Hayak 2014 film award dedicated to Parajanov

Hayak, the annual Armenian film award praising the best national filmmakers, is this year dedicated to Sergey Parajanov, a prominent Soviet-Armenian film director and artist.

Applications are open from February 3 to March 10.

The award ceremony (which is the third in row) is due the National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre on May 1.

“The national film award, Hayak, can be said to have won the society’s appraisal, so we must be able to really make it a real holiday for film-makers,” Gevorg Gevorgyan, the president of the National Film Development Foundation, told a news conference on Tuesday.

He said the organizers have this year changed the timeframes and launched three new prizes.

“By the decision of the award’s artistic council, Hayak 2014 is devoted to Sergey Parajanov’s 90th birthday. So on this occasion, we have launched the special Hayak prize named after Parajanov,” Gevorgyan added.

The participants whose contribution to the cinema art and the national film industry will be evaluated as the best will be awarded with prizes honoring the US-Armenian film and theatre director Ruben Mamoulyan and the Soviet Armenian director, Hamo Beknazaryan, respectively.

The foundation’s director said that movies prodiuced in 2012 but not submitted for last year’s contest, as well as all the 2013 productions are eligible for this year’s award.

“There is no restriction of either quality or genre. With the exception of TV soap operas, all other films are open for submission,” said Gevorgyan, adding that the selection will be made from among the best products.

To qualify for the award ceremony, the films must either be an Armenian production or address the national cinema art or otherwise focus on Armenian topics. Gevogyan noted that an Italian director’s movie, The Silence of Peleshyan, won the year’s best award in 2013.

“About 12-14 movies are expected to be from Armenia. The major part will come from abroad - five to seven from Russia; also from the United States, as well as from France. As for [other countries], we do not know that yet, but the submission of bids has just begun, so [the applicants] still have time to be notified of the award event. There will be many documentary films and works by foreign-based Armenian directors,” Gevorgyan added.

This year’s awards will be distributed in 15 nominations: best feature movie, best actor, best operator, best scriptwriter etc.

The event sponsors are Orange Armenia and the Afina Palada company.