Tales from Hotel Lux
Vahe H. Apelian
Whenever I hear or read the name Saro mentioned, it reminds me not Saro of opera “Anoush”, but of Saro Varjabedian and the circumstances I met his maternal grandparents in Beirut, in Hotel Lux, the inn my father ran. They were on their to the United States with two young girls, who would become Saro's mother.
It was one of those days when I exited from the old-fashioned elevator to the uppermost floor of the building whose two upper floors made Hotel Lux, which was pretty much known among the Armenians of the era for a few decades, and whose guests were mostly Armenians from all over.
As I exited the elevator, I saw suitcases on the floor. It was not an unusual sight. Guests came with their suitcases and left them in the hallway until my father made the arrangements for their stay. I asked my father who were the guests and from where they had come. He told me that it’s an Armenian family from Bulgaria. I had noted earlier that the overwhelming majority of the guests were Armenians and they came literary from all corners of the world, from West to Far East and in between. This time around this family was from Bulgaria on its on way to the United States. Like many Armenians from East Europe who managed to leave, they also were relying on the sponsorship of ANCHA to immigrate to the U.S. ANCHA was the famed "Armenian National Committee to Aid Homeless Armenians". Its two pincipals were George Mardigian.and Suren Saroyan.
These families mostly came from Eastern Europe under Soviet yoke. They left the country literary penniless. My father had become a liaison and knew what to do. As soon as they settled in the hotel, my father presented them to the ANCHA’s office in Beirut. Over the years I had become privy of their ordeal. Some, as former landlords, had become the objects of despise and ridicule by their former tenants as nationalization had taken over their private businesses and holdings and had rendered them tenants of the state much like the rest of their former tenants. I remember a lady telling my parents they burnt all the cash savings they had and hid their valuable jewelry they had as they could not dare to spend their cash money, lest they would arouse suspicion, nor could they trust their jewelry even to the most trustful friend out of fear of not knowing if the person had become an informant by choice or by coercion. They presented the harsh reality of life behind the Iron Curtain.
This Armenian Bulgarian family stayed in the hotel until ANCHA completed the necessary documentation for their sejourn in Lebanon and covered the expenses for their stay in the hotel. After having their papers in order at the ANCHA's office, most of them left the hotel and rented a room. Many found employment mostly in Armenian held businesses until their immigration papers were completed. It is through their experiences that I came to first learn of Armenians taking advantage of other Armenians. This Armenian family's stay in the hotel lasted longer than usual. It is how I got to know them and their daughter. Even though the family, later I found out, had two daughters but it’s the younger daughter I remember as their only child. Much like the rest they also migrated to the U.S. As was the case with most, they also stopped by to let my father know they will be leaving soon and bid goodbye. I remember to this day when this Bulgarian family let us know too that their immigration has been approved and they will heading to settle in New York. The image of an Armenian family settling in that big metropolis remained etched in my mind for many years and I would wonder how the Armenian family fared among the million inhabitants of that impersonal city.
Fast forward. After much reluctance our son Daniel agreed to attend Camp Haiastan. But it did not take long for him to make friends he met as a camper and then as a counselor. Among them was his friend Saro. Both were in their early to mid-teens. Naturally they did not drive. After their camping session was over it was I who drove our son Daniel to Saro’s parents house on many Saturdays and picked him the next day on Sunday afternoon. During one of such visits I saw the whole family there including Saro's maternal grandparents. I got carried away conversing with his grandfather as I had already met his parents. One thing led to another and to my surprise his grandfather produced a journal he had kept about their journey to the United States. Lo and behold I came across my father’s name mentioned in his journal as he recounted their long journey to the New World. Suddenly it dawned on me that the young girl I met had gotten married to an Armenian also from Bulgaria and had formed a nurturing and hospitable family who graciously hosted our son’s stay in their house in Queens, New York. Their son now had become one of our son’s best buddies. It would not take much to surmise that I felt a strong kinship with the family and especially with Saro.
In 1995 my job took me to Cincinnati to our sons’, especially to our elder son Daniel’s dismay. It was his friends from the Camp Haiastan and from the Armenian Presbyterian Church that kept Daniel going with their frequent phone calls especially during our first year in Cincinnati. And it was Saro among them who paid him a visit a few months after our settling in Cincinnati. Parents of teenage sons know how determined and stubborn they can get. Saro had made a point of visiting Daniel taking a Greyhound bus to Cincinnati. It is a journey that on the average takes 18 hours with many stops in between. Needless to say any parent would agonize having their teenage son doing the trip by himself. The year was 1995 and cell phones were not as readily available. Saro would arrive late at night in Columbus, OH and had to stay there for two hours to catch the next bus to Cincinnati. I assured Saro’s parents that I would drive to Columbus and pick him from there. I remember his father’s relief and what he told me, “at least now we can get some sleep !”. So we befriended Saro as a family. He accompanied us to Florida and another time to upstate Michigan for salmon fishing as Marie and I looked with contentment seeing their friendship.
Almost a quarter of century has passed since Saro’s visiting us in Cincinnati. Both remain good friends and visit each other. Through these years Saro embarked pursuing his dream of becoming a cinematographer. He just finished writing, directing and filming his first feature film “Respite”. Saro has photographed eight feature films, one feature documentary, and several web-series and countless short films.
Saro’s grandfather passed away a few years ago. Saro dedicated a short film he produced to his grandfather. This is what he noted to me about that film he produced in Armenia. “My Grandfather loved his experience visiting Armenia,” wrote Saro, “but in real life he always wanted to go to Alaska. So after my grandfather passed away my grandmother, with my mom and aunt went to Alaska to fulfill his wish to visit Alaska. I thought it is so interesting that these three women got to have this bonding experience. And because of my interest in my ancestry I took that idea and had it happen in Armenia instead.”
"After Water There is Sand," has been screened at several International film festivals, including the 2013 International Golden Apricot Film Festival, which is an annual film festival held in Yerevan; the 2012 International Pomegranate Film Festival, the 2012 Arpa Film Festival, which is one of the oldest international film festivals for independent cinema held in Los Angeles; the 2013 Boston International Film Festival; the 2013 International Family Film Festival in Los Angeles; and the 2013 Women and Minorities in Media film festival.
Along with Armenia, Saro has also directed and filmed internationally, in Cuba, France, Lebanon, Mexico and India. He holds a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Columbia and has taught cinematography and directing at the New York Film Academy.
Saro’s accomplishments as a writer, director and cinematographer are too many to list here. Altough I attached a copy of his professional resume below, anyone interested may search him in the Internet and may read the professional accomplishments of this young, driven film writer, director and cinematographer Saro Varjabedian.
A copy of SARO VARJABEDIAN”S RESUME’
"Saro Varjabedian, a recent Film MFA graduate from Columbia University and of Armenian descent is an international Director and Cinematographer. Saro began his career in film working as a Freelance Cinematographer in New York. As a Cinematographer, Saro has photographed seven feature films, countless shorts, industrials, and music videos. He is most known for his work on the feature film “Elliot Loves” which has aired on HBO Comedy, HBO Latino, HBO Zone, HBO GO, Cinemax, and Hulu. His work on “Jesus Loves Yusef,” which was filmed in Lebanon, won Saro the Best Student Cinematography Award from the 2012 Palm Springs International Film Festival. In addition, Saro has written over 20 articles on Cinematography practices which were published in StudentFilmMaker Magazine, has taught workshops on the latest camera technologies and cinematography principles, and has been invited to join the Tiffen Family of Cinematographers. Saro has recently finished principle photography as the cinematographer to the Independent feature films entitled “GoldStar” and “El Gallo” and the International French/Lebanese co-production feature entitled “The Traveler”.
Saro Varjabedian’s first short film as writer/director was “La Chambre De Motel” which went on to play at the 2008 New York International Latino Film Festival and 2008 WildSound Film Festival. In 2009, Saro directed and photographed the short film “Kosu” in India as part of fulfilling his requirements for the Columbia MFA film program. Kosu has won Honorable mention at the 2010 Pravasi Film Festival, screened at the 2011 Yes World India Film Festival, 2011 New York Indian Film Festival, and 2011 Arpa International Film Festival. In 2012 Saro wrote, directed and photographed his third short in Armenia entitled “After Water There Is Sand” for the purposes of fulfilling his thesis requirements for Columbia University. “After Water There Is Sand” has screened at the 2012 Pomegranate film festival, winning the 2012 PomGrant, screened at the 2012 Arpa Film Festival, the 2013 Boston International Film Festival, the 2013 International Family Film Festival, the 2013 Women and Minorities in Media film festival and the 2013 Golden Apricot International Film Festival. As of 2013, Saro has wrapped production on his fourth short film as director entitled “All That Glitters” and has directed three music videos. In 2014 Saro directed the TV pilot entitled, “The Ridge.” Saro is currently teaching directing at New York Film Academy while working on developing several projects:"
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