The Golden Apricot International Film Festival has launched a special prize, Let There be Light, for its ninth annual event to be held in capital Yerevan later this month.

The idea has been proposed by Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, the director of the festival, Harutyun Khachatryan, unveiled the name of the nominee selected for this year’s award. Renowned Russian film director Alexander Sokurov will have the honor to get the first ever special prize offered by Golden Apricot.

“When we informed Sokurov that he will be honored with the prize, he was beside himself with excitement,” he said, adding that the award-handing ceremony will take place next Thursday in the city of Echmiadzin.

Khachatryan said that the initiative has sparked interest among international partners as no prize of this kind has been ever awarded at any festival.

Archbishop Gevorog Saroyan, who is among the jury members, said that a three-member committee had selected Sokorov from among the other nominees. According to him, the prize is aimed at praising the winner’s efforts towards preach spiritual, cultural and humanitarian values, and his or her significant contribution to the world cinema art.

The prize is a small statue created by the famous Armenian designer Nur. As the artist himself told reporters, he remained committed to his own style and guided himself to Christian symbols while making the artifact.

“Every single detail has a sense of its own. The general appearance is the symbol of Christianity - the fish. Besides, the three bolls symbolize the Holy Trinity, with the color of the Armenian soil being visible below. If we look this way, it symbolizes an eye; that’s the cinema. Looking at the ball, we will see a camera lens, with a reflection displaying the opposite side of the image; that’s the fact of shooting the movie. The fish has the color of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is violet. There is also a cross and a rising sun,” the artist explained, noting that the name of the award was also invented by the Catholicos.