EPF Supports Young Filmmakers of the South Caucasus

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“The year I spent in the program was probably the best year of my life,” says Aram Voskanyan, a 22-year old participant of the Workshop at the Crossroads program, implemented by EPF and Internews. “I learned about the program through my friends who participated the year before, and really, really wanted to become part of it, since I knew what kind of unforgettable experience it would be for me. I was also very interested in being part of a joint project with Azerbaijani youth. So I was successful in managing both tasks – we (my Azeri colleague and I) got a special synergy prize at the regional Festival!”

Aram is one of 72 lucky students from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia who were selected to partake in the Workshop At the Crosswords program during the two consecutive years of its implementation. In the course of each year, participating students learned the basics of documentary production and created their own films in cooperation with their peers from neighboring countries. Co-authors worked together during the whole process of film production from drafting the concept, shooting, editing and post-production. In some cases the films consisted of two parts, shot in different countries, based on a general idea. Over two years, 42 joint films were produced and aired on television in the three countries, as well as at a number of presentations and public screenings in Yerevan, Baku and Tbilisi.

In February 2009, the second Workshop at the Crossroads regional film festival took place in Tbilisi, Georgia at the Rustaveli Cinema. The films produced during the second year of the program were shown and awards presented. The following films were the winners of the festival in 2009:

1. Best film of the festival – STOP (authors: Dachi Ichuaidze and Meline Hakobyan)
2. Best collaboration – SOS (authors: Aram Voskanyan and Diana Isaeva)
3. Best directing – False (authors: Beso Kapchelashvili and Lusine Paravyan)
4. Hot Issue – Ecolabirinth (authors: Ani Yeghiazaryan and Vafa Djafarova)
5. For humanity – I would like to be the First (authors: Tatevik Ghazaryan and David Dzidzishvili)
6. Best idea – Shooter (authors: Orkhan Agazadeh and Tamara Kobakhidze)
7. Special award – Third Bank (authors: Natia Tetiashvili and Nailia Babayeva)

Grand Prix Winner: Dachi Ichuaidze

The goal of the project was to promote ideals of common humanity and tolerance among the youth and wider viewing public of the South Caucasus countries by strengthening mutual understanding and providing opportunities for sustained collaboration among young journalists and film directors from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The project stimulates people-to-people diplomacy and public dialogue in the South Caucasus region and is this kind of drive for positive change that Eurasia Partnership Foundation is proud to support.