Golden Apricot Archives

The “Golden Apricot” 15th Jubilee International Film Festival. the prestigious awarding ceremony

July 16, 2018 By administrator

French-Armenian talented director Arnaud Khayadjanian

Yesterday, the prestigious ceremony of awarding “Golden”, “Silver” apricots as well as a number of other awards took place in Yerevan, at The “Golden Apricot” 15th Jubilee International Film Festival.

The Ministry of Diaspora highly appreciates the significance and role of the Golden Apricot festival in Armenia’s cultural life, considering it not only as a festival of cinema, but also festival art and culture. It was for that reason that I told the organizers of the film festival a month ago that it would be a great honor for the Ministry of Diaspora to have at least a modest investment of contribution.

And here’s the first, but not the last time, at the jubilee film festival, the Ministry of Diaspora handed a special prize to young Armenian film directors. The first prize winner was French-Armenian talented director Arnaud Khayadjanian for the film “We are Our Mountains.”

I also gave a short speech in which I particularly thanked the organizers, sponsors, and congratulated all of us on the 15th anniversary of Golden Apricot.

Yerevan: Golden Apricot presents first 360° educational film in Armenia

July 13, 2016 By administrator

On the sidelines of the Golden Apricot International Film Festival, the first ever Armenian 360° educational movie, produced by Technology and Science, was presented in Yerevan.
Speaking to Tert.am, the company’s director, Vahe Shakaryan, said they produce movies for school-age children in an effort to facilitate their learning of different subjects.
“Films of the kind are in high demand abroad, so we must do everything possible to provide a free access to them . We are hopeful that by September, we will have at least three movies to screen in different schools. This movie is about astronomy; the next two movies will deal with biology and chemistry,” he explained.
The recent movie’s scenario, which was produced in Armenia, was written jointly by psychologists and pedagogues.
Shakaryan said the choice of disciplines focused on the subjects children normally have difficulty learning.
“Our purpose is to develop in the children a desire to return to books, making them delve deeper into the subjects they learn,” he said, adding that they are planning film screenings also in the regions.
The authors have prepared short-length movies (10-15 min.) not to bore the children.

Golden Apricot: Int’l festival brings new famous “guests of honor” to Armenia

July 14, 2015 By administrator

The 12th edition of one of the most eagerly awaited Armenian film festivals of the year, Golden Apricot, has brought world famous movie stars to Armenia, turning its capital into a unique cultural center.

On Sunday the honorable guests of the festival Italian and German actresses Ornella Muti and Nastassja Kinski as well as other guests and famous artists walked the red carpet before the opening ceremony held at the National Opera and Ballet Theater in Yerevan.

The opening ceremony was marked by two special awards, Parajanov Thaler Award (honoring a Soviet filmmaker of Armenian origin Sergey Parajanov – 1924-1990) granted by the festival to two of this year’s guests of honor Muti and Kinski.

French-Armenian actor and filmmaker Serge Avedikian noted at the opening ceremony that 2015 was unique since Golden Apricot organized film screenings commemorating of the centennial of the Armenian Genocide.

The 2015 Golden Apricot international film festival was launched with the screening of French-Armenian film director, producer and screenwriter Robert Guédiguian “Crazy Story” film. Guédiguian also heads the jury of the festival’s international feature film competition.

The French-Armenian filmmaker noted that the main goal of the film telling about the Armenian genocide is the presentation of the memory of Armenians.

“It’s always stated that the winners write history and only memory remains for the defeated, but this memory passes through years and again finds ways to create with the help of culture or sometimes weapons,” said the director, hoping that his film would help to get the message about the history of Armenians across the entire world.

On Monday evening the honorable guests of the 12th Golden Apricot international film festival were received by Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan.

This year the festival had received as many as 1,600 applications from 105 countries of the world. A total 76 films have been chosen for the festival.

World-renowned German actress Nastassja Kinski arrives in Armenia

July 11, 2015 By administrator

By Shushan Shatikyan

hotos by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am STYLE

World-renowned German actress and former model Nastassja Kinski has arrived in Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia, minutes ago.

The 2015 Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival creative staff—led by its director, filmmaker Harutyun Khachatryan—was at the airport to welcome the special guest of the festival.
Kinski, speaking briefly to reporters, said she is happy to be in Armenia.

“I love Armenia, and I will still learn much about it,” she noted.

The retrospective screenings in this year’s Golden Apricot are devoted to the films where Nastassja Kinski has played.

George Clooney will be there in Armenia for the film festival “Golden Apricot”?

June 27, 2015 By administrator

George Clooney

We had announced the presence in Armenia of the US actor George Clooney as part of the commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Today some mention his coming to Armenia for the Armenian Film Festival “Golden Apricot” (Voske Dziran). Cutting short the rumors Datévik Manoukian, the head of international relations of the Festival “Golden Apricot” said at a press conference Friday “It is true that we hear rumors about the presence of George Clooney at the Festival” Golden Apricot “in the project 100 lives in 2016 but for the 2015 edition of our festival, we have no invitation addressed to him.”

Recall that George Clooney is engaged in the project to 100 lives to honor worldwide on 100 “Righteous” who saved the lives of Armenians during the 1915 genocide, a project funded by Vartanian Roupen a rich man ‘Armenian Russian affair.

Krikor Amirzayan

Armenia GOLDEN APRICOT festival receives 1,600 film submissions

June 26, 2015 By administrator

The GOLDEN APRICOT 12TH Yerevan International Film Festival presented its competition programs at the press conference held on 26th of June.

This year the festival has received around 1,600 film submissions from 105 countries. 76 films are selected for competition programs, from which 12 films will be vying in the International Feature, 13 in the International Documentary, 17 in the Armenian Panorama and 34 films in the “Apricot Stone” Short Film competitions. The geography of the competing films includes 26 countries.

“Regrettably, not all festivals have short film competitions,” Vardan Hakobyan, a selection committee member, told reporters on Friday.

European Games: First Russia’s ethnic Armenian wrestler Stepan Maryanyan “gold” in Baku

June 15, 2015 By administrator

Russia’s ethnic Armenian wrestler Stepan Maryanyan

Despite all the booing and hissing from the hostile crowd in Baku, Russia’s ethnic Armenian wrestler Stepan Maryanyan managed to win the gold medal at the first-ever European Games taking place in the Azerbaijani capital.

The match between Maryanyan and Soslan Daurov from Belarus in the men’s 59kg Greco-Roman final took place in extraordinary conditions as spectators in the hall were exerting great psychological pressure on the Armenian all the time.

“It wasn’t easy,” Maryanyan said as quoted by Associated Press after the match. “I tried not to pay attention to that weight in the hall, the pressure. I actually enjoyed myself, even though they had that attitude toward me.”

On the way to the final Maryanyan beat Armenia representative Roman Amoyan as well as Elman Mukhtarov, a Greco-Roman wrestler from Azerbaijan who was fiercely supported by the home crowd during the bout.

Later, Amoyan lost to Mukhtarov in the bronze medal match that also took place in conditions of spectator pressure on the Armenian. According to media reports, Amoyan was even booed while he was receiving treatment for a head cut.

Twenty-four other Armenian athletes are due to compete in six sports (sambo martial arts, shooting, judo, wrestling, boxing, and taekwondo) at the Games that will be held through June 28.

The Armenian delegation was already booed and hissed at during the athletes’ parade at the Games opening ceremony on Friday.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a bitter conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh since the late 1980s. More than 30,000 people were killed in the Armenian-Azerbaijani war in 1992-1994. Despite the current ceasefire soldiers on both sides continue to lose their lives in cross-border skirmishes.

The National Olympic Committee of Armenia made the decision to send athletes to Baku after representatives of the International and European Olympic committees as well as the government of Azerbaijan provided security guarantees for them.

Some leading athletes, including world wrestling champions Arsen Julfalakyan and Artur Alexanyan, decided to skip the Games, officially explaining their decisions by the need to train for the world championships due in September.

Many in Armenia and its worldwide Diaspora have also criticized the country’s sporting community for its decision to send athletes to the Games that are widely viewed as a means for Azerbaijan’s authoritarian regime to promote its international image.

Golden Apricot: Armenia to host 12th edition of int’l film festival next month

June 15, 2015 By administrator

By Sara Khojoyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

This year for the 12th time Yerevan will host a Golden Apricot International Film Festival, which will take place from July 12 to 19.

The main program of the festival, besides the traditional four nominations, will be full of extra-competition nominations; two of them on the topic of the Genocide.

Films telling about the Armenian Genocide will be represented in the nomination We Exist, and works telling about genocides in the world – in the nomination Never Again, Mikayel Stambultsyan, program manager of the festival, told reporters.

“We have two big good projects: New French Film and New German Film, which are quite abundant and new names will be presented,” Stambultsyan said.

The festival this year will be special considering the cooperation with the project Film Directors Without Limits, which is held together with the Ministry of Culture; it will host Ministers and Deputy Ministers of Culture from other countries, Armenian Deputy Minister of Culture Artur Poghosyan said.

“Golden Apricot is the International Festival which has become a symbol of our culture during these years,” he said adding that the Festival is the most well-known and the most popular visit-card of the Armenian culture in the world.

The annually increasing number of application for participation in the festival is a proof to this. This year the organizers of the festival received 1,600 applications from 105 countries (in 2014 1500 applications from 95 countries were received).

“Annually the number of presented films and participating countries increases. This year we received applications from African and Latin American countries,” Syuzanna Harutyunyan, the artistic director of the festival said.

“Film artists from the whole world send applications and express desire to come and participate, recognize Armenia, get to know to Armenian film and present their films here,” she added.

Yerevan Golden Apricot 11th International Film Festival: winners announced

July 20, 2014 By administrator

The Golden Apricot Yerevan 11^th International Film Festival has come to its end, the official website reports.

The Boards of Juries of International Feature, International Documentary, the Armenian Panorama and the Apricot Stone short film competition as well as the FIPRESCI and ECUMENICAL accordingly have announced this year’s competition results at the official closing ceremony of the festival on July 19 held at the Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Yerevan.

Below is the list of winners:

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE COMPETITION

GOLDEN APRICOT (1st Price): The Tribe, dir.: Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy (Ukraine)

SILVER APRICOT (Runner Up): Blind Dates, dir.: Levan Koguashvili (Georgia)

Special Jury Mention: Still Life, dir.: Uberto Pasolini (UK/Italy)

INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

GOLDEN APRICOT (1st Price): The Stone River, dir.: Giovanni Donfrancesco (Italy/France)

SILVER APRICOT (Runner Up): Domino Effect, dir.: Elwira Niewera, Piotr Rssolowski

APRICOT STONE SHORT COMPETITION

GOLDEN APRICOT (1st Price): Though I Know the River is Dry, dir.: Omar Robert Hamilton, (Palestine/Egypt/Qatar/UK)
Special Jury Prize: Red Hulk, dir.: Asimina Proedrou, (Greece)

ARMENIAN PANORAMA

GOLDEN APRICOT (1st Price) Fiction Feature-Length: Tevanik, dir.: Jivan Avetissyan, (Armenia/Lithuania)

GOLDEN APRICOT (1st Price) Fiction Short-Length: Milky Brother, dir.: Vahram Mkhitaryan, (Poland/Armenia)

SILVER APRICOT (Runner Up): Fiction Feature-Length: Romanticists, dir.: Areg Azatyan & Shoghik Tadevossian, (Armenia)
Special Diploma: Please, Be Normal, dir.: Hayk Kocharian (USA)

Hrant Matevossian Special Prize for Best Script: Milky Brother, dir.: Vahram Mkhitaryan (Poland/Armenia) Script: Vahram Mkhitaryan, Aleksandra Majdzińska

FIPRESCI JURY PRIZE

The Tribe, dir.: Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy (Ukraine)

ECUMENICAL JURY PRIZE

The Abode, dir.: Lusine Sargsyan (Armenia)

Special Commendation – Blind Dates, dir.: Levan Koguashvili (Georgia)

SPECIAL AWARDS

Queen Nuard Special Award of the National Union of Cinematographers:

Please, Be Normal, dir.: Hayk Kocharyan, (USA)

Andin Armenian Journey Chronicles, dir.: Ruben Giney, (China/Armenia/Russia/India)

ARMEN MAZMANIAN SPECIAL AWARD

Resurrection, dir.: Alain Manoukyan, (Armenia)

The closing ceremony was celebrated also with two special awards granted by the festival to two of this year honourable guests. More specifically, GOLDEN APRICOT was pleased to grant Jia Zhangke, a renowned Chinese filmmaker with special Parajanov Thaler Award for the contribution in the world cinematography. Marco Muller, a distinguished film critic and the Chairman of the Feature Competition Jury at GOLDEN APRICOT this year was also awarded with Parajanov Thaler Award for the contribution to the world film festivals’ development.

At the start of closing ceremony the festival management awarded Mrs. Hasmik Poghosyan, the Minister of Culture of the RA with special Parajanov Medal. The ceremony was closed with festival management granting the Mayor of Yerevan, Mr. Taron Margaryan with special Mantashyan Knight Gold Medal.
Source: tert.am