Aznavour Square / Ազնավուրի հրապարակ

The documentary “Aznavour Square” has won the “New Approach” award at the 10th international “Nueva Mirada Youth Film Festival” held in Buenos-Aires, Argentina.

“Aznavour Square” was made in 2010 by the members of the SunChild Eco-club Gyumri. The documentary depicts the young filmmaker’s investigation of Gyumri’s garbage problem. According to the authors, the pollution of Armenia’s second largest city with garbage is a topical issue. Their film proves that the municipality not only fails to keep central streets as well as the newly built Charles Aznavour Square clean, but that many inhabitants of the city are also forced to live in littered, dilapidated houses. These houses are used as garbage dumps and lack even the most basic amenities. Children and elderly people who - due to poverty - have no other option than living in those ruins are suffering from severe diseases caused by the hygienic situation.

The authors not only give an insight in the city’s garbage problem, but also try to understand the attitude of the responsible authorities towards the issue. Their attempt to get any representative of the city administration in front of their camera failed. But instead the young film makers were able to catch many scenes demonstrating vividly the ignorance and incompetence of the city’s administrational staff. Refraining from commenting the situation the students, simply by showing the reality, encapsulate one of the most urgent environmental and social problems in their hometown in only 14 minutes. Their film is not only a strong statement for more social justice and environmental awareness in Armenia but surely has also a global dimension as in many countries similar problems can be found. This most probably was also the reason why the Argentinean jury decided to honor the film with an award.