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A group protesting plans to tear down Yerevan’s only open-air cinema has collected through Facebook social network – a breakthrough in social activism for Armenia as other parts of the world have rallied causes via internet long before.
At the beginning of March the Armenian government decided to approve a proposal made by the management of Moscow Cinema Ltd to alienate the territory currently occupied by its outdoor theater (18 Abovyan Street, central Yerevan) in favor of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin – for the purpose of building a new church. The St. Paul and Peter (Poghos-Petros) Church that used to stand there until the 1930s was demolished during the Soviet regime.
The decision raised a clamor both among public and architects. Some interested youngsters sent a special letter to Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, and Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, and they are still waiting for their replies.
“We are against not the Armenian Apostolic Church, but against the idea of constructing churches at the expense of the cultural values,” Sarhat Petrosyan, 28, co-founder of the group «Save Cinema Moscow Open-Air hall» told ArmeniaNow, expressing their protest against the decision.
Karine Ionesyan
Yesterday was the opening of the Golden Apricot Intn’l Film Festival. It was all outdoors, and was in Armenian (though some people had translation headphones I understand). The show (as it seems appropriate to call it) was a bit strange to me, with mimes, a blessing by an Archbishop with his crew, the Minister of Justice (Hasmik, a woman) being precariously whisked up and down a steep slippery ramp to talk. The fireworks were nice (as you can see) since they really lit up the Opera house, and then the outdoor movie screening that followed was nice (there was an indoor one for the VIPs), though again, only if you speak Italian or can read Armenian subtitles really fast.
