S. HAROUTIUNIAN: CINEMA IS THE STRONGEST "ARMS" OF SPREADING PEACE AND TOLERANCE

Noyan Tapan
Jul 13 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The forum "Joint Regional Film
Production" held within the framework of the Golden Apricot (Voske
Tsiran) international film festival on July 12 summed up the results:
the film "Susa" of young Georgian film director Georgy Chalauri
received the prize instituted by the Hubert Bals fund. It was awarded
a diploma and a monetary prize of 5000 euros. The forum’s second prize
was given to Armenian film director Vardan Hovhannisian for his film
"The Equilibrist." The prize of 5000 euros was given by the Armenian
Cinema Center and the Golden Apricot Fund for Cinema Development.

Susanna Haroutiunian, festival’s Art Director, said that 30 films
of directors representing the Azeri, Georgian, Turkish, Armenian,
Russian, and other nations took part in the forum this year. The
commission chose only 12 out of them.

In S. Haroutiunian’s words, the forum was held within the framework
of the Directors Without Borders European program and has the goal
to promote regional cooperation and peace through cinematography, as
today cinema is the best "arms" for peace fight and establishment. This
program has been founded on the ititiative of Persian director Mohsen
Makhmalbaf.