European Film Festival kicks off in Yerevan

ArmInfo. The European Film Festival, which will last until June 7, kicked off in Yerevan with  the screening of the Belgian "The Omen". It is organized by the U  Delegation in Armeniain the scope of the "Europe Day" celebrations.

According to the head of the EU delegation to the Republic of  Armenia, Ambassador Vassilis Maragos, the festival is a unique event,  and cinema is one of the best tools for the development of cultural  dialogue. <As you know, the motto of the European Union is "United in  Diversity", so we are presenting 23 films of different genres from  different EU countries at the festival. It is noteworthy that at the  closing of the festival we will show a joint Armenian-Lithuanian  production "Aurora's Sunrise", and during the festival a Ukrainian  film dedicated to the situation in which the country finds itself as  a result of Russian aggression will be shown," Vasilis Maragos  emphasized.

"The Omen" tells the story of a rapper-poet of African descent. The  film received awards at a number of film festivals. Belgium will also  present it at the Oscars. "The director of the film, Baloji, dreamed  of making this film for many years and, having a very small budget,  nevertheless managed to shoot it, spending 23 days in Africa. This is  a message to Armenian creative workers not to be afraid and fight for  their dreams," said Ambassador of Belgium to Armenia  Eric De Muynck.

The European Film Festival is one of the most anticipated events for  viewers, since it is a unique opportunity to watch films on the big  screen that are rarely shown in Armenia, emphasizes Varvara  Hovhannisyan, film festival coordinator. Among other films, the film  Aznavour by Charles, written by Charles Aznavour and Marc di  Domenico, will be shown today in the original language with English  and Armenian subtitles. In addition to screenings, the festival will  include meetings and discussions with the participation of film  experts.