Renowned guests, award-winning international films: the 21st “Golden Apricot” festival kicks off

YEREVAN, 7 JULY, ARMENPRESS. The “Golden Apricot” international film festival in Yerevan has been welcoming world-renowned filmmakers and Cannes, Berlin and Venice Film Festival nominated and Oscar-winning films for more than twenty years. 

The twenty-first “Golden Apricot”, which will span from July 7-14, has launched in the Karen Demirchyan Complex in Yerevan. 

The festival’s traditional red carpet has been replaced with carpets made by local artists inspired by the works of Davit Khachunts. 

The opening of the festival was entrusted to Canadian-Armenian director Atom Egoyan with his new film “Seven Veils”, which had already premiered during the Toronto 2023 Film Festival. The film is a reinterpretation of Richard Strauss’s opera “Salome”, in which Amanda Seyfried takes on the role of a theater director trying to bring to life her vision of the Biblical story.

Prior to the film’s screening, Mayor Tigran Avinyan highlighted that in the past years, Yerevan has hosted many cultural events, which have helped breathe new life into the city. 

“Among these events, the 'Golden Apricot’ has been a staple and we are united once again for the twenty-first time. I am thankful for all the people thanks to whom this festival is possible,” Avinyan said.

Avinyan emphasized the importance of guests actively participating in the event and greeted the two-time Oscar winning director Alexander Payne, renowned directors Tarsem Singh and Atom Egoyan and actor Kevin Spacey.

Avinyan announced last year that the municipality will take on a more active role in the film industry. He added that thanks to their efforts, five short films about Yerevan have been produced, and will be shown at the festival.

According to Armenia’s Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan, the ‘Golden Apricot’ has become an integral part of Yerevan’s summer. 

“Conversations regarding the festival start early and continue even after the festival concludes, which demonstrates how important it has become for the film industry. We are proud to be supporting the festival and are more than certain that the film industry will further develop in our country, as the constitutional changes in the past years have opened room for new opportunities. I specifically want to highlight the possibilities for joint film production which are a wonderful opportunity that will be fully supported by governmental aid," stated Andreasyan.

Andreasyan promised that the festival will provide attendees with opportunities to meet its acclaimed guests. She also highlighted that we live in difficult times, which result in difficult conversations that may be possible to have through the medium of art, particularly films as they help discuss issues that are impossible to discuss otherwise. 

“The festival is part of something grander: it’s part of eternity, time and future history,” stated the artistic director of ‘Golden Apricot’ Karen Avetisyan. 

The festival has an established tradition of handing out “Parajanov's Thaler” to those who have contributed significantly to the film industry. Avetisyan gave his award to Kevin Spacey, who went on stage after a montage of highlights of his career. 

Spacey said that it is a great honor to be part of the festival. He thanked the organizers, who had chosen the day of the opening to be July 7, which coincides with the Armenian Vardavar festival. Spacey admitted to having been splashed with water. He noted that as he was watching the montage, he would start to remember all the directors, scriptwriters, and other people who had made his career possible. 

“By honoring me, you are honoring all the people who have contributed to making these films a reality, who have changed my life,” Spacey stressed.

The director of the Yerevan cognac factory, Sergey Khachatryan, gifted Atom Egoyan with cognac dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Charles Aznavour, who was featured in Egoyan’s “Ararat” film. 

“When I was a child, I would listen to Aznavour’s songs, as my parents loved him very much. I was very tense and nervous when I had to meet him for the first time and ask that he play in my film. I remember that Aznavour said that he appreciated our history being told in an unconventional way, as our history in itself is unconventional. I will never forget our moments spent together at the Cannes Film Festival,” said Egoyan, who was then handed “Parajanov's Thaler” by festival founder and director Harutyun Khachatryan. 

“Me and co-founders of the festival Mikayel Stamboltsyan and Susanna Harutyunyan had decided to establish it. We were told that there was no need for a festival as there were no films, no theatres. But we founded it, and the very first award went to our beloved director Atom Egoyan,” said Khachatryan.

Moments from Egoyan’s films were then shown, featuring his wife Arsinée Khanjian. Egoyan admitted that each of his works is one he shares with her, and that receiving the award is akin to a dream.

Following the speeches and the handing out of “Parajanov's Thaler”, co-founders Harutyun Khachatryan, Mikayel Stamboltsyan and Susanna Harutyunyan went up the stage and announced the start of the twenty-first ‘Golden Apricot’.

The festival will present to its audience films from different countries, as well as films from the renowned festivals of Cannes, Berlin and others. The films will be shown at the Cinema House, Malyan Theater and Moscow Cinema. The festival will pay special attention to the 100th anniversaries of legends Charles Aznavour and Sergei Parajanov.