JOURNALISTS MEET WITH CHINESE AND IRANIAN DIRECTORS WITHIN FRAMEWORK OF GOLDEN APRICOT

NOYAN TAPAN

JU LY 16

Within the framework of the Golden Apricot (Voske Tsiran) 5th
International Film Festival, on July 15, Armenian journalists met with
Chinese director S. Cai, the author of The Red Awn film, and Iranian
director Abolfazl Saffary taking part in the contest of fiction films.

According to Mikayel Stamboltsian, the director of festival’s programs,
a cinema critic, 25 years ago Iranian and Chinese cinematography
developed rapidly. He said that Armenian film spectators already
thanks to the previous festivals had a possibility to deal with
Iranian cinematography classics but had not dealt with the Chinese
ones yet. In his opinion, it will be especially interesting to see
films by new generation’s representatives, thanks to which "we will
receive the new word of those countries’ cinematography."

"Iranian cinematography classics spoke about simple truths and
the young people have started doubting these thruths. Saffary’s
film, for instance, shows that simple thruths are not so simple,"
M. Stamboltsian said.

The Iranian director has happily brought his film End of the Earth
to Armenia, as its showing had been prohibited in Iran for two years
and only this year it has received a right of showing. This is the
director’s first fiction film. Before that he shot documentary,
feature, and short films.

According to him, however, "in this case also documentary’s influence
is seen."

According to Chinese director S. Cai, The Rad Awn film is about people
who have lost their place and are between a city and a village. "1
million people move to Chinese cities every year. The reason is that
they have lost their lands or strive for a happy life, but they do
not become city dwellers, either, and lose their identity," the artist
said. The Red Awn’s hero, nevertheless, choses the city. The director
conditions this by the fact that the youth has no other way. "Maybe
it is cruel, but it is reality," he said.

According to S. Cai, he is very happy to visit Armenia: "I am here for
the first time, but I have the impression that I have known Armenia
for already a long time."