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BIOGRAPHY
Lamara Sogomonian is a film director. She started her career at the age of 14 with an internship at «Author’s Television», worked as a freelance correspondent, an assistant director, and later as a producing director. Then she moved into cinema – first as an assistant director, then as a second director; she worked on many projects, including international. Her directing works: short feature and experimental films, music videos and commercials were noticed at many foreign and Russian events. IG @coon_la
Lamara, you created a short in which your tactful expertise as a filmmaker made the audience aware of a very common yet untold reality, that of FGM (female genital mutilation). What did you think when presented with the script? Di you jump into the project right away or were you somehow doubtful about the making of it?
When I read the script, there was no doubt in my mind. I immediately called the producer back and agreed to be a part of this complicated story.
Would you like to share with us something about the casting process?
While researching she came across one project, in which a journalist conducted interviews with women, who experienced FGM. There were personal stories on how it happened, how it felt at the moment and how it affected their future. Those interviews helped a lot. They gave personal and emotional perspective.
Did you struggle to find the right actresses willing to take part in a film looking into such a controversial yet widespread practice?
We understood that not every Caucasian woman would be ready to talk about such an old tradition. There were refusals. We found a solution and chose actresses not from those regions where the practice still takes place, so as not to harm anyone with our film.
What is or are the emotion/s you hope your film delivers to the audience?
We didn’t mean to leave an audience terrified or shocked. We hope that film will be a starting point for a discussion. Our film demonstrates two different approaches to FGM problem, and none of them works. Our humanity lies in ability to understand each other and feel each other’s pain. We hope that an audience will leave feeling compassion.
