The film development foundation named after the renown Russian actor Rolan Bikov organizes festivals for children in Yerevan and Moscow every year. This is the sixth time that the festival is organized in Yerevan, which will take place on October 12-16. It has become a tradition to move the festival to the regions of Armenia and to Artsakh after having organized it in Yerevan. By the invitation of Rolan Bikov the head of the Russian Yeralash TV program, film producer Boris Grachevski will visit Armenia. Cartoon producers Eduard Nazarov, Garri Bardin and the honorary president of the festival in Yerevan Armen Medvedev will visit Armenia too.
During this youth and children’s festival 81 full-length and animation films will be shown, which will be evaluated by a jury composed of adults and children. There will be an innovation this year, i.e. they will have a new nomination named “I have the right”. The jury, headed by ombudsman Armen Harutyunyan (which also includes film producers from Turkey, Georgia, Uzbekistan and Africa), will select the best film on the topic of the protection of children’s rights. From now on this film festival intended for children and young people will include social projects too. This year they will organize an event entitled “you are not alone, we will win together”. Renown doctor from Moscow Alexey Maschan is invited to visit Armenia, who will treat children with hematologic problems free of charge.
The right of being healthy includes also aids projects. The Armenian representation of the “Rolan Bikov” foundation has observed the dreams of children and this year will try to make a part of these dreams come true. For example, the children of the “Trchunyan” orphanage of Gyumri, who want to study at the university of film and theatre of Yerevan, will have the opportunity to learn the secrets of film production with the help of cartoon producer Garri Bardin, who will visit the arts university with these children.
This film festival will show the latest work of Garri Bardin entitled ”Ugly duckling”, which has become famous in the world. The author has found some components of nationalism and fascism in the innocent tale of Anderson by creating a story, which reminds about the known ”Animal farm” of Orwel.
It took four years from Bardin to finish his film, and they used different animation technologies and more than 400 dolls in the film. The result is that this movie is a must to watch. The house of the “Ugly duckling” is like a totalitarian state, where every morning the hymn of the yard is played, a flag is raised and nationalistic toasts are proposed. For the main turkey they are organizing competition of songs of different small birds. In this situation anybody who comes up is considered a traitor of the state and is pressed down. Tchaikovsky’s music is played in the movie, and the main actors are speaking with the voices of Armen Jigarkhanyan (the main turkey), Vladimir Spivakov (cockerel) and Constantine Raykin. Spivakov’s music group and a military music group took part in the movie with their music too. It is very interesting that in the movie the ugly duckling is not only a white and soft person, but there are even scenes where he is much worse and uglier than the others. Concerning the new movie Garri Bardin said, “Andersen never speaks to children with the language of children. He says, children, the life is a difficult thing, and I will show you all those difficulties, and if you are able to resist, in the end you will become a swan. In order to become a “swan” our children should be able to do moral work, and this is what the film speaks about. I hope it is not possible to watch it by eating pop-corn.”