Published since 07.2002
Published on July 11, 2008
REEL SUCCESS: GOLDEN APRICOT GROWS TO FIFTH YEAR FOR FILM FANS
- Passionate political activities will be replaced with hot cultural events in Yerevan between July 13 and 20. The cinema screening and discussion week of the Golden Apricot International Film Festival launches as the organizers promise rich cultural crops in the year of rich harvests of apricot. The slogan of the Golden Apricot 5th international film festival is “Armenia – crossroad of cultures and civilizations” that will host this year film director Michelangelo Antonioni’s widow to present both her films about her legendary husband and his art works, and also the chairman of the European Film Academy Wim Wenders, who will chair the Venice festival this year, Iranian director Dariush Mehrjui, renowned French filmmaker Catherine Breillat as well as a number of other famous representatives of cinema world. Harutyun Khachatryan, filmmaker and director of the festival says summarizing the 5 years of the festival’s existence it is “a child that already makes serious independent steps.” “The opening and closing ceremonies may not be perfect yet, it rains and people get wet, but the festival was aimed to introduce Armenian society with high class cinematography, to prompt directors to shoot films, despite the hardships and the festival does serve the purpose and has been a success,” he says. During the 5 years the Golden Apricot has turned both into the much awaited and favorite cultural event for the Armenian public and has also gained renown abroad. As a significant cultural event the festival has been working under the aegis of the European Cultural Parliament since last year and the Council of Europe has granted it a right to hold the symbol of the organization. An indicator of the festival’s rating is that applications for participation in the competition grew by 50 percent over last year. “We have received applications for 450 films from 65 countries of the world – from New Zealand to Chile. The choice was tough, but many of them failed to be included in the festival because of the shortage in cinema halls,” says the program director of the festival Mikayel Stamboltsyan. 160 films will be screened during the 7 days of the festival. And the non-competition programs that are usually the most interesting are titled the Tribute, Arabian Nights, European Panorama and Yerevan Premiere and will give the viewers opportunity to see Francis Ford Coppola’s Youth without Youth and Wim Wender’s latest The Palermo Shooting. A special program is devoted to the 100th anniversary of American Armenian writer William Saroyan that will present films produced in various countries based on his works. (In 1943 Saroyan won an Oscar for the best screenplay for his Human Comedy) Another successful program of the festival is the Directors Across Borders – a regional joint forum that has become a means of cultural dialogue for the countries of the region. Director of the Istanbul International Film Festival Azize Tan has been even included in the jury of feature competition. Turkey has submitted 3 films and 5 projects to the festival. “We have mentioned for many times cinema is a powerful weapon that can do and achieve more than diplomacy. This program is its proof. Unfortunately we have not managed yet to engage Azerbaijan. We invite them every year; they write it is not the time yet: ‘Let’s wait for better times’,” says Stamboltsyan. The upcoming week rich in film will open with the film Birds of Paradise by Ukrainian Armenian director Roman Balayan with the legend of the Russian cinema Oleg Yankovski starring in it. The drama presenting the panorama of the limited freedoms of the Soviet times, the relations between intellectuals and the KGB in those times was included in the Moscow 30th International Film Festival. Despite it did not gain any award, it became a subject of passionate discussions and articles witnessing its success. The closing of the festival is entrusted to Atom Egoyan’s latest film Adoration that won the special ecumenical jury award this year at the Cannes. Kirill Razlogov, director of the Russian Institute for Cultural Research says the Golden Apricot is the best in the region. “The chosen strategy of development is right. The festival has positioned itself as an international festival from the very beginning and maybe its fame in the world is even bigger than in Armenia,” says Doctor of Arts, Professor Kirill Razlogov. The cinema lovers will have to pay just 300 drams (about a dollar) instead of the 1,500 (about $5) made possible owing to VivaCell, the general sponsor of the festival.
- Gayane Abrahamyan
Headlines for July 11, 2008
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Today in Armenian history- 1706 First publication of the "Harsmavoork" periodical in Grigor Marzovantsi's publishing house (Constantinople).
- 1886 Birth of Missak Metsarents (poet). He died in 1908.
- 1904 The Mossoon and Zor battles took place under the leadership of Gayl Vahan and Mihran.
- 1905 After the defeat of Russian forces in the Russo - Japanese War, the Tsar proclaimed an edict on the confiscation of the Etshmiadsin church estates.
- 1906 Death of Heinrich Geltser, German armenologist. He was born in 1847.
- 1906 Death of the German armenologist Heinrich Helzer. He was born in 1847.
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