Stranger Expedition is a project in the framework of which we, two YIC (Youth Initiative Centre) representatives Anna Yeghoyan and Amalian Stepanyan took part in Stranger Festival / Academy 2009.

The main idea of the Stranger Expedition is to build partnership between cultural youth associations across Europe and beyond, promote multiculturalism and diversity, and to create space for self-expression of young film-makers in Gyumri and the rest of Armenia.

The participation in the Stranger Festival / Academy 2009 was a first step in the direction of achieving the above mentioned goals. It gave so much insight and inspiration due to few reasons:

1. We had a chance to see the great, smooth and enthusiastic work done by the ECF to make the Festival and Academy not only possible, but very interesting, informative, rich in content, highly organized and really “youth” – something that to me many youth events are lacking.
2. We took part and/or observed some of the possible workshops held in the frameworks of the Stranger Academy, made useful contacts with possible workshop-leaders and organizers which allowed us to consider it much more realistic to try to organize workshop or possibly 2 workshops in 2010 in Armenia.
3. Seeing the variety of films made and presented by the young film-makers coming from all over the world and having such a diverse backgrounds now I am more than positive about the “Stranger” being the best option for young Armenian film-makers to get “outside their Armenian boxes” and explore the world with is full diversity!!!

So, we go on from here!!!

The start was given and expedition continues!!!