National Cinema Center elaborated international agreements on shooting joint films

PanARMENIAN.Net - National Cinema Center's principal achievement of 2009 was the elaboration of international agreements with foreign film production companies, according to Gevorg Gevorgyan, Director of the National Cinema Center of Armenia. "Those agreements will enable us to make joint investments, raising the quality of films, as well as bring together actors from various countries," he told Wednesday a news conference.



At that, he noted that Armenia, Russia and France concluded agreement on shooting Maria Sahakyan's "Alaverdi" film. France has agreed to invest € 650 thousand, Russia - € 195 thousand and Armenia - € 65 thousand.



"We receive application packages, and send them to artistic council for approval," Gevorgyan said, answering journalists' question on funding criteria. In that regard, he said that the 2009 State Budget envisages AMD 405615.3 allocations to  the National Cinema Center.



According to him, the Center funds worthy projects, not elaborated by Armenian producers. These include children's broadcasts (such as Hay Aspet), "Gzhuk" satiric newsreel etc. Many of the films shot under the funding of National Cinema Center will be screened during national and international festivals, Gevorgyan said. Among them is "Don't Look into the Mirror" (director: Suren Babayan). It is also planned to send the films to Argentina, Romania, Slovakia, United Arab Emirates and Russia.



The best film was Harutyun Khachatryan's "Border" which received 10 awards. Hovhannes Galstyan's "Bonded Parallels" came next.