April 16 marks Armenian Cinema Day. In commemoration of the Day, RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan and Deputy Minister Daniel Danielyan had a meeting with representatives of the film industry at Henrik Malyan Film Actor Theatre.

Minister Zhanna Andreasyan congratulated film industry representatives on the occasion of the holiday, highlighting their contribution to the development, promotion, and modernization of Armenian cinema.

“Cinema, as an art, is an activity that provides a unique opportunity to communicate to the public, and communication to the public is the greatest gift,” stated Zhanna Andreasyan.

The Minister touched upon the state policy in the field, pointing out that the RA Government is implementing a distinct program to evaluate and encourage cultural figures who have participated and won awards from prominent festivals and awards in the cultural sector. Zhanna Andreasyan also informed that the Government last week approved the procedure for partial reimbursement of investments in the film production sector, which provides for a rebate of up to 35 per cent for investments in the film industry.

According to Zhanna Andreasyan, the partial rebate of investments in cinema will become a new incentive for the development of the film industry, opening up a wider field of activity. The Minister assured that the state supports good ideas, and also called on students not to limit their dreams and to actively participate in various programs.

“I am happy to see that Armenian cinema has been quite active in presenting at various international platforms and achieving success at festivals, particularly in recent years. State policy aims to establish film production as an industry,” said the Minister, referring in particular to the debut animated film “Snake Soup”, which is included in the “Perspectives” short film competition program of the world's most prestigious Annecy International Animated Film Festival. It was shot with the support of the ESCS Ministry, directed by Zakar Demirchyan and produced by Raffi Movsisyan.

The meeting also included the screening of the debut animated film “Snake Soup”, followed by a discussion of the film.