Film, Business, or Holiness?

In the frames of 5th international film festival ‘Golden Apricot’ the participants of film competition- Chinese director Tsay Shangzhun and Persian director Abolfazl Safari had a meeting with the journalists.
In words of Mikayel Stamboltsyan, the head of festival project, who was present in the press conference, during the festival Persian and Chinese young directors will show their works and each of them represents the film-world typical to his/her world. ’The young generation of Chinese, in contrast with the elder one pays much attention to the life of ordinary people, whereas in Persia it is vice versa. Today`s generation doubts on simple truths’,- said M. Stamboltsyan.

‘I am in Yerevan for the first time, but it seems to me that I have been here,’- said the Chinese director Tsay Shangzhun. His ‘Red Combine’ tells about antagonism and conciliation of a father and a son. In the film the father leaves his family and goes to the city but for other reason. ‘In China the cities thrive very fast, but the villages still stay backward, - said the director. The main idea of the film is that people leave their house and lose their individuality in order to start a new life, to be fairly well-off. As a result they don`t become a city dweller.
Persian director Abolfazl Safari is also in Armenia for the first time. His film ’Edge of the Earth’ shown in the festival, is the first fiction of the director, as he has created only documentary films. The film is about an old, lonely man who is called Robinson Crusoe.

‘In this competitive films, of course, the effect of documentary is noticeable‘,- said he.
For Persian director the film could never have a commersion meaning: to serve as business. ‘Film is a holiness for me’, - said A. Safari.