Canadian-Armenian film director Atom Egoyan, who commonly visits Yerevan with his family in summers to attend the Golden Apricot International Film Festival, is not taking part in this year’s event.

Instead, he has written a message, explaining the reasons of his non-attendance.

The director regrets that his shooting schedule has made his participation in the ninth annual Yerevan festival impossible. His full message is below:

“As we head towards our tenth anniversary next year, I am reminded how miraculous this festival is. This small country, steeped in tradition and such an ancient culture, was opening its arms to the world. And the world came, with an astonishing array of guests from every corner of the earth. I have so many extraordinary memories of my years at the festival, from meeting the legendary Claudia Cardinale, to entertaining such friends as Wim Wenders, Claire Denis, Bela Tarr and the dearly missed Theo Angelopolous. Perhaps my dearest memory came from the year I was in the lobby of the Yerevan, very late one night. We were sharing one last drink with the Icelandic director Frederick Thor Frederickson. An ancient Armenian peasant song was sung, and Frederick - magically - began to sing along. It was as if he could feel some mysterious thread that connected his culture with Armenia. A festival is all about these unexpected and powerful meetings, and I encourage our guests to find such moments for themselves. This precious country is famous for its hospitality and I deeply regret that due to my shooting schedule I won't be able to sing with you in Yerevan this year.