[ 27 September 2005 ]

The President of Finland Tarja Halonen is to visit the Parajanov Museum during her trip to Armenia. It's a great honor! We'd be curious to know how Sergei Parajanov's museum was chosen instead of, say, the Matenadaran Museum.

The 93 year old Michelangelo Antonioni received sensational standing ovations at the LACMA Museum in Los Angeles, when he appeared there on 17 September after the screening of his THE GAZE OF MICHELANGELO and BEING WITH ANTONIONI by his lovely wife Enrica Fico Antonioni. The event was attended by Mikhail Vartanov.

Sir Paul McCartney used the Armenian instrument duduk on his new record "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard". The song is called "Jenny Wren" and duduk is interestingly played by Pedro Eustache. Of course, Macca should have invited the virtuoso Djivan Gasparyan but maybe the "cute Beatle" hasn't met him yet... Duduk is constantly used in Hollywood blockbusters and can also be heard in Sergei Parajanov's SAYAT NOVA.

In England, the Leeds Film Quarter will show SAYAT NOVA on the 5th of October and SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS on the 10th. Then on 26th of November they're screening the LEGEND OF SURAM FORTRESS and ASHIK KERIB.