Artavazd Yeghiazaryan, 2024 East-West Resident
When screenwriter and author Artavazd Yeghiazaryan visited Villa Empain in Brussels, he prioritized immersing himself in everything the iconic space had to offer.
A masterful storyteller, Artavazd began his creative journey as a journalist and currently serves as the editor-in-chief of the YEREVAN magazine. He is also the author of the acclaimed young adult fantasy novel The Secret of the Dragon Stone and several short story collections. As a screenwriter, he contributed to the critically acclaimed drama Gate to Heaven (2019) and the short film Lumen Naturae (2024).
As our 2024 East-West Resident, Artavazd explored his passion for animation and made important steps towards adapting his novel The Secret of the Dragon Stone into an animated film. Read our exclusive interview with the artist to learn more about the artist and his ambitious creative endeavors.
Having recently completed your East-West Residency at the Villa Empain, what aspects of the experience stood out the most for you? Were there any particular moments or encounters that significantly influenced you?
The entire experience of being able to dedicate time to the creative process was incredibly helpful, especially since it was so different from my everyday routine in Yerevan.
While staying at the Villa Empain, you focused on adapting your successful young adult fantasy novel The Secret of The Dragon Stone into an animated film. Could you share more about this project, the inspiration behind it, and how your time in Brussels influenced its development and progress?
Continuing my response to the previous question, I want to mention the long walks through the streets of Brussels, during which I reflected on the development of the project. I also participated in cultural activities, such as watching art house films on the big screen and strolling through the beautiful park behind the Villa. All of this was incredibly helpful.
Brussels is often regarded as the comic and animation capital of Europe. Given that you’re currently focused on an animated project, how did the city's unique environment and resources influence your work?
It was fascinating to see Tintin's presence everywhere, as The Adventures of Tintin (1992) had a major influence on me when I was a kid. Unfortunately, I became acquainted with the original comics much later.
Seeing all of this made me want to create something as exceptional, impactful, and influential as Tintin, The Smurfs, or Asterix and Obelix. The Belgian comics and animation culture set a high bar for my project – an extremely high bar, of course, but one can dream, right?
Moments from Artavazd Yeghiazaryan's East-West Residency
With your impressive and diverse background—ranging from serving as the Editor-in-Chief of Yerevan Magazine and working on the script for the award-winning feature film Gate to Heaven (2019), to writing the young adult fantasy novel The Secret of the Dragon Stone—how do you think are the common threads or themes that connect these varied projects?
Whether it’s journalism, a war film, or a dragon fantasy novel, I always find stories about people the most important to tell.
Another consistent theme present in all these works is dealing with the past: what we try to hide and how it impacts our present and future. I think this is one of the reasons why all these projects found their audience and why many people found these stories relatable.
Reflecting on your time as the East-West Resident, what do you consider the most valuable takeaway from the experience?
The experience of breaking free from routine, having the opportunity to focus primarily on the creative process for an extended period, and meeting artists from different countries and diverse backgrounds was invaluable.
Of course, the amount of work I managed to complete during the residency was great. Though the script is far from finished, I made significant progress and now have a strong foundation on which to build.