The 23rd Golden Apricot International Film Festival opened in Yerevan on July 13 and will run until July 19, showing films from around the world.

The festival opened with Tamara Stepanyan’s film "In the Land of Arto" (original French title "Le Pays d'Arto".

Festival founding president Harutyun Khachatryan presented the Master Award to this year’s International Jury President, Austrian director Jessica Hausner.  

The Parajanov Thaler award was presented to French cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel for his significant contribution to world cinema.

During the opening ceremony, world-renowned trumpeter, pianist, and composer Ibrahim Maalouf took the stage with a performance dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the silent film "Namus". It is widely recognized as the first Armenian feature film.