On July 12 in Yerevan the 12th Golden Apricot International Film Festival in a row. This year the festival received a record number of applications, 1600 from 105 countries, which reflects its growing popularity. As a part of the festival, four competition programs are scheduled: fiction, documentary films, 'Armenian Panorama' and the short film competition 'Bone'. For the competitive display 76 films have been selected, 12 of them will compete in the category of 'feature film',13 in 'documentary', 17 in 'Armenian Panorama' and 34 in the category of short films 'Stone'.
In the 'world cinema' category films will be presented, 'Clinch' (Russia), 'Dora, or Sexual Neuroses of our Parents' (Switzerland, Germany), 'In the Arms of a Snake' (Columbia), 'The End of Winter' (South Korea), ' The Law of the Market' (France), and 'Fire' (Argentina).
The geography of the competition of short films and documentaries covers the UK, Austria, Belgium, Poland, Iran, Spain, Germany, Turkey, Syria, Armenia and other countries. The main topics of the films competition are social and human problems. In the short and documentary films section relationships between people are depicted, the problem of loneliness, the expression of dissent, environmental problems.
The Golden Apricot Film Festival will also present the project 'New French Cinema' and 'New German Cinema'. The project 'Armenian-Turkish Platform' will presente 10 films made by filmmakers from Armenia, Turkey and the Armenian diaspora. This year the festival organizers have prepared two programs - 'We Have', and 'Never Again'. In the first one, screenings of the Armenian genocide are planned, and the second one focuses on works about the Holocaust and genocides worldwide.
The festival will be opened by a screening of the film by French director of Armenian origin, Robert Gedikyana 'Do Not Tell Me That the Boy Was Crazy'. This film, which was presented at the festival in Cannes this year, is devoted to the consequences of genocide.
The Golden Apricot will close with a screening of the film 'Namus' ('Honor'), shot by Amo Beknazaryanom in 1925. The screening will be dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Armenian cinema.
During the festival anniversaries and recitals, round tables, workshops and seminars will be held. Honored guests of the festival will be Ornella Muti and Nastastya Kinski. Guests of the festival in different years were screenwriter Tonino Guerra, director Kshistof Zanussi, Alexei Sokurov, actress Claudia Cardinale and Fanny Ardant.
The festival can be considered a successful project in the field of culture, it continues to develop, contributing to Armenia's recognition in the world and the development of cultural ties. The Festival performs the function of developing Armenian cinema.
"An important role is played by the issue of acquainting Armenian filmmakers with the best works of the world cinema, the involvement of representatives of our art in this area. In fact, film is the most important weapon of any nation, any country. I think that the festival has a serious impact on the development of our cinema.
It is appropriate to draw parallels between the current state of Armenian film production and how it was 10 years ago. I hope that in subsequent years the number of representatives of Armenian art, engaged in film, will grow and the number of our films will increase," the director general of the festival, Arutyun Khachatryan says.
The palette of the Golden Apricot is complemented by Armenian traditions and symbols. After all, the apricot, which coincides with the maturation of the festival, along with pomegranates and grapes, is one of the symbols of Armenia. The special charm of the symbolism is attached to it, so that every year on the opening day of the festival in the St. Zoravar church a ritual of baptizing the apricot is held. The apricots are brought to the yard of the church in huge baskets, and everyone can try them. By definition of the corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences, ethnographer Levon Abrahamyan, feedback appeared thanks to the festival in the symbolism of the apricot: the apricot in Armenia today is not only a sign of benevolent nature, but also a sign of strength and development of the arts.
Yerevan lives a rich cultural life: concerts, exhibitions, music festivals and competitions, continuously updated repertoires of the theaters. In this kaleidoscope of cultural events the Golden Apricot occupies a leading position. The bright, colorful festival, through which Armenia attracts prominent representatives of world cinema, has become a major cultural festival in Armenia. Holidays, days during which the air in Yerevan tingles with love for cinematography, happy emotions, pleasant bustle, jazz and the aroma of apricots are merging.
