Discoveries from Armenia World Cinema

Screen version of Yervand Otyan's "Comrade Panjuni" is powerful satire on demagoguery and hypocrisy of the Armenian politicos and political party activists.

A young man learns a valuable lesson when he succumbs to peer pressure and attempts to smoke his first and last cigarette.

"No Return Possible": these three words cross the identity papers of the Armenians who left Turkey after the massacres of 1915.

"Miserable me. Two plates are screwed to my temples", Franz thought, closing his eyes. A dark abyss, the mad court, the sentence to be served in the form of everlasting insomnia.

A young Armenian woman living in New York inherits $50 million from her dad. But to get it, she must return home and get married within a month.

A richly textured tapestry telling the story of Artsakh through the daily lives of four women fighting to save their homeland.

As a result of the second Karabakh war, a village should be ceded to Azerbaijan since a new highway is built through the Lachin corridor. The family of Narine, like many other Armenian families, needs to find a new place.

As pressure mounts to join an underground liberation movement, a solitary hacker comes to understand resistance as their birthright after discovering secret correspondences between their ancestors.

Arsen and Eliza have been married for 4 years. Eliza lived in the USA, after marriage she moved to Yerevan, where she lives with her husband. They rent an apartment with Arsen's friend, Narek. Arsen is a journalist, Eliza is a housewife. All is well until Eliza's friend Ellen arrives from Los Angeles, causing the family to fall apart. Ellen, cheating on her girlfriend, starts dating Arsen.

Haykuhi wants to break free of her loneliness and humiliation, but she thinks it is impossible until she meets Anna, a beautiful girl whose life seems perfect. When she discovers Anna's life is no different, she realizes her only chance is to escape.

A single ordinary day in a big city. The heroine of the film is never fully revealed we see only her feet, her steps, the rhythm of her movement. Through this movement, we travel with her across the city, discovering fragments of her day. In the morning, she leaves her home and merges with the urban flow. She walks through the streets, passing dusty construction sites where the city’s constant transformation blends with everyday life. She goes to work, then stops at a small café, where the usual chaos continues. Traffic builds, people wait at bus stops, cars stand still, and the noise of construction fills the air. Within this environment, her steps move forward, becoming part of the city’s rhythm. By the end of the day, she meets her lover. Once again, we see only feet, small gestures, subtle movements. The film becomes a collage of urban moments a mixture of staged and documentary observation where the invisible presence of one woman connects the scattered pieces of the city’s life.

Kiss (2022) is a short comedy film by Gore Grigoryan, shot in 2022. This film presents a comedic story based on the harmony of comedy and dramatic elements.

Yerevan, like all cities around the world, has its secrets filled with humor, drama, and unexpected heroes.

One night, a strange clone of Hitler comes to Fendika - a grassroots tavern in Addis Ababa...

The film tells us about the development of the cotton industry in Armenia.

"When a young man finds himself in an unexpected situation involving a mysterious woman, his life fills with hilarious and adventurous events that change his perspective on the world."

The film documents Charles Aznavour's first visit to his historical homeland Armenia, his concert in Yerevan and his meeting with his grandmother.

Narek is a veterinarian who, in confusion, takes the circus clown's suitcase and goes out of town to meet his girlfriend's parents.

During the Derg Period in Ethiopia, artist Alazar provides safety for his politically involved friend Jonas. There is a heavy personal price for Alazar and his wife, Rahel, to pay for his action. Alazar ends up in prison, but is eventually released. This film examines his life and the sudden reasons that lead up to his death.

An animation film based on the Armenian heroic epic poem Daredevils of Sassoun.

In 1896, Ethiopia, an African nation, largely armed with spears and knives, defeats a well-equipped and organized Italian military bent on colonization.

The 40-day war has just ended in Armenia. David completed a 2-year service and has returned home from the front. Uncertain about his next steps, he is actively searching for a job that resonates with him. Arthur served in the army for a year and is currently on vacation. He continues his efforts to recall his favorite tune on the piano. Serezha harbors jealousy toward his brothers who experienced the war. He is getting ready to enlist in the army, as he will turn 18 this year. All three are brothers, and they are all Nina's children.

Focuses on a woman and child after the 1988 earthquake that rocked the Soviet state of Armenia. They find themselves listening to telephone wires and call it music. They became close and the little boy decides that he has found the basis for the making of his new family. The woman then adopts him, however, he believes that they family needs a father as well.

This story is about a strong friendship between a boy and a dog. The movie also raises the topic of the problems and relationships of incomplete families.

"Family Stories" is an Armenian TV series featuring diverse stories about family life. At the end of each episode, viewers get to choose the story's ending.

An informant in the post-Soviet Republic of Armenia must decide if she’ll betray her ethnic identity by leaking highly classified information on the country’s decision to reopen its nuclear power plant following the collapse of the USSR.

Narek runs the mokhraman.am website. For a big scandal and money, he decides to make a film where the actor will agree to really die for the sake of cinema.

Nostalgia for the past. The film is about new relationships that undermine the traditions of the patriarchal village.

STAGE is an emotionally charged story of passion, sacrifice and the search for perfection, where personal and professional ambitions intertwine in an endless web of intrigue, love and betrayal in the unforgiving world of ballet.

The film tells of the life and work of Sergey Paradzhanov. On December 15, 1973, the Master was to leave for Yerevan to start work on a film based on Andersen’s fairy tales. It is not known why he had changed his decision, and left on that very day for Kiev where, two days later, on December 17, he was arrested. The film recounts the years the director spent in prison. The author tries to penetrate the mysteries of the Master’s spiritual world, naming the sources, from which he drew the strength to endure the adversities of not only camp life, but of the life in general that had endowed him with huge talent and made him pay for it in full measure.

This story is about the relationship between human beings and nature, and people's ruthless attitude toward nature.

Hayk, withdrawn and aloof child, lives on a farm with his aunt Narine. Local teenagers mock him, deeming him strange and weak. Narine cares for him as if he were her own son. After a lengthy stay in another country, Hayk’s mother Anahit, a beautiful woman in her late twenties, returns to the farm. The locals openly condemn her behavior because she does not follow the rules of society. Narine, unable to forgive Anahit for the shame brought upon her with her behavior, decides to take revenge.

A story involving a survivor of the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

Parajanov lifts the curtain on numerous unfinished scenes and fragments of unshot films. These are memories of his childhood, death, friends, Tiflis, Kyiv, Yerevan. Seven stories from the life of Parajanov and the close circle that shared his entire life path with him.

An animated short depicting the creation of the Armenian alphabet by Mesrop Mashtots.

The film explores the two central themes of Sergey Paradzhanov’s works that the great master had been particularly interested in: “Eros and Thanatos”… (Love and Death). His reflections on these eternal and never-to-be-solved mysteries of human nature are conveyed in his films and drawings through Paradzhanov’s unique language that has no analogies.

Filmmaker Ali Khamraev, accompanied by cinematographer Yuri Klimenko delved into the archives, and travelled to Armenia and Georgia to honour Sergei Parajanov: one of cinema’s greats, whose vision and defiance of convention transcended borders. “Dear Sergei Parajanov. This film is for you.”

The film tells the story of the talented Armenian painter Vahan Ananyan's adventurous life and artistic heritage. Vahan, being born and raised in Yerevan, but growing increasingly disappointed in Armenian reality (the earthquake, the war, the collapse of the Soviet Union), moves to Tallinn, then Kyiv and Odesa to works there. After his passing Vahan's remains were buried in Tallinn, Odesa, and Yerevan. His artistic heritage remains in faraway countries.

A 45-year-old office "plankton" is going through a midlife crisis and trying to overcome the image of his mother who forced him to live his life the way she wanted.

Three unlucky young men, wandering aimlessly through the city, get into endless trouble. In order to turn around their lives, they try to get jobs and even dare to rob a bank.

The movie is dedicated to the 44-day Artsakh war heroes' memory. Based on true stories.

A minibus at peak hours (Ծանրաբեռնված երթուղային) is a short experimental video-postcard sent from myself in Armenia to myself in Canada. Can something be found in transit, then lost when arriving at the place of destination?

In this hypnotic odyssey, the ancient monasteries of Armenia’s highlands bear traces of epochs past. Landscapes give way to soundscapes, and the shadowy depths within.

When war besieges the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh (Karabakh), writer and photographer Lika takes cover in a bunker — and begins to write a diary. Little does she know that her words will become not only the definitive chronicle of the brutal 44-day war, but also a universal portrait of a woman who undertakes a journey of courage, creativity, and a relentless commitment to human rights.

Tereza tries to escape her pursuer.

Armenian refugees in France try to organize a public screening of a film about the Soviet Armenia, together with the French members of an underground organization.

At a wealthy man's wake, his mistresses unexpectedly appear and disrupt the peace.

Based on a fairy-tale by Hovhannes Tumanyan it tells a story of a man and wife who find themselves in comical situations because of their foolishness.

Aram, the youngest son of General Baghramyan, returns to his homeland after completing his studies. On this wonderful day, when the whole family is celebrating Aram's return and the appointment of the general, Aram decides to go to a club with his friend Karen, despite his older brother's warnings not to go. A fight breaks out in the club, during which Aram throws a chair and accidentally hits Samira, the singer at the club, who is losing her eyesight. During the fight, someone tries to kill Karen with a knife. Aram sees this and shoots his father's gun. Arthur, Aram's brother, is told that Aram killed a man. Vasak, the general's friend, goes to tell the general the news. Later, Arthur finds the general's corpse. Vasak tells him that his father committed suicide. Aram is sentenced to 7 years in prison for murder.

This is a crazy story about Astghik’s adventures. While preparing to participate in the New Year's school performance, Astghik meets Snow Maiden and promises to help her. She must free Snow Maiden from captivity in another world and deliver the lost letters to Santa Claus. In this mission, she is aided by the Shoflins, who come from another world, and her school friend Arthur.

Hilarious comedy play about three Armenians Galust from Armenia, Azat from Iran and Sako from Lebanon, who meet at the immigration office at the Los Angeles Airport.

The stories of people and families from Artsakh, Armenia, following the forced displacement of 120,000 Armenians in September, 2023, with intimate testimonies that display the human costs of war.

The main character of the film, Tamzara, is a dancer. From the very beginning of the film, her boyfriend Ruben chooses a career, abandons Tamzara and leaves.for a long time Tamzara did not let anyone near her, having lost confidence in everyone. But it seems that life is smiling on her again, and she falls in love with the ATO after a long struggle with the ATO. a boy from a traditional family, from a village, and his family opposes Tamzara, who is a "girl" who is completely opposite to their ideas. The bride's dance with Leia, who later finds herself involved with her lover Atoy, but finds out about it on the wedding day...

Asalif and his mother defy Ethiopia’s omnipresent modern housing development culture, by continuing to live a life characterised by proximity to nature and rootedness in community. The boy counters the ruptures in his accustomed surroundings and the threat posed by the hyena that haunts his neighbourhood by reinventing himself as a hero: as Anbessa, the lion.

Mariam lives in a remote Armenian village where there are no men. On her birthday, her hopes of having a reunited family are shattered, but she must put aside her own crushed dreams and build up her friend Anush's hopes of an idyllic life as she embarks into motherhood.

Tragedy grips the family of Syuzi and David: Their young child drowns in a forest lake. What awaits the young family after their tragic loss while they also possess other dark secrets?

No matter how much of a comedy it is, it has something to say: it's about friendship, love, and solidarity. In other words, different things can go through the heads of girlfriends, bad situations can arise, but in the end, good wins.

The documentary represents and describes Hovhannes Tumanyan and Komitas as individuals, citizens, national figures, and those who raised national values to a new level.