YEREVAN (Combined Sources)–The fourth annual “Golden Apricot” international film festival kicked off at Freedom Square with an outdoor opening ceremony that will allow the public to feel the spirit of the “Genuine Art of Cinema.”
One of the novelties of the opening ceremony was the Tree of Life (Kenats Tsar) placed on the stage. Per Armenian folklore, if a person ties a ribbon on this tree, his/her wish will come true. All the participating directors will have the chance to tie the name of their film on the tree and at the end of the festival one of the movies will be selected at random to gain a special prize.
The opening ceremony also included the traditional Blessing of Apricot, the address of the president of the festival, Minister of Culture and other luminaries. The ceremony ended with fireworks marking the beginning of the festival.
The ceremony was followed by an outdoor screening of the “Lark Farm” by Vittorio and Paolo Taviani, which is considered to be the centerpiece of the festival.
“The Golden Apricot film festival is one of those international festivals which have great prospects and a unique approach toward the films which are being shown,” member of the jury for the feature films category, Korean director and film critic An Chon-suk said.
He added that all eyes in the film world were on Armenia for the film festival.
“Despite its young age, the festival brings innovation to the world and provides an opportunity to acquire a new army of viewers,” he said.
