"OPIUM WAR" AT "GOLDEN APRICOT"

Russia Today
July 13 2009

Two Americans get lost in a remote mountainous area in Afghanistan
after the crash of their helicopter. As they cross a poppy field,
they notice armored personnel carriers with a white flag bearing the
Taliban symbol…

"Opium War" is a drama from Afghan filmmaker Siddiq Barmak, which
is vying for the top honors at the "Golden Apricot" International
Film Festival in Yerevan, the capital of the former Soviet Republic
of Armenia.

Barmak got his degree in cinema from the oldest film school in the
world, the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography in Moscow. He has
written several film scripts and directed a number of short films in
Afghanistan, but all his works were banned during the time of the
Taliban. His "Opium War" is a collaborative production involving
Afghanistan, Japan, South Korea and France.

"The Other Bank" by George Ovashvili In its sixth year, the "Golden
Apricot" festival has continued to focus on works from up-and-coming
arthouse directors from around the world. Apart from "Opium War",
some of the highlights this year are "The Other Bank", a drama from
Georgian director George Ovashvili; "Bonded Parallels" from Armenian
filmmaker Hovhannes Galstyan; as well as the Iranian drama "Be Calm
and Count to Seven".

The festival, which runs until July 19, features more than a hundred
feature films and documentaries from America, Russia, Asia and Europe.

The festival’s creative team, headed by their artistic director,
acclaimed Canadian-Armenian filmmaker Atom Egoyan, says they welcome
films representing "diverse ethnic groups, religions, and nations
that depict the human experience, the daily lives of people, ordinary
and extraordinary, their troubles and their joys, as they try to find
meaning in a changing world; as they struggle to redefine themselves
in a world that recognizes fewer and fewer boundaries."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress