The world’s most delicious festival, movies and apricots
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Temmuz 11, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Turkish directors are in Armenian capital of Yerevan to attend the International Golden Apricot Film Festival, which will be organized for the sixth time this year. Directors from all around the world will gather around the theme of 'Directors Across Borders'
One after another, renowned international festivals are rolling into the region this summer. This July, the big festival destination is the Armenian capital, Yerevan. Between July 12 and 19, more than 110 films from 65 countries, including Turkey, will be shown during the 6th International Vosge Zsiran (Golden Apricot) Film Festival.
One of the most comprehensive film festivals in the Caucasus, the international festival bears the name apricot, one of the symbols of Armenia.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, the festival’s program director Michael Stampolsyan and press representative Seda Papoyan provided information about the festival.
Papoyan said many national and international festivals are organized in Yerevan in the spring and summer, and added that the city was ready to be painted the color of apricots and welcome its guests in July once again.
This year the festival will also feature renowned directors Rob Nilsson (United States), Jerzy Skolimowski (Poland) and Kohei Oguri (Japan). Atom Egoyan and his actress wife, Arsineh Khanjan, are also expected to attend this year’s festival.
In previous years, the festival hosted many other celebrated directors, including Atom Egoyan (Canada), Wim Wenders (Germany), Abbas Kiarostami (Iran), Catherine Breillat (France), Nikita Mikhalkov (Russia) and Goran Paskelevic (Serbia).
Apricots will be blessed
The opening film of the festival will be French director Laurent Tuel’s "Le Premier Cercle" (The First Circle), starring Jean Reno.
As in previous years, Armenia’s newly harvested apricots will be blessed during special church ceremonies before the opening of the festival. In addition to apricots, grapes are also blessed in churches during the grape harvest in Armenian tradition. Every year, on the second Sunday of August, grapes are blessed during celebrations organized for the memory of the Virgin Mary, which are also honored by the tradition of fasting. The celebrations go back to pre-Christian times.
Turkish and Armenian directors have been producing common projects for some time, with mutual filming sessions held in both countries. This collaboration has been seen at festivals in both Turkey and Armenia.
Turkish films met with Armenian audiences for the first time last year at the Golden Apricot Festival. This year, the festival will welcome a Turkish director again, Özcan Alper, and his film "Sonbahar" (Autumn). Among thse that were released last year, the film won a number of national and international awards, such as the Art & Essay CICAE Prize at the International Locarno Film Festival.
Stampolsyan said examples of Turkish cinema would not only be limited to Alper’s film, adding that films from contemporary Turkish cinema would also be screened under the section titled "Directors Across Borders." "Eniz Rıza from Turkey will be among the jury members of documentary films," he said.
Papoyan said the festival had many sections. He said films from French, German, Dutch and Czech cinema would be shown under the titled "One Day in Europe."
Another attraction at the festival will be "Arabian Nights." Papoyan said this section would present the masters of Arabian cinema to the audience. According to Stampolsyan, the most special part of the festival is the one that is dedicated to the 85th birthday of Russian director with Armenian origin Sergey Parajanov. The section will screen the director’s films. There will also be workshops and panels as part of the festival.
www.gaiff.am
One of the most comprehensive film festivals in the Caucasus, the international festival bears the name apricot, one of the symbols of Armenia.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, the festival’s program director Michael Stampolsyan and press representative Seda Papoyan provided information about the festival.
Papoyan said many national and international festivals are organized in Yerevan in the spring and summer, and added that the city was ready to be painted the color of apricots and welcome its guests in July once again.
This year the festival will also feature renowned directors Rob Nilsson (United States), Jerzy Skolimowski (Poland) and Kohei Oguri (Japan). Atom Egoyan and his actress wife, Arsineh Khanjan, are also expected to attend this year’s festival.
In previous years, the festival hosted many other celebrated directors, including Atom Egoyan (Canada), Wim Wenders (Germany), Abbas Kiarostami (Iran), Catherine Breillat (France), Nikita Mikhalkov (Russia) and Goran Paskelevic (Serbia).
Apricots will be blessed
The opening film of the festival will be French director Laurent Tuel’s "Le Premier Cercle" (The First Circle), starring Jean Reno.
As in previous years, Armenia’s newly harvested apricots will be blessed during special church ceremonies before the opening of the festival. In addition to apricots, grapes are also blessed in churches during the grape harvest in Armenian tradition. Every year, on the second Sunday of August, grapes are blessed during celebrations organized for the memory of the Virgin Mary, which are also honored by the tradition of fasting. The celebrations go back to pre-Christian times.
Turkish and Armenian directors have been producing common projects for some time, with mutual filming sessions held in both countries. This collaboration has been seen at festivals in both Turkey and Armenia.
Turkish films met with Armenian audiences for the first time last year at the Golden Apricot Festival. This year, the festival will welcome a Turkish director again, Özcan Alper, and his film "Sonbahar" (Autumn). Among thse that were released last year, the film won a number of national and international awards, such as the Art & Essay CICAE Prize at the International Locarno Film Festival.
Stampolsyan said examples of Turkish cinema would not only be limited to Alper’s film, adding that films from contemporary Turkish cinema would also be screened under the section titled "Directors Across Borders." "Eniz Rıza from Turkey will be among the jury members of documentary films," he said.
Papoyan said the festival had many sections. He said films from French, German, Dutch and Czech cinema would be shown under the titled "One Day in Europe."
Another attraction at the festival will be "Arabian Nights." Papoyan said this section would present the masters of Arabian cinema to the audience. According to Stampolsyan, the most special part of the festival is the one that is dedicated to the 85th birthday of Russian director with Armenian origin Sergey Parajanov. The section will screen the director’s films. There will also be workshops and panels as part of the festival.
www.gaiff.am