Golden Apricot Film Festival starts operating in the capital of Armenia

YEREVAN. The 12th Golden Apricot International Film Festival opened on Sunday evening in Yerevan. According to the organizers of a large-scale film forum, the program of the show includes about 200 films from 50 countries of the world.

Traditionally, the festival will be held according to four competitive programs - these are “Documentary Films”, “Fiction Films”, “Bone” and “Armenian Panorama”, in which 34 films from 25 countries will take part. This year, the chairman of the jury of the international competition of the documentary film program is Marek Hovora (Czech Republic). The jury of the international competition for short films “Kostochka” was headed by Hovik Abeshyan (Lithuania), and the national competition “Armenian Panorama” was headed by Alexander Grozev (Bulgaria).

It is noteworthy that Russian films take part in all Golden Apricot nominations. So, the paintings “The End of an Era” by Sofya Chernysheva and “The Switch” by Sergey Dakhin will compete for victory in the “Stone” category, the film “Clinch” by Sergei Puskepalis will participate in the program “Fiction Cinema”. Russian cinema in the “Armenian Panorama” nomination will present the film “Doctor” directed by Anna Goroyan. Out-of-competition screenings under the heading “Directors without Borders” will be opened by Natalia Kudryashova’s work “Hero Pioneers”.

The opening film of the Golden Apricot International Film Festival was the film “The Story of a Madman” by the French director Robert Gedigian, who this year led the jury of the main competition of the show. An honored guest of the film forum is world-famous Italian film actress Ornella Muti. She told the public that she is currently participating in several major film projects, including in Russia, and is "open to cooperation with Armenian filmmakers and actors."

The Golden Apricot International Festival, established in 2004 and organized with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Armenia, is considered one of the most prestigious film forums in the region.

Svetlana Korableva © Gallerix.ru