Mikayel Stamboltsyan, the festival program director, “hinted” at surprises
This year is an anniversary year for Golden Apricot. The festival that will be held on July 7-14 is 10 years old. Aravot inquired of Mikayel Stamboltsyan, the Golden Apricot festival program director and a famous movie critic, what surprises and novelties were expected at Golden Apricot 2013. Our interlocutor said that they would try to uniquely summarize what had been done; the website of the festival www.gaiff.am would be refreshed. “It is common that if the year is an anniversary one, there should be something new – a summary of the final results, new ideas…. On the other hand, we are in the creative and organizational bustle all the time and manage to do routine work. In any case, our website will be refreshed,
in order that there is a possibility to submit an application online, to create a base, in order that movies are connected with each other etc.” Mr. Stamboltsyan informed that they had intended to pay tribute to Charles Aznavour, and the right moment is near. “On the occasion of the jubilee, we will open his star in the square named after him. We thought in the past that we would not open stars of living figures, but Aznavour is indubitable greatness; no one can say why he is there, and I am not. The chansonnier will attend the event. We think that we will show one of his old good movies on the opening day of the festival. Such a movie that almost no one has seen, there will be a short retrospect comprised of 6 movies.” Mikayel Stamboltsyan informed that the opening of the festival will take place in the National Opera Theater, if the renovation was finished before that. “It would be good if everyone comes, many people watch the movies. In my opinion, there is nothing more boring than the opening ceremony. It applies to all festivals, from Cannes to Oscar; it is very boring, the same script, the same form every year.” We inquired whether some fragments of Golden Apricot might be shown on a big screen in open air. The festival program director informed that they had planned something like that. “People will be able to watch outside not only the opening and closing ceremonies, but also perhaps interesting parts of press conferences. We want open-air screenings of movies to be as many as possible, we planned to install screens on Northern Avenue, to use the summer hall of the Moscow Cinema, and there will be concerts in Charles Aznavour Square.” Since Golden Apricot often invites scandalous – in the good sense of the word – directors or brings their movies, we inquired of Mikayel Stamboltsyan whom they had invited this year. “It is still a secret, since the negotiations are not over, but there are such artists about whom we will inform soon,” he said. Then he added that they would invite Golden Apricot award winners of all years and those world-famous directors and filmmakers whom they had awarded Parajanov Thalers. “Perhaps not everyone will be able to come, but a few of them will surely be present. I think that the opening ceremony of the festival will be a bit surprising, if it happens, as we have planned; certainly, there will be new faces.” Mr. Stamboltsyan didn’t mention movie titles, but he said that within the framework of Golden Apricot, viewers would be able to watch the award-winning movies of the Berlin and Cannes festivals. “Besides all this, Ulrich Seidl’s ‘Paradise’ Trilogy (‘Hope,’ ‘Faith,’ and ‘Love’) will be shown. By the way, one of those movies was in Cannes, the others in Venice and Berlin. All three will be shown, and he will come and present them. We will try to have all award-winning movies, along with their director.” The festival program director stated that the compositions of juries were almost drawn up, and the presidents were famous, but he abstained from naming names just yet. “It is difficult to form a jury. All parts of the world should be represented, and there should necessarily be a woman, so that the work is interesting; inclusion of both directors and movie critics is a must,” our interlocutor added and expressed a desire that the government paid more attention to the already mature festival. Mikayel Stamboltsyan also wants people to be informed before coming to watch movies, the competition movies in particular, because according to him, “12 movies are chosen from among several hundred movies. You want them to be the best. And the movies that have already caused sensation don’t need advertising in any event.” And generally, for
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Mr. Stamboltsyan, the most important thing is the first meaning of the word “festival.” “I would like it to be a festival for people, festive atmosphere. If people also enjoy it, good taste is cultivated along with that, our task will be fulfilled.”
GOHAR HAKOBYAN
Aravot Daily
