreciate the strength, not mock it, in order to prepare for victories. We also did not want excessive heroism, so as not to be like an Indian movie. We wanted restrained emotionality.”

Actor Khoren Levonyan, who played the main character, recalled that during the filming in Artsakh he was the only actor from Yerevan. Director Aram Shahbazyan ensured that many regional and Artsakh-based actors were involved in the project.

“Everything was new. There was no film production, everything was the first time for the actors, screenwriters, and directors. We didn’t know what to do either, but we worked together and gathered around one idea. I didn’t think long about whether to agree or not to star in the film. I didn’t think about the character, I just knew that I had to do it. I had many offers, I refused. I wanted something else.

And the offer to star in that film came. If one day a film is made, how the filming went, it will be a very interesting and humorous film. Unfortunately, there are few such films, it is important for our genetic memory that there are many films on this topic. This is a test for the survivors, the living, it is a good opportunity to remember, to value what we leave behind us.”

Director Aram Shahbazyan noted that the film continued to resonate with audiences long after its release:

“The film came out in 2007. I started communicating with a friend who had watched that film several, even dozens of times. During the 44-day war, I realized that those who had watched that film went to fight. The fact that the film has educated a generation, has practically left an impact, is very important. This film has done its job.”

Producer Hrach Keshishyan emphasized the lasting emotional power of the film:

“Of course, twenty years ago it was about concrete facts. Now ‘Don’t Be Afraid’ is more about emotion. The value of the film is that they don’t shout about patriotism. It was the achievement of the entire team, the scriptwriters, to make it a human, down-to-earth work. The heroes are people who own their country and land. At that time, we dreamed more, we were adventurous. We didn’t calculate whether we were right or wrong, whether we would fail or succeed.

We were very inexperienced, everything was the first time. We spent 80 million drams on the production of the film. We couldn’t find an accountant who would understand how to make a film budget so that we wouldn’t have problems with the tax authorities, because there was no film production. Hayko wrote the film’s soundtrack, he was also writing film music for the first time.”

Co-author of the script Levon Galstyan added:

“In 2006, Aleksan Harutyunyan suggested that my friend Gnel Nalbandyan and I write about our yesterdays, about the war, about heroes. While reading, it seems that you yourself create your own inner cinema. I would very much like many people, especially young people, to read this book and extract what is permanent, what is essential, what is present in our lives today.”

The main partner of the republished novel “Don’t Be Afraid” is Kinodaran. The partner is HK Productions.