Golden Apricot" src="http://www.yerevanreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Movies-by-Armenian-Turkish-Filmmakers-to-Be-Screened-at-Golden-Apricot-300x254.jpg" alt="Movies by Armenian, Turkish Filmmakers to Be Screened at Golden Apricot" width="300" height="254" />YEREVAN (Novosti-Armenia), April 17–Films produced by Armenian and Turkish young filmmakers will be presented at the Yerevan Golden Apricot International Film Festival in 2011, said the director of the festival Armen Khachatryanat at a press conference on April 15.

“Our initial goal was to create a film festival, where young directors could realize themselves. This goal we achieved through our film school, and such projects as “Directors Without Borders” and the Armenian-Turkish movie platform,” said Khachatryan.

He noted that Armenian cinema needs new names and new Armenian films.

The artistic director of the festival, Susanna Harutyunian, said that they held a working meeting of the Armenian-Turkish movie platform during the Istanbul International Film Festival. During the meeting they selected three Armenian and two Turkish projects.

“These projects are funded, and they will be ready for the next year’s Golden Apricot festival. We hope to get high-quality works,” she said.

Harutyunyan said that four of the presented projects are short feature films, and one is a full-length documentary.

According to her, the initiative of the project belongs to the festival and the Turkish organization “Anadolu Kultura,”with the financial support of the US Embassy in Armenia.

The Armenian movies, that received funding Diana Kardumyan’s “Galata,” Mount Baghdasaryan’s “Neighbors” and Arthur Sukiasyan’s “Pigeon’s Master.”

The Golden Apricot film festival is an annual event held each July in Yerevan with the assistance of the Ministry of Culture of Armenia.

This year on July 11-18, the Golden Apricot will be held for the seventh time.

In 2009, about 85 people applied to the “Golden Apricot” film school. Seventy of them were Armenian students, and 15 were students from Russia, Turkey, Georgia, Moldova, Romania and Iran.

Translated from Russian by Yerevan Report

Photo credit: Ryan Baxter