12 June 2023
During the 76th edition of the Cannes International Film Festival, held from May 16 to 26, 2023, the National Cinema Center of Armenia actively participated in various activities. A significant achievement for the Cinema Center was the inclusion of the fully restored version of F. Dovlatyan's film "Hello, It’s Me" (1965) in the prestigious Cannes Classics section and its subsequent inclusion in the official program.
The screening of the restored version of "Hello, It’s Me" on May 25 in Cannes garnered great success, attracting numerous foreign guests and industry experts. The event was attended by esteemed individuals such as Hasmik Tolmajian, the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to France; Nathanael Karmitz, the CEO of MK 2 company; Joel Chapron, a specialist in the cinema of Central European countries; Haykak Arshamyan, the Executive Director of the "Armenia" All-Armenian Fund; Susan Newman, the Deputy Director of Eurimages; Yasmin Yardimyan, the Head of the Armenian Community in Cannes, among others.
It is worth noting that the digital restoration of "Hello, It’s Me" was made possible through the financial support of the “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund, while the restoration work itself was conducted by the Latvian Locomotive Classics studio. The inclusion of the film in the Cannes Classics program was part of the National Cinema Center of Armenia's anniversary initiatives, aimed at promoting and celebrating the rich heritage of Armenian cinema spanning over a century.
Furthermore, the screening of "Hello, It’s Me" at the Cannes International Film Festival provided an opportunity for the Cinema Center to establish a new partnership with the renowned MK2 company and its director, Nathanael Karmitz. MK2 is a global leader in film distribution and sales. During the festival, the director of the Cinema Center, Shushanik Mirzakhanyan and Nathanael Karmitz signed a contract for the worldwide distribution of the restored film "Hello, It’s Me". This collaboration opens up avenues for reaching wider audiences and ensuring the film's global recognition.
To facilitate the activities of the Armenian delegation, the National Cinema Center of Armenia rented a booth at the Marche du Film market, featuring a modern design. This booth served as a working platform for independent Armenian producers, offering opportunities to arrange meetings with industry partners and explore potential production collaborations.
The National Cinema Center of Armenia commenced its engagements in the work at the Marche du Film On May 16. Since then it has held several significant meetings with international partners. The following are highlights of the most important encounters:
●Meeting with Catherine Trautmann, President of the Council of Europe's "Eurimages" Cultural Foundation, and Susan Newman, Executive Director: discussions focused on the visit of Trautmann and Newman to Armenia as part of the 100-year celebration of Armenian cinema. The visit's date (Oct. 25-260 andthe program were clarified.
●Meeting with Federico Gironi, Head of the Venice Classics department at the Venice International Film Festival (Aug. 30 to Sept. 9): talks revolved around the conditions for presenting an Armenian classical film at the festival. As a result of the negotiations, it is anticipated that one of the two films proposed by the Cinema Center, namely Arman Manaryan's "Heghnar Spring" (1970) and "Karine" (1967), will be included in the Venice Classics section.
●Discussion with Rainer Rother, Head of the "Berlin Classics" department: matters pertaining to presenting an Armenian classic film at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2024 were explored. Dmitry Kesayants' film "Catastrophe" was recommended during the meeting.
●Deliberations with Sheree Ramage, representative of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA Awards): The possibility of cooperation between Armenian producers and the Asia Pacific Film Fund was discussed.
●Meeting between the Head of the National Cinema Center of Armenia and CNC France representatives: Michel Plazanet, Deputy Director for International Affairs at CNC, and Jeremy Kessler, Head of International Relations, were present. This meeting focused on establishing the conditions for conducting screenwriting courses lasting 2-3 months, specifically tailored for aspiring and talented Armenian screenwriters, with an emphasis on nurturing young talents.
●Discussion with Pyotr Ryzhenkov, representative of Prasad Corporation: Prasad Corporation is one of the world's largest organizations providing post-production and restoration services for films. Conversations revolved around the potential restoration of Armenian classical films and their consulting support in establishing a film laboratory in Armenia. Given their increased attention towards cooperation with post-Soviet countries, including Armenia, Prasad Corporation's branches worldwide are actively involved in such endeavors.
●Participation of the Armenian delegation on May 20 in the conference organized by the European Audiovisual Observatory at the Marche du Film market of the Cannes International Film Festival. The conference, titled "The European Cinema Sector-Diverging Paths", provided a platform to engage in discussions relevant to the European cinema sector.
●On May 19, the Director of the National Cinema Center of Armenia Shushanik Mirzakhanyan, and the Director of the Film Center of Montenegro Aleksandra Bozovic signed a Memorandum of Cooperation.
These meetings and engagements at the Cannes International Film Festival underscore the National Cinema Center of Armenia's commitment to forging international collaborations, promoting Armenian cinema, and exploring avenues for the restoration and distribution of Armenian films on global platforms.
On May 20, episodes from the following 6 state-funded documentaries were screened at the Palais C movie theater of the Marche du Film: "5 Dreamers and a Horse" (dir. V. Khachatryan, A. Malakyan), "Fight" (dir. L. Movsisyan) "Mel" (dir. I. Sahakyan, P. Cohen), "Tezeta" (dir. A. Kalayjian, G. Papoyan), "Three Grave of the Artist " (dir. H. Khachatryan), "Tonratun" (dir. I. Mkhitaryan) for distributors, sales agents, broadcasters and festival representatives.
