HASMIK POGHOSYAN: ARMENIAN CULTURE MINISTRY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL "CONFLICT AND RECONCILIATION"
ARMINFO
Thursday, March 14, 21:49
The Armenian Culture Ministry has absolutely nothing to do with
the international Film Festival "Conflict and Reconciliation in the
Central- Eastern European Cinema", which was strongly criticized by
the Armenian Council of the Great Patriotic War and Labor Veterans
on March 14.
Armenian Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan told ArmInfo's
correspondent that the Culture Ministry had not even been informed
that a festival would be held and what films would be shown at the
festival, which was held exclusively on a commercial basis. "They have
applied to us neither for support nor even for a cinema hall. As far
as I understand, the festival was organized privately on the basis
of a commercial agreement between the organizers and the leadership
of Moscow Cinema, which is not under jurisdiction of the Culture
Ministry", she said.
Poghosyan added that as a citizen of Armenia, the country that lost
300,000 sons at the Great Patriotic War, she highly venerates the
memory of the deceased heroes and understands the veterans' indignation
at some films' different view of the years when the nations of a single
country were saving the world from the hawkish national-socialism -
elementary fascism that took dozens of millions of lives.
To recall, the international Film Festival "Conflict and Reconciliation
in the Central- Eastern European Cinema", which started in Yerevan
on Feb 13, has been strongly criticized by the veterans of the Great
Patriotic War. The veterans got indignant at the foreign films included
in the festival, which depict the Soviet Army in unsavory light.
The film festival will last till April 10. It is being held with
the support of the UN Office in Armenia, as well as the Embassies
of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Romania
and Ukraine.
From: Baghdasarian
ARMINFO
Thursday, March 14, 21:49
The Armenian Culture Ministry has absolutely nothing to do with
the international Film Festival "Conflict and Reconciliation in the
Central- Eastern European Cinema", which was strongly criticized by
the Armenian Council of the Great Patriotic War and Labor Veterans
on March 14.
Armenian Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan told ArmInfo's
correspondent that the Culture Ministry had not even been informed
that a festival would be held and what films would be shown at the
festival, which was held exclusively on a commercial basis. "They have
applied to us neither for support nor even for a cinema hall. As far
as I understand, the festival was organized privately on the basis
of a commercial agreement between the organizers and the leadership
of Moscow Cinema, which is not under jurisdiction of the Culture
Ministry", she said.
Poghosyan added that as a citizen of Armenia, the country that lost
300,000 sons at the Great Patriotic War, she highly venerates the
memory of the deceased heroes and understands the veterans' indignation
at some films' different view of the years when the nations of a single
country were saving the world from the hawkish national-socialism -
elementary fascism that took dozens of millions of lives.
To recall, the international Film Festival "Conflict and Reconciliation
in the Central- Eastern European Cinema", which started in Yerevan
on Feb 13, has been strongly criticized by the veterans of the Great
Patriotic War. The veterans got indignant at the foreign films included
in the festival, which depict the Soviet Army in unsavory light.
The film festival will last till April 10. It is being held with
the support of the UN Office in Armenia, as well as the Embassies
of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Romania
and Ukraine.
From: Baghdasarian