Actress/ Producer Nora Armani finished filming the Netflix feature Absolute Dominion directed by the Oscar-nominated Lexi Alexander, and is back in Yerevan to teach a summer course at the American University of Armenia.
Well known for her screen and stage work internationally, Armani completed two feature films in the last two years, Absolute Dominion and I am Gitmo directed by Phillippe Diaz (screened at the Cannes Film Festival recently); the TV series Blacklist: Redemption, and a short film Lazy People. She also performed a new version of her solo show, Back on the Couch with Nora Armani, on Theatre Row in New York City as part of the prestigious UnitedSolo Theatre Festival, then on tour in Toronto, and Montreal.
Absolute Dominion is a sci-fi martial-arts action film from Oscar-nominated writer/ director Lexi Alexander (Green Street Hooligans, Punisher: War Zone). The story is set in 2085 A.D. in a world destroyed by religious warfare. Desperate to save humanity, global governing forces host a no-holds-barred, martial arts tournament between competing faiths where the last fighter standing wins Absolute Dominion for one faith.
Better Call Saul actress Julie Ann Emery, actor/comedian Patton Oswalt, Bill and Ted’s Alex Winter, and Regan Gomez (Love, Inc., Queen Sugar) are among the cast of the feature-length actioner which Blumhouse Television is producing for Netflix. No release date is known at this time.
Armani is currently working on two other feature films, namely Jukebox by Finnish director Rax Rinnekangas, and Ziggy and Rachel, a feature film to be shot in New York which Armani is also producing.
On stage, Armani is currently in preparation with the solo version of Anush Aslibekyan’s play Mercedes and Zaruhi for a New York premiere in November as part of the UnitedSolo Theatre Festival. Armani played the lead role of Zaruhi in the play’s full cast version directed by Hakob Ghazanchyan at the Patani Handisates Theatre in 2015. The production was revived in 2019 when Armani was in Yerevan.
The course that Armani is teaching at AUA is about the actor’s or performer’s Presence, and finding one’s Voice. “I believe it is very important, not only for actors and artists in general, but also for everyone, politicians and government officials, to be present in the moment. We have suffered a great deal as a nation, but also as individuals, and as humans. All that past suffering should not dictate our present and future behavior. Learning to be in the moment, and practicing “presence” can be very beneficial to everyone in all life situations. Teaching is a very rewarding experience, and I learn a lot in the process.” Said Armani with her usual positive manner.
We wish the actress a happy and fruitful sojourn in Armenia.
