Contemporary Armenian Cinema and Homage to Iranian Filmmakers
The 22nd Golden Apricot Festival featured a robust program—with particular attention to documentaries—comprising international and regional competitions, special screenings, and a short film competition dedicated to recent Armenian productions. Unlike major festivals such as Cannes or Venice, Golden Apricot does not prioritize world premieres, instead curating a selection of films from festivals like Cannes, Venice, Toronto, IDFA, and Rotterdam. The festival’s international competition showcased critically acclaimed works, while the regional competition emphasized films from the Caucasus and Middle East (Iran, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq…). Special screenings included a selection from the Cannes competition, offering audiences access to world-renowned recent films. Hosted primarily at the House of Cinema—owned by the Union of Film Professionals of Armenia, with three screening halls, including the nation’s largest, a 500-seat theater—the festival also utilized the prestigious Kinomoscow multiplex at Charles Aznavour Square for select screenings.
In addition to screenings, the festival fostered cultural exchange through masterclasses, concerts, and networking events, creating a vibrant platform for filmmakers and audiences. The short film competition provided a valuable window into the emerging talent in Armenian cinema. For instance, Motherland (Հայրենիք, dir. Gor Arushanyan), winner of the Best Short Film award (co-produced with Poland’s Łódź Film School, and previously the winner for best documentary short at Copenhagen International Film Festival), exemplifies the technical prowess and thematic depth of Armenia’s new generation of filmmakers. This section predominantly explored the ongoing Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, a recurring motif reflecting the nation’s socio-political trauma.
Several films in the festival addressed the war, offering poignant reflections on its human toll. Waiting for Don Quixote (Դոն Կիխոտին սպասելով/, dir. Nariné Mkrtchyan and Arsen Azatyan), screened out of competition, blends fictional scenes inspired by Cervantes’ classic with documentary footage of families displaced by the conflict. The film’s direct testimonies from villagers, including parents struggling to rebuild lives amidst loss, underscore the war’s devastating impact, often overlooked by Western media. This hybrid documentary-essay invites reflection on the resilience of communities caught in geopolitical strife.
Similarly, After Dreaming (Երազելուց հետո/Yerazeluts heto, dir. Christine Haroutounian), which premiered at Berlinale before its regional competition screening at Golden Apricot, presents a surreal road trip through a conflict-ridden mountainous region. Centered on a love story between a tormented soldier and the daughter of a man mistaken for an enemy and killed by villagers, the film’s slow, nightmarish aesthetic may challenge audiences unfamiliar with the context. Haroutounian’s debut feature employs experimental visuals to convey the psychological weight of perpetual conflict, though its abstract narrative may limit accessibility for international viewers.
In a totally different register, My Armenian Phantoms (Mes fantômes arméniens, dir. Tamara Stepanyan), a French-Armenian co-production screened before the closing ceremony, offers a nostalgic exploration of Armenian cinema’s history. Stepanyan, a prominent figure in Armenia’s new wave, interweaves personal reflections as an immigrant artist with archival footage, partly featuring her father, the renowned actor Viguen Stepanyan. The documentary’s clear narration, including film titles, dates, and historical context, ensures accessibility for international audiences unfamiliar with Armenian cinema. Stepanyan’s forthcoming feature, In the Land of Arto, set to open the 2025 Locarno Film Festival, further signals her growing global influence.
Golden Apricot 2025 prominently celebrated Iranian cinema, reflecting the longstanding cultural ties between Armenia and Iran. The opening film, It Was Just an Accident (یک تصادف ساده, /Yek tasadef sadeh, dir. Jafar Panahi), fresh from winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes 2025, set a celebratory tone. During the opening ceremony, Panahi presented the Parajanov Prize to Amir Naderi, a veteran Iranian filmmaker and jury president for the regional competition, in a moment that underscored intergenerational solidarity. Naderi, in turn, gave the Silver Apricot at the closing ceremony to Saeed Nouri for his documentary Tehran, an Unfinished Story (تهران، یک داستان ناتمام]..)This film traces Tehran’s history through a century of cinematic representations, though its reliance on archival footage without sufficient contextual details contrasts with the informative clarity of Stepanyan’s work. The regional competition’s Golden Apricot went to the work of another Iranian filmmaker (who resides in France), Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk (dir. Sepideh Farsi), a documentary about Gaza photojournalist Fatima Hassouna. The film’s empathetic portrayal of resilience amid conflict resonated with audiences, highlighting the festival’s commitment to socially engaged storytelling.
Shiva Fouladi
Edited by Robert Horton
© FIPRESCI 2025