Golden Apricot Yerevan 11th International Film Festival: winners announced

The Golden Apricot Yerevan 11^th International Film Festival has come to its end, the official website reports.

The Boards of Juries of International Feature, International Documentary, the Armenian Panorama and the Apricot Stone short film competition as well as the FIPRESCI and ECUMENICAL accordingly have announced this year’s competition results at the official closing ceremony of the festival on July 19 held at the Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Yerevan.

Below is the list of winners:

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE COMPETITION

GOLDEN APRICOT (1st Price): The Tribe, dir.: Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy (Ukraine)

SILVER APRICOT (Runner Up): Blind Dates, dir.: Levan Koguashvili (Georgia)

Special Jury Mention: Still Life, dir.: Uberto Pasolini (UK/Italy)

INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

GOLDEN APRICOT (1st Price): The Stone River, dir.: Giovanni Donfrancesco (Italy/France)

SILVER APRICOT (Runner Up): Domino Effect, dir.: Elwira Niewera, Piotr Rssolowski

APRICOT STONE SHORT COMPETITION

GOLDEN APRICOT (1st Price): Though I Know the River is Dry, dir.: Omar Robert Hamilton, (Palestine/Egypt/Qatar/UK)
Special Jury Prize: Red Hulk, dir.: Asimina Proedrou, (Greece)

ARMENIAN PANORAMA

GOLDEN APRICOT (1st Price) Fiction Feature-Length: Tevanik, dir.: Jivan Avetissyan, (Armenia/Lithuania)

GOLDEN APRICOT (1st Price) Fiction Short-Length: Milky Brother, dir.: Vahram Mkhitaryan, (Poland/Armenia)

SILVER APRICOT (Runner Up): Fiction Feature-Length: Romanticists, dir.: Areg Azatyan & Shoghik Tadevossian, (Armenia)
Special Diploma: Please, Be Normal, dir.: Hayk Kocharian (USA)

Hrant Matevossian Special Prize for Best Script: Milky Brother, dir.: Vahram Mkhitaryan (Poland/Armenia) Script: Vahram Mkhitaryan, Aleksandra Majdzińska

FIPRESCI JURY PRIZE

The Tribe, dir.: Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy (Ukraine)

ECUMENICAL JURY PRIZE

The Abode, dir.: Lusine Sargsyan (Armenia)

Special Commendation – Blind Dates, dir.: Levan Koguashvili (Georgia)

SPECIAL AWARDS

Queen Nuard Special Award of the National Union of Cinematographers:

Please, Be Normal, dir.: Hayk Kocharyan, (USA)

Andin Armenian Journey Chronicles, dir.: Ruben Giney, (China/Armenia/Russia/India)

ARMEN MAZMANIAN SPECIAL AWARD

Resurrection, dir.: Alain Manoukyan, (Armenia)

The closing ceremony was celebrated also with two special awards granted by the festival to two of this year honourable guests. More specifically, GOLDEN APRICOT was pleased to grant Jia Zhangke, a renowned Chinese filmmaker with special Parajanov Thaler Award for the contribution in the world cinematography. Marco Muller, a distinguished film critic and the Chairman of the Feature Competition Jury at GOLDEN APRICOT this year was also awarded with Parajanov Thaler Award for the contribution to the world film festivals’ development.

At the start of closing ceremony the festival management awarded Mrs. Hasmik Poghosyan, the Minister of Culture of the RA with special Parajanov Medal. The ceremony was closed with festival management granting the Mayor of Yerevan, Mr. Taron Margaryan with special Mantashyan Knight Gold Medal.