Moldovan director Valeriu Jereghi's film “Arrividerci”, which was nominated for the Erasmus EuroMedia Awards provided by the European Society for Education and Communication (ESEC), won two of the four prizes – the Country Medal and the Sponsorship Award. This is the first film in the history of the Moldovan cinematography nominated for such important European awards. But in this contest, the film represented Russia, Info-Prim Neo reports. Contacted by Info-Prim Neo, director Valeriu Jereghi said that though the film sensitized Europe to the problems and sorrows of the Moldovan people, was applauded by the European Parliament and won valuable prizes at different international festivals, the public TV channel Moldova 1 ignored it even after it was screened in Chisinau. Furthermore, Jereghi is a persona non-grata at Moldova 1. The journalists there were warned not to mention anything about “Arrividerci” and its producer. Thus, the television channel Rossia, which airs via satellite in most of the countries of the world, proposed purchasing and broadcasting the film. Earlier, the Italians bought the movie for showing it in cinemas in Italy. After acquiring the film, Russia included “Arrividerci” in the nine movies that it submitted to Erasmus EuroMedia. Three of them, including “Arrividerci”, were nominated. “Arrividerci” was awarded the Country Medal. Only the films that won this prize took part in the next stage of the competition. In the final, “Arrividerci” was awarded the Sponsorship Award as well. As the experts decided, “Ariividerci” became a laureate of the Erasmus EuroMedia Awards 2009 in the category “For Developing Intercultural Dialogue in a United Europe.” The European Society for Education and Communication awards the Erasmus EuroMedia Prizes for outstanding productions and programs in the sector of media dealing with European values (society, culture/education and politics). Since 1995, the Erasmus EuroMedia Awards have been given to a large number of producers with high profile for their media oeuvres interpreting Europe. ESEC awards the Erasmus EuroMedia Prizes for programmes, products or productions in all kinds of media and media formats, which critically supports the European Discourse regarding interpretations of its objectives, perspectives, problems, conditions and challenges; pursue educational goals regarding the European topics such as European values, European identity and consciousness, transcultural communication in Europe, social integration, solidarity, diversity and peaceful neighbourhood. “Arrivederci” was made by the Moldovan company Prim-Plan Studio. It features two children aged 5 and 7, whose mother works in Italy. The children live in poverty, support each other and dream of growing older and going to Italy to their mother. On October 19 it is one year of the first screening of the film. “Arrivederci” won the Top Prize of the Moscow Eurasian Teleforum, was shown at the European Parliament and received three prizes at the International Berdyansk Film Festival in Ukraine – for the best direction, for the best image and the special prize of the jury The Festival's Hope, which was awarded to the seven-year-old protagonist Ionel Babenko.