Filmmaker Harutyun Khachatrian Presented With Prince Claus Award

FILMMAKER HARUTYUN KHACHATRIAN PRESENTED WITH PRINCE CLAUS AWARD

Noyan Tapan
Dec 14, 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, NOYAN TAPAN. The filmmaker Harutyun Khachatrian
has been given a Prince Claus Award – an award of the famous Rrince
Claus Fund (the Netherlands).

The Prince Claus Awards are annual awards given to individuals, groups,
organizations and institutions that have made unique and important
contributions to culture and development within the Prince Claus Fund’s
area of interest. 2007 theme was "Culture and Conflict". The Prince
Claus Award honors Harutyun Khachatrian for the aesthetic quality
and moving content of his films, for preserving images of suffering
caused by conflict as warning for future generations, for raising
the profile of film in Armenia and for his poetic use of cultural
expression to combat conflict.

This is for the second time that a Prince Claus Award was given to
an Armenian artist: in 2005, the actor Mikael Poghosian received the
Prince Claus Award for satirical images created by him on the screen
and stage.

The Ambassador of the Netherlands Onno Elderenbosch (residence –
Tbilisi) presented Harutyun Khachatrian with the award solemnly in
Yerevan on December 14. "The Fund, which was set up after the death of
Prince Claus, gives these awards annually in various countries. Having
discussed Harutyun Khachatrian’s works, the Prince Claus Awards
Committee unanimously decided that he is most worthy of this award,"
the ambassador stated. H. Khachatrian received a certificate and the
monetary award of 25,000 euros.

"I always thought that my films cause concern and worry to people,
while it turned out that people like them. In my opinion, this
appraisal comes from the contents of my films because they directly
raise issues that interest humanity and promote democracy," the
filmmaker said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS