robert machoian graham

The town portrayed in the Sundance premiere of The Killing of Two Lovers is so small that David, who is staying at his father’s home while he and Nikki try to figure out if their marriage is salvageable, easily can see everything going on in the lives of his wife and four kids in the home just down the street. Directed by Robert Machoian, a photography program faculty member at Brigham Young University in Provo, this feature-length narrative offers a superbly crafted, beautifully filmed story about how the difficulties of asking for space to sort things out in a marriage are magnified enormously in a town as small as the one the director chose for the film’s production. Selected for the festival’s NEXT category, the film shines in performances that capture the simmering tensions and spoken words that could derail any good faith intention of reconciling problems in a marriage. And, Machoian – with an impressive, understated, elegant choice of mise-en-scène – gives the viewer the utter irony of the notion of asking for space in a small central Utah town set against an impressive mountain range (although there is no card title specifying the location). The film was supported by the Utah Film Commission. Read the full story by Les Roka at theutahreview.com.

Robert Machoian Graham has seen four of his past films make it to Sundance. The latest marks the first time one of his full-length films has been accepted.

Faculty members and students of the College of Fine Arts and Communications participate in regional, national and international competitions every year. It is not uncommon for members of the college to receive prestigious awards on an annual basis. 2015 was a particularly successful year for the college as awards ranged from the Contemporary Dance Company winning the Grand Prix at the New Prague Dance Festival to numerous awards the Department of Theatre and Media Arts received from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for their production of “Our Town.” The college continues to thrive as an acclaimed institution of the arts and communications. Highlights of the student awards include more than 20 Graphis awards for Design students, a Student Emmy Animation students received for Ram’s Horn, Communications students receiving Mark of Excellence, Gracie, Addy and Effie awards and a music student receiving an Honorable Mention for Outstanding Music at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. The faculty of the college are also active in remaining competitive amongst their peers on a local, national and international level. Art professors Daniel Everett, Peter Everett and Bryon Draper received awards for their artwork. TMA professor, Stephanie Breinholt received Outstanding Director of a Play and the Innovative Teaching Award from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Design professors, David Dibble, Robert Machoian Graham, Justin Kunz, Eric Gillett and Adrian Pulfer received local and national honors. Two music professors, Rosalind Hall and Ronald Staheli were awarded Creative Works Awards. PRWeek named the School of Communications’ public relations program as one of the top five in the nation. PHOTO BY BYU PHOTO: BYU received 13 national awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for the production of Our Town. Student Achievements of 2015 Faculty Achievements of 2015

Incoming BYU faculty Robert Machoian’s film God Bless the Child was featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Filmmaker magazine and was made an official selection for South by Southwest. The film follows a family of five children ranging from age one to 13 years old over the course of a day after their mother abandoned them, forcing the eldest and only girl to handle her four younger brothers. Although the film is scripted, it has the style of a documentary. A scene from ‘God Bless the Child’ - PHOTO: ROBERT MACHOIAN Machoian’s film has a five star rating on iTunes and glowing reviews in The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. The New York Times praises the filmmakers for using their own children as the actors and letting their internal dynamics drive the action instead of creating characters, stating “their blooming personalities come through with a warm and wonderful immediacy.” Filmmaker magazine sat down with Machoian and his co-director Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck to discuss the challenges of making this film. Read more about the interview here.