Karanian, Nazarian, Tufankjian to Speak at Youth Connect Program at NYU

NEW YORK (A.W.)—Author Matthew Karanian, filmmaker Eric Nazarian, and photojournalist Scout Tufankjian will speak at the 2015 Armenian Relief Society (ARS) Youth Connect Program (YCP), to be held at New York University (NYU) on Feb. 28 and March 1.

The program will also feature a talk by scholar Khatchig Mouradian, the director of the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) Youth Connect Program. Additional speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.

The theme of the two-day program will be “Looking Beyond the Centennial.” It will be held on Sat., Feb. 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at NYU. A brunch featuring a discussion on volunteering in Armenia will be held on Sun., March 1 at 10 a.m. The program will conclude at noon.

University students are encouraged to apply.

The registration deadline is Feb. 6. The $25 registration fee includes meals and the evening dinner.

Overnight accommodation will be offered for out-of-town students. To register, visit http://arseastusa.org/programs/#youthconnect. For more information, contact the ARS Eastern USA office by calling (617) 926-3801 or e-mailing arseastus@gmail.com.

Author-Photographer Matthew Karanian in southern Armenia

Karanian is the author of Armenia and Karabakh: The Stone Garden Travel Guide, the best-selling English-language guide to Armenia. His book, Historic Armenia After 100 Years: Ani, Kars, and the Six Provinces of Western Armenia, was published in February 2015. Karanian will sign copies of his latest book at YCP. He practices law in Pasadena, Calif.

Tufankjian is a photojournalist based in Brooklyn, N.Y. Her work has been featured in Newsweek, US News & World Report, Le Monde, Newsday, and the New York Times. Her book featuring a selection of the photographs from Obama’s presidential campaign, Yes We Can: Barack Obama’s History-Making Presidential Campaign in December 2008, sold out its initial 55,000 copy run a month before it was released. Tufankjian’s photo of Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama hugging each other, released in November 2012, became the most-liked photo on Facebook and most retweeted Tweet in history.

Nazarian is a screenwriter, filmmaker, and photojournalist. In 2007, he wrote and directed “The Blue Hour,” a first feature film that won six international awards. In 2008, Nazarian received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences® (home of the Oscars) prestigious Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting for his original screenplay, “Giants.” In turn, Nazarian’s film “Bolis” was the recipient of the Best Short Film Award at the 14th Arpa International Film Festival in 2011. He is currently adapting Chris Bohjalian’s critically acclaimed novel, The Sandcastle Girls, for the big screen.