Marking the Night of Museums along with the other countries across the globe, Armenia opened the doors of its museums, offering various expositions, performances and concerts. Students’ art exhibition dedicated to Time Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost their lives during the World War II organized jointly by the UN Office in Armenia and Yerevan State Academy of Arts featured 60 works of art, including graphics, paintings, batiks, ceramics and statues were displayed at UN house, attracting the attention of students, professors, international community, civil society groups, media and general public.

The last week can be described as an Armenian international cultural week. Armenia welcomed participants of international festivals and hosted film screenings.

During the past week, Armenia’s cultural life was influenced by the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Famous cultural workers were speculating whether the art can really promote international recognition of the first Genocide of the 20th century.

2010 promises to be the year of rebirth of Armenian cinematography, according to Gevorg Gevorgyan, director of the Armenian National Film Center. “The ANFC will present 35 movies at Cannes festival movie market,” he told a news conference in Yerevan. As he stated, 8 animated films, 4 documentaries, 12 debuts, 3 short and 8 full length films will be screened at Cannes International Film Festival on May 12-23.

Yerevan will host National Gallery VI International Music Festival from April 21 to June 2. “Musicians from Armenia, Russia, Sweden and Slovenia will be participating,” Festival founder Mariam Shahinyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. The Festival will open with a concert of Youth State Orchestra of Armenia and honored artist of Armenia, pianist Svetlana Navasardyan. Duo Claripiano from Sweden will perform Sen-Sans and Shubert’s works on April 29. Swedish violinist Hugo Tizziati and Armenian pianist Hayk Melikyan will present modern classical music, including Tigran Mansuryan’s works, on May 5. Armenian State Chamber Choir (conductor Robert Mlkeyan) will perform on May 14.

Yerevan’s National Academic Theater theaters resumed “Musa Ler” performance. It was attended by over 900 school students in one day and over 3000 in a month, proving students’ increased interest to the theater.

The legend of rock, Deep Purple soloist Ian Gillan gave two charity concerts in Yerevan with the State Philharmonic Orchestra on March 26 and 27. The concerts proceeds will be spent on reconstruction of a music school in Gyumri.

Yerevan hosted two major events last week: the opening of Armmono Festival of Mono Performances and Day of Francophonie in Armenia. The former offered an opportunity to watch the performance of 18 theater stars from 7 countries while the latter featured a concert of Armenian pop stars singing in French.

The government of Armenia accepted the proposal of Moscow Cinema LLC directorate on the gratuitous alienation of the land area on Abovyan 18 str., Yerevan, a public property occupied by Moscow Cinema Open-Air Hall, for the benefit of Holy Etchmiadzin, thus conferring it a property right to construct a new church on the site of former Surb Poghos-Petros Church, dismantled by Soviet authorities. Such a hasty governmental decision caused unrest among Armenian civil society, who now use every chance to express their disagreement on the issue. The fact is rather surprising, for Armenians’ passion for church-building is famous worldwide. It is the choice of the construction site that causes people’s discontent.

The first sitting of the Board of trustees at Venetian center for Armenian culture studies was scheduled for Saturday, March 13. Armenian Minister of Culture, Hasmik Poghosyan left on a working visit to Italy to participate in a sitting. The sitting focused on further activities of the center, RA Ministry of Culture press service reported.