On October 22-25, 2019 SunChild 9th International Environmental Film Festival took place in Yerevan organized by SunChild Nature and Cultural Protection NGO, the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets, with the support of European Union and World Vision Armenia. This Festival once again demonstrated that environmental issues in the world and in Armenia are of primary concern and need effective solutions.
As a result of the four days of the festival, the films and events held attracted the attention of the youth and the younger generation, perceiving the knowledge and concern for nature that has been transmitted during this time.
On October 25, the closing ceremony of the festival took place in the hall of the Union of Cinematographers of Armenia, where the winners of the contests were announced. The winner of the nomination for best Conservation film – “Genesis 2.0” /Director: Christian Frei, Maxim Arbugaev, Production Country: United States/, special award – Stolen Apes. The winner of the nomination for best Enviromental issue film – “Autumn – World of Colours” /Director – Annette Scheurich/, special – “Anotek’s Ark”. And so the closing ceremony of the SunChild 9th International Environmental Festival took place. Best Journalist Contest Winner is Christine Aghalaryan (Hetq).
The members of the jury unanimously stated that they had made a difficult choice, as there were many worthy participant in both journalism and film competitions.
International Aid/Cooperation Officer Line Urban said: “We find that cultural events are excellent tools to engage various population and age groups in an effective manner to communicate strategic issues such as the need to protect our environment and that each of us has a responsibility to promote environmentalism and conservation as well as reducing the footprints of our families”.
Founder of the SunChild International Environmental Festival Ruben Khachatryan emphasized in his speech that the festival is a platform for discussions on the most important issues. He said: “Having all this in mind, the idea to establish the SunChild International Environmental Festival came in Y2005, which would result in a revolutionary change of thinking and attitude towards nature among the young generation. Out future has to be green!”
He also announced that in 2020 the 10th SunChild International Environmental Festival will announce two awards for biodiversity and environmental protection to be awarded at next year’s festival։
– Eleonora Gabrielyan Botanical Award
– Nature Protection Award
Eleonora Gabrielyan, Doctor of Biological Sciences, who was also present at the ceremony, appreciated the work done by the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC).
This year we cooperate with Viva-Cell MTS, US Forest Service, Mkhitar Sebastatsi Educational Complex, Yerevan Zoo, “Golden Apricot” film festival, “ArAves” NGO, “FilmFreeway”, “ACCEA” etc.
The SunChild 9th International Environmental Festival is implemented within the framework of “EU for Tourism: Community-Based Rural Tourism and Cultural Events in Gegharkunik and Vayots Dzor Marzes” project funded by EU and implemented jointly with World Vision Armenia.