ArmenPress
June 30 2004

GOLDEN APRICOT FILM FESTIVAL STARTS IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JUNE 30, ARMENPRESS: The first “Golden Apricot” Yerevan
International Film Festival opened today at Yerevan’s Moscow Cinema
with premiere of Roman Balayan’s film, “The Night is Bright.” The
Award Ceremony will be held on July 4, 2004 at the same place.
Sixty-seven participants and guests from 19 countries have arrived in
Yerevan to participate in the festival, among them filmmakers,
producers, film critics, actors.
The festival received about 200 films from 20 countries and 121
films are selected for the festival screenings. Eighty-four films are
selected in the festival’s 6 categories of competition (7 feature, 16
documentary, 15 animation and experimental, 7 short, 14 student and
25 video art films).
Sixty-three films are included in non-competition program (28 in
informative, 13 in international and 22 in retrospectives). Most of
them are Yerevan Premieres. Best recent Swedish, Italian, German, and
Bulgarian films, as well as awarded films from Rotterdam Film
Festival will be screened in informative program of the festival.
Film trilogy of Gunnar Berdgahl about famous Swedish filmmaker Ingmar
Bergman is included in the Swedish program.
The films will be screened at Moscow and Nairi Cinemas, Armenian
Center of Contemporary Experimental Art and National Gallery of
Armenia.
The festival has rich program of special events. The 80th
anniversary of founding of Armenian cinema should be celebrated: on
this occasion an exhibition of Armenian film artists’ works will be
opened at the Union of Artists. The world premier of the most recent
Armenian film – “Jeano” by Suren Babayan, will be screened. Together
with Parajanov Museum and the National Cinematheque of Armenia,
filmmaker Sergei Parajanov’s 80th birthday will be celebrated during
the festival, with a showing of his works and site visits to the
places where Parajanov shot his films. His wife and son will be
present. A French artist will present an open-air installation
devoted to Parajanov at the National Cinematheque.
In addition, there will also be other jubilee celebrations: the
80th anniversary of the founding of Armenian cinema, and the 80th
birthday of French singer Charles Aznavour. For the first time, there
will be a Blessing of the Apricot Feast.
Armenia’s Public Television will cover all festival related events
and they will be broadcasted for the Armenian audience as well as by
satellite to Europe, the CIS and the Middle East, as well as some
parts of the US.