ArmInfo. On November 17, the European Film Week kicked off in Armenia, within which the Armenian audience was given the opportunity to get acquainted with the eleven latest films of European cinema, which were praised at various European film festivals.
One of the films presented in the Yerevan "Moscow" Cinema was the film by the famous Bulgarian director Konstantin Bojanov "Light thereafter" (released in 2017 - ed. note). It should be noted that the premiere of the film in Armenia was shown to full house.
The Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Bulgaria to Armenia Maria Pavlova Tsosorkova-Kaymaktchieva made a welcoming speech to the audience. The Ambassador noted that the festival takes place in Armenia within the framework of the European Year of Cultural Heritage. "We are grateful to the EU delegation in Armenia and the British Council, which provided an invaluable opportunity for the Armenian audience to watch new European films that reveal very interesting topics and challenges that the European society faces," she said.
The Bulgarian diplomat stressed that the films that will be presented to the Armenian audience gained popularity at various European film festivals and won high awards. In particular, she noted that Bulgarian movies become more and more popular in Armenia. In this regard, M. Pavlova Tsotsorkova-Kaimaktchieva recalled that in 2017 the film of Bulgarian director Iglika Trifonova ''Prosecutor, Defender, Father and His Son'' won the special prize of the jury at the Golden Apricot International Film Festival, and in the summer of 2018 movie by Ilian Djevelekov ''Omnipresent'' was nominated for the Golden Apricot Award. Thanking Konstantin Bozhanov for agreeing to personally come to Armenia and present his film, the Ambassador stressed that the picture "Light thereafter" reflects the value system of the European heritage. ''This is a film about a young Bulgarian who traveled around Europe in search of himself, his identity, the journey of which is accompanied by various challenges. I hope the film will seem interesting, make you think, ask yourself questions, " M. Pavlova Tsotsorkova-Kaimaktchieva said.
Director of the film K. Bojanov said that the main character of the film, who suffers from autism, constantly finds himself in a situation where he has to make decisions and make choices in order to determine what is best for him. ''Actually, this is what each of us faces. And I would like to present this film in two realities in the future, where the viewer would have the opportunity to see the film from different points of view, one of which will be more fragmentary, in-depth in art, and the second is envisaged for wide viewing, "he said.
Noting that this is his first visit to Armenia, Bojanov thanked the audience for the presence and interest in his film. I have been in Armenia for a few hours, but I'm already well aware that I'll take something valuable with me. Today, I was lucky to visit the museum of Sergey Paradzhanov and get to know him as an art historian. I knew about his cultural heritage as a director, I was familiar with his films, but today I first saw collages created by the director. And I realized that the world should know Sergey Paradzhanov as a collage artist. Thank you for giving me this today, "he concluded.
To note, yesterday the director held a master class with students of the Yerevan State Institute of Theater and Cinema. During a meeting with students K. Bojanov showed fragments of 4 films, including "Our Journey to Africa" (Germany, 1966). "What I will show you is most likely very different from what you are taught here," said the Bulgarian director. If there is no readiness today to destroy borders and learn to look at situations from different points of view, before starting to create a work of art, in the future this will be even more difficult according to Bojanov. In the course of communication with students, he stressed that when creating a film, it is necessary to know firmly what audience the work is intended for, and what is the main message in the film, the line of which must be kept to the end. ''But the most significant is your inner feelings. In your works, you should go out of the usual framework for yourself and show what you feel, "he emphasized. Bojanov expressed readiness for the most open and active dialogue. In an interview with ArmInfo correspondent, Bojanov noted that during the master class he expected that the students would be more open about the fragments with which the director decided to introduce them. ''Unfortunately, it turned out a little differently. But I am sure that in the event that we have the opportunity to meet, socialize and re-imagine the films that I have chosen for them today, I am sure they will understand and accept. In fact, these are the films that have left a significant mark on the history of cinema, "he said.