Oscar-winning U.S. actor Kevin Spacey, who was invited to Armenia as a “guest of honor” to take part in the 21st Golden Apricot International Film Festival (GAIFF) in Yerevan, received a warm welcome from scores of movie fans on Tuesday. He was awarded a special prize during the festival’s opening ceremony on Sunday.
Spacey’s invitation, sponsored by the Yerevan municipality, sparked controversy in Armenia since the two-time Oscar winner has been shunned by Hollywood after becoming one of several prominent names in Hollywood to face allegations of sexual abuse during the #MeToo movement in 2017, including accusations involving children. He has not appeared in film or on stage since then. Spacey has denied the accusations and was acquitted in a 2022 lawsuit in New York. In a separate case in London, he was acquitted by a jury of sexual assault charges in 2023.
The organizers of GAIFF defended their decision to invite and honor Spacey, arguing that last year a London court acquitted the actor. Their website refers to him as “one of the greatest artists of both stage and screen not only of his generation, but, according to many, of all time.” Defending Spacey’s invitation, Karen Avetisyan, the festival’s director, said, “Golden Apricot is not a humanitarian organization but a film festival where we, being deeply convinced that it is a myth that a good artist is the same as a virtuous man, honor not the worthy, but the worthy artists, and we judge not the man but his art.”
Avetisyan criticized the American University of Armenia (AUA) over the weekend for canceling Spacey’s meeting with students and film fans, which was scheduled to take place at its premises. The AUA administration did not publicly explain the last-minute decision. Avetisyan accused it of bowing to “pressure from various kinds of NGOs.”
At the opening of the Golden Apricot film festival, Avetisyan presented Spacey with the “Parajanovian Thaler” for his invaluable contribution to cinema. The actor noted that by honoring him, they are also honoring those who contributed to the films in which he participated, films that changed his life upside down.
The meeting was moved to Yerevan’s Cinema House, where hundreds of people packed its big cinema hall for the occasion. “It means a lot to me that you are here,” Spacey told them. He spent more than an hour talking about his career and answering questions from the audience related to cinema and theater.
Only one participant alluded to the sexual misconduct claims by mentioning the AUA snub. Her statement sparked a chorus of disapproval from the audience. “It’s fine, it’s fine,” Spacey said, trying to calm the fans. He replied, “I was invited to your country as an honored guest of the film festival. It is a great honor for me to be here. I had a wonderful time with the students yesterday. I am not involved in any controversial situations; I don’t know anything about it,” which was met with rapturous applause.
