Oscar-winning Greek-French film director, screenwriter and producer Costa-Gavras on Tuesday, July 12 met with filmmakers and film enthusiasts on the sidelines of the 19th Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival in the Armenian capital.

During the meeting, Costa-Gavras said that he is just a director and tries to do the best in his field, Armenpress reports. He recalled that he lived in Greece during his youth, where he mostly watched western movies, which did not say much about life.

"I went to France because it was the only country in Europe with free education, where students were supported. At that time I thought the French were the best writers in the world. I wanted to write too," the filmmaker said.

"I enrolled at the Sorbonne University, where I discovered the film library and watched films that were very different from the films I had seen in Greece. It turned out that cinema can be the equivalent of ancient theater, a theater that talks about people, their relationships, hate, love."

Costa-Gavras said he went to university to study writing, but decided to tell stories instead.

Speaking about Armenia, the director said that he has always wanted to visit the country. "I wanted to come because I have Armenian friends in Paris and I know your history, which was quite difficult. It's not easy even now," said Costa-Gavras.