Apricot Stone

Cinema journalist, film critic. Graduated from Leningrad State University, Journalism department (1981). Observer for the Cultural department of Sankt Peterburgskie Vedomosti. Publishes her work in many print media and internet publications. Academician of Nika Russian Accademy for Cinema Arts, Expert Council member in the National Academy of Film Criticism and film press White Elephant Awards. . Member, the Journalists’ Union of Russia and the Cinematographers’ Union of Russia. The author and compiler of the catalogues for "Message to Human" International festival of Non-feature, Short feature and Animation films (1991 -1997). Since 2001, the compiler of the catalogue for "Vivat Cinema of Russia" festival. Participated in international juries, domestic film viewings and script contests repeatedly. The Honorary Cinematographer of Russia, holds professional and state awards.

BA in Modern Litterature and Cinema. Worked in "ciné-clubs", organised and created movie festivals, published magazines specialized in cinema, programmed in independent movie theatres ("cinemas d'art et d'essai"). Co-founder and General Delegate of the Mediterranean Cinema Festival in Montpellier (1980-1995), member of the board in the International FF of Amiens, founder and organizer of the Script Development Fund since 1996. Associated with the distribution company Les Films du Sémaphore (1983-1989), which distributed movies from Pedro Almodovar, Rachid Bouchareb, Youssef Chahine, Emir Kusturica, Roman Polanski, Billy Wilder, etc.. Independent press agent (1989-2000) for Gianni Amelio, Jean-Pierre Améris, Vicente Aranda, Adolfo Aristarain, Montxo Armendariz, Francisco Athié, and others. Responsible for the promotion of movies within international movie festivals (Cannes, Berlin, Venice), and different events (100th Jean Renoir’s celebration, Foreign Affairs Prizes in Cannes, Amiens & Annecy FFs). Member of different juries and film commissions (Fonds Sud, Carrefour des Festivals, CICAE). Since 2000, producer for Ciné-Sud Promotion.

Filmmaker and photographer, born in Beirut, 1970. Garine Torossian' s works include a clip for Los Angeles based System of a Down and a full-length feature, Stone, Time, Touch, which won best feature at the Warsaw IFF in 2007. Her first short film Visions was part of a retrospective at Centre Pompidou (Paris) when she was 22. Her subsequent shorts were screened at New York Museum of Modern Art when she was 25. Her films have been screened at the Telluride FF (Colorado), Lux Cinema (London), the Jerusalem FF, the Warsaw IFF, and host of cinematheques, including those in Berlin, Yerevan, Edmonton, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Vancouver. Her second short film Girl from Moush was awarded best experimental film at the Melbourne IFF (1994). In 1999, she was commissioned by experimental rock band Sparklehorse to produce a short music video inspired by his music. The resulting video Sparklehorse received Honorable Mention at the 2000 Berlin IFF. Two years later, her short film featuring the music of Sparklehorse, Babies on the Sun (2002) received best short film prize at the Berlin IFF. Hokees won a gold prize for experimental drama at the Houston FF in 2000 and best short at the AFFMA FF in Los Angeles (2000). Torossian's work has been broadcast on Arte France, Documentary Channel, WTN (Canada), Bravo Canada, Sundance Channel (USA), SBS (Australia).