"GOLDEN APRICOT" FOURTH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL FINISHES ITS PROCEEDINGS

Noyan Tapan
Jul 17 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. The official closing ceremony of the
"Golden Apricot" fourth International Festival took place on the
"Azatutiun" ("Freedom") square of Yerevan late in the evening of
July 14, and the representatives of the judges of five nominations
announced the results of the competitive programs.

The ecumenical judges of the interchurch international film
organization, who were headed by Hans Hodel, the Chairman of the
organization, awarded Karla Karapetian with an encouraging prize for
the film "The Screamers" (Great Britain). The main prize was handed to
Vardan Hovhannisian for the the documentary film " A Story of People
in War and Peace" (The Republic of Armenia).

The same film by Vardan Hovhannisian was also awarded with the prize
of the judges of the "FIPRESCI" International Association of film
journalists and film critics, which was presented in the film festival
for the first time.

This year the most films were presented in the "Armenian Panorama"
competition: 23 films. In this nomination Ashot Mkrtchian (Armenia)
with the film "Seven Indian Boys" and Igor Spasian (the Russian
Federation) with the film "Grafifty" were awarded with diplomas. Karen
Hovhannisian (the Russian Federation) with the film "I Stay" was
awarded with the special prize of the judges. Vardan Hovhannisian
was also rewarded the "Silver Apricot" for the same film in the same
nomination, and Karla Karapetian was awarded with the main prize,
that is to say, the "Golden Apricot" for the film "The Screamers".

In the competition of documentary films the judges unanimously agreed
to award Vardan Hovhannisian with the main prize, and as for the
"Silver Apricot", it was handed to K. Kristian (Belgium) for the film
"White Camel".

Among the ten films presented in the film festival the judges
awarded the film "Flandria" by Bruno Dumon with a special diploma
in the drawing competiion. The silver prize was granted to the film
"New Light" by Emanuele Krialeze, and as for the first prize, it was
handed to Ulrich Zaydeli from Australia for the films "Import-Export".

The film "Dinner Time" by the young producer Gor Baghdasarian became
the winner of the "Kenats Tsar" ("Tree of Life") award-giving ceremony
of the film festival.

By the way, this year the management of the film festival had defined
cash prizes for the main prizes in competitive programs: 2 million
drams for the main prize in international drawing competition, and
one million drams in "Armenian Panorama" competitions for each of
the international documentary and national films.

Haroutiun Khachatrian, the President of the festival, expressed his
gratitude to all those, who voluntarily supported the organization
process of the film festival: "We will start to work in the direction
of organizing the fifth film festival from tommorow and we hope
that still more famous producers and films will come to Armenia year
after year."

It should also be mentioned that the "Tonino Guerra" fund rewarded
Haroutiun Khachatrian, the Founder and President of the festival
and a film producer, the "Amarcord" prize, which will, probably,
be handed to him in October, when the legandary film producer will
arrive in the Republic of Armenia.