“Tiko” is dark, impulsive, chaotic but at the same time very honest, frank, sensitive, and vulnerable, just like I am. To understand the film without subtitles, one should know both Russian and Armenian. The same is true about me. 

The process of making the film was quite chaotic but also effortless. I didn’t have a script or a clear idea of what I was going to film. It all began with an image of myself sitting on my favorite director’s chair at my funeral. 

I had to learn how to light, color, and make sound effects in order to complete the film on my own during the pandemic. Meanwhile, the limitation of having just one room, no budget, and a single-person crew, pushed my mind to come up with creative solutions.

Directors like Godard, Buñuel, and especially Lynch had a big influence on me. I learned to feel the film instead of understanding it. I was also inspired by “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov. It was so different than anything else I have read before and it was packed with metaphors and symbolism.  

I have to explain the cinematic language, but I can’t. It was entirely made by my subconsciousness. The complete independence allowed me to do whatever came to my mind without being obligated to explain anything to anyone including myself. I trusted my mind and it created something on its own blending my past with my present. 

“Tiko” is a gift to me from my inner-self. It can only be described by a quote of my favorite director Federico Fellini: “There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the infinite passion of life.”