| Golden ApricotYerevan International Film Festival | |
| Founded: | 2004 |
| Date: | July |
| Directors: | Atom Egoyan (Honorary Chairman) Harutyun Khachatryan (General Director) Susanna Harutyunyan (Artistic Director) Mikayel Stamboltsyan (Program Director) |
| Producers: | "Golden Apricot" Fund for Cinema Development, Armenian Association of Film Critics and Cinema Journalists |
| Location: | Yerevan,  Armenia |
| Language: | Armenian, English |
The Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival (GAIFF; Armenian: «Ոսկե Ծիրան» Երևանի միջազգային կինոփառատոն|translit="Voske Tsiran" Yerevani mijazgayin kinop'arraton) is an annual film festival held in Yerevan, Armenia.[1] The festival was founded in 2004 with the co-operation of the "Golden Apricot" Fund for Cinema Development, the Armenian Association of Film Critics and Cinema Journalists. The GAIFF is continually supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, the Ministry of Culture of Armenia and the Benevolent Fund for Cultural Development.The objectives of the festival are "to present new works by the film directors and producers in Armenia and foreign cinematographers of Armenian descent and to promote creativity and originality in the area of cinema and video art".[2]
The "Golden Apricot" Annual Film Festival was established in 2004 in Yerevan, by the "Golden Apricot" Fund for Cinema Development, the Armenian Association of Film Critics and Cinema Journalists, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, the Ministry of Culture of Armenia and Benevolent Fund for Cultural Development. Canadian-Armenian director Atom Egoyan was named president of the festival since 2005.[3]
The Festival is dedicated to the theme of Crossroads of Cultures and Civilizations, and features a multitude of films representing various nations and religions, collectively depicting the richness of the human experience.
In 2005, the establishment of a network of filmmakers of the region entitled Directors Across Borders was initiated by the "Golden Apricot" Film Festival.[4]
Since 2005 "Golden Apricot" has been functioning under the aegis of the European Cultural Parliament.[5]
In 2010, the festival was awarded by the FICTS Plate D'honneur.[6]
In 2017, festival organizers cancelled the screening of an off-competition program entitled, "Armenians: Internal And External Views", with no reasons given. LGBT activists took to social media to criticize the cancellation, with some claiming that two LGBTQ+-themed films — Apricot Groves and — were the reason for the cancellation. Atom Egoyan and Arsinée Khanjian, prominent Armenian Canadian figures in cinema, denounced this cancellation.[7] An open letter signed by filmmakers, activists, politicians, and others denouncing the cancellation was published,[8] and LGBTQ+ rights organizations Pink Armenia[9] and GALAS LGBTQ+ Armenian Society strongly criticized the censorship.[10] The EU's Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum called on Armenian authorities to fulfill their international commitments, stating that "The incident... runs contrary to the process of Armenia's joining the Creative Europe programme".[11]
The major awards at the GAIFF are the Golden Apricot and Silver Apricot prizes for feature, documentary and Armenian panorama films. Lifetime achievement is recognized by the Parajonov's Thaler Award, named in honour of Sergei Parajanov.[12]
The various categories and prize names are as follows:[13]
1. "Golden Apricot" – Best Feature Film
2. "Silver Apricot" – Special Prize
1. "Golden Apricot" – Best Documentary Film
2. "Silver Apricot" – Special Prize
1. "Golden Stone" – Best Short Film
2. Special Prize
1. "Golden Apricot" – Best Fiction Film
2. "Golden Apricot" – Best Documentary Film
3. "Silver Apricot" – Special Prize
See main article: article and 1st Yerevan Golden Apricot International Film Festival.
| Category | Award | Film | Director | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Feature Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Feature Film | Ararat |  Canada[14] | ||
| International Documentary Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Documentary Film | Tale About Pegasus (Armenian: Հեքիաթ թեվավոր ձիու մասին) | Armenia | ||
| Short Film Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Short Film | Je m'appelle |  France | ||
| Animation and Experimental Film | Golden Apricot for Best Armenian Film | Freedub 1 | |||
| Jury Special Prize | Jury Special Prize for Best Feature Film | A Place in the World | |||
| Jury Special Prize for Best Animation and Experimental Film | Ligne de Vie | ||||
| Special Mention | Special Mention for Best Documentary Film | I Died in Childhood... | Russia |
See main article: article and 2nd Yerevan Golden Apricot International Film Festival.
| Category | Award | Film | Director | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Feature Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Feature Film | The Sun | Russia,  Italy,  Switzerland, France[15] [16] | |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Feature Film | 4 | Russia | ||
| Los Muertos (The Dead) |  Argentina,  Netherlands, France | |||
| Jury Special Mention | Paradise Girls | Netherlands | ||
| International Documentary Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Documentary Film | 3 Rooms Of Melancholia |  Finland,  Sweden,  Denmark,  Germany | |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Documentary Film | Moskatchka |  Latvia, Germany | ||
| Oh! Man | Italy | |||
| Armenian Panorama Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Armenian Film | Hammer & Flame |  United Kingdom | |
| Under the Open Sky | Armenia | |||
| The Road | Armenia | |||
| Jury Diploma | Born in Fire | Armenia | ||
| Planet Zorthian |  United States | |||
| One Balloon | United States | |||
| One Fine Morning (Un Beau Matin) | France | |||
| Parajanov's Thaler – Lifetime Achievement Award | Iran | |||
 Poland | ||||
| Russia | ||||
| Prize of the Armenian Filmmakers Union for the Best Director | Long Gone (Documentary) | United States | ||
| Prizes of the Armenian Association of Film Critics and Cinema Journalists for the Best Feature Film | My Father is an Engineer | France | ||
| Waiting for the Clouds |  Turkey | |||
| Hrant Matevosyan Fund Prix for the Best Script in Armenian Panorama | The Road | Armenia | ||
See main article: article and 3rd Yerevan Golden Apricot International Film Festival.
| Category | Award | Film | Director | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Feature Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Feature Film | Three Times | Taiwan,  China, France[17] [18] | |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Feature Film | The Legend of Time |  Spain | ||
| Trip To Armenia (Le voyage en Arménie) | France | |||
| International Documentary Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Documentary Film | Workingman's Death |  Austria | |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Documentary Film | Estamira |  Brazil | ||
| Jury Special Mention | Ljudmila & Anatolij | Sweden | ||
| Armenian Panorama Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Armenian Film | The Dwellers of Forgotten Islands | Armenia | |
| Jury Special Mention | Posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award | Armenia | ||
| Parajanov's Thaler – Lifetime Achievement Award | Armenia | |||
| Italy | ||||
| Italy | ||||
| Iran | ||||
| United States | ||||
| Awards for Emerging Filmmakers | The Genocide in Me | Canada | ||
| My Name is Happiness | Russia | |||
| The Lighthouse | Russia, Armenia | |||
| Armenian Association of Film Critics and Cinema Journalists Prize | Summer in Berlin | Germany | ||
| Returner | France | |||
See main article: article and 4th Yerevan Golden Apricot International Film Festival.
| Category | Award | Film | Director | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Feature Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Feature Film | Import/Export | Austria[19] [20] | |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Feature Film | Nuovomondo | Italy, France | ||
| Jury Diploma | Flanders | France | ||
| International Documentary Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Documentary Film | A Story of People in War and Peace | Armenia | |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Documentary Film | The White She-Camel |  Belgium | ||
| Armenian Panorama Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Armenian Film | Screamers | United Kingdom | |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Armenian Film | A Story of People in War and Peace | Armenia | ||
| Jury Diploma | Graffiti | Russia | ||
| Seven Indian Boys | Armenia | |||
| Parajanov's Thaler – Lifetime Achievement Award | Italy | |||
| FIPRESCI Award | A Story of People in War and Peace | Armenia | ||
| Ecumenical Jury Awards | A Story of People in War and Peace | Armenia | ||
| Screamers | United Kingdom | |||
| Wishing-Tree Prize | Dinner Time | Armenia | ||
See main article: article and 5th Yerevan Golden Apricot International Film Festival.
| Category | Award | Film | Director | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Feature Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Feature Film | Mermaid | Russia[21] [22] | |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Feature Film | Lemon Tree |  Israel, France, Germany | ||
| Wonderful Town |  Thailand | |||
| Jury Diploma | End of the Earth | Iran | ||
| International Documentary Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Documentary Film | Women See Lot of Things | Netherlands | |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Documentary Film | Lakshmi and Me | |||
| Armenian Panorama Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Armenian Film | The Blue Hour | United States | |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Armenian Film | Gata | Russia | ||
| Jury Diploma | Jrarat, Miniatures | Armenia | ||
| Parajanov's Thaler – Tribute to | Italy | |||
| Parajanov's Thaler – Lifetime Achievement Award | Germany | |||
| Iran | ||||
| Special Silver Apricot – Pour l’Audance Artistique et Humaine | France | |||
| FIPRESCI Award | My Marlon and Brando | Turkey | ||
| Ecumenical Jury Award | The Blue Hour | United States | ||
| Jury Diploma | My Marlon and Brando | Turkey | ||
See main article: article and 6th Yerevan Golden Apricot International Film Festival.
| Category | Award | Film | Director | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Feature Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Feature Film | The Other Bank |  Georgia,  Kazakhstan[23] [24] | |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Feature Film | Scratch | Poland | ||
| Jury Diploma | Autumn | Turkey, Germany | ||
| International Documentary Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Documentary Film | Burma VJ - Reporting from a Closed Country | Denmark | |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Documentary Film | The Living |  Ukraine | ||
| Jury Special Mention | Supermen of Malegaon |  India,  Singapore,  Japan | ||
| Armenian Panorama Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Armenian Film | With Love and Gratitude | Armenia | |
| Jury Diploma | Caucasian Niece | Armenia | ||
| A World of Our Own | France | |||
| Special Prize "Master" | Japan | |||
| United States | ||||
| Russia | ||||
| FIPRESCI Award | Autumn | Turkey, Germany | ||
| Ecumenical Jury Award | The Other Bank | Georgia, Kazakhstan | ||
See main article: article and 7th Yerevan Golden Apricot International Film Festival.
| Category | Award | Film | Director | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Feature Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Feature Film | Cosmos | Turkey,  Bulgaria[25] [26] | |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Feature Film | My Joy | Ukraine, Germany, Netherlands | ||
| International Documentary Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Documentary Film | Together | Russia | |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Documentary Film | The Woman With Five Elephants | Germany, Switzerland | ||
| Armenian Panorama Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Armenian Film | The Last Tightrope Dancer in Armenia | Armenia | |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Armenian Film | Down Here | Belgium, France | ||
| Jury Special Mention | Uncle Valya | Armenia | ||
| Parajanov's Thaler – Tribute to | Armenia, France | |||
| Parajanov's Thaler – Lifetime Achievement Award" |  Greece | |||
| Italy | ||||
| Special Prize "Master" | France | |||
 Iceland | ||||
| South Korea | ||||
| Russia | ||||
| FIPRESCI Award | On the Path |  Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria,  Croatia, Germany | ||
| Ecumenical Jury Award | Don’t Look in the Mirror | Armenia | ||
| Jury Diploma | How I Ended This Summer | Russia | ||
| British Council Award | Lernavan |  Lithuania | ||
| Hrant Matevosyan Award | ||||
| Category | Award | Film | Director | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Feature Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Feature Film | A Separation | Asghar Farhadi | Iran |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Feature Film | The Journals of Musan | Park Jung-bum | South Korea | |
| Jury Special Prize | The Prize | Paula Markovitch | Mexico, France, Poland, Germany | |
| International Documentary Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Documentary Film | The World According to Ion B. | Alexander Nanau | Russia |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Documentary Film | Summer Pasture | Lynn True, Nelson Walker III, Tsering Perlo | United States, China | |
| Jury Special Mention | Magnificent Nothing | Ahmad Seyedkeshmiri | Iran | |
| Armenian Panorama Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Armenian Film | Loading My Life | Haroutyun Shatyan | Armenia |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Armenian Film | The Spaceship | Emil Mkrttchian | Sweden | |
| Jury Special Mention | The Last Hippie of the Pink City | Anastasia Popova | Russia | |
| Apricot Stone | Golden Apricot | Glasgow | Piotr Subbotko | Poland |
| Jury Special Mention | Bicycle | Serhat Karaaslan | Turkey | |
| Parajanov's Thaler – Lifetime Achievement Award | Béla Tarr | Hungary | ||
| Fanny Ardant | France | |||
| Roman Balayan | Ukraine | |||
| Special Prize "Master" | Nuri Bilge Ceylan | Turkey | ||
| Wojciech Marczewski | Poland | |||
| Alexei Uchitel | Russia | |||
| FIPRESCI Award | Mandoo | Ebrahim Saeedi | Iraq | |
| Ecumenical Jury Award | Europolis | Cornel Gheorghita | Romania, France | |
| Jury Commendation | Steel Gates | Armen Khachatryan | Armenia | |
| Armenian National Film Academy Award | The Prize | Paula Markovitch | Mexico, France, Poland, Germany | |
| Armenian Filmmakers Union Award | Loading My Life | Haroutyun Shatyan | Armenia | |
| British Council Award | Loading My Life | Haroutyun Shatyan | Armenia | |
| Hrant Matevosyan Award | The Spaceship | Emil Mkrttchian | Sweden | |
| Category | Award | Film | Director | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Feature Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Feature Film | In the Fog | Sergei Loznitsa | Belarus, Russia, Germany, Netherlands, Latvia |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Feature Film | It Looks Pretty From a Distance | Anka Sasnal, Wilhelm Sasnal | Poland | |
| International Documentary Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Documentary Film | 5 Broken Cameras | Emad BurnatGuy Davidi | Palestine |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Documentary Film | The Tundra Book. A Tale of Vukvukai, the Little Rock, | Aleksei Vakhrushev | Russia | |
| Jury Special Mention | Bakhmaro | Salome Jash | Georgia, Germany | |
| Armenian Panorama Competition | Best Armenian Fiction Film - Golden Apricot | If Only Everyone | Natalya Belyauskene | Armenia |
| Best Armenian Documentary - Golden Apricot | Armenian Rhapsody | Cassiana Der HaroutiounianCesar Gananian, Gary Gananian | Brazil | |
| Silver Apricot for Armenian Panorama | Nana | Valerie Massadian | France | |
| Apricot Stone | Golden Apricot | When We Die At Night | Eduardo Morotó | Brazil |
| Jury Special Mention | Insignificant Details of the Accidental Episode | Mikhail Mestetsky | Russia | |
| Parajanov's Thaler – Lifetime Achievement Award" | Víctor Erice | Spain | ||
| Agnieszka Holland | Poland | |||
| Eldar Shengelaia | Georgia | |||
| Award of the Apostolic Church of Armenia – "Let There Be Light" | Alexander Sokurov | Russia | ||
| FIPRESCI Award | The First Rains of Spring | Yerlan NurmukhambetovSano Shinju | Japan, Kazakhstan | |
| Ecumenical Jury Award | If Only Everyone | Natalya Belyauskene | Armenia | |
| Jury Commendation | Future Lasts Forever | Özcan Alper | Turkey | |
| Armenian National Film Academy Award | Grandma's Tattoos | Suzanne Khardalian | Sweden | |
| British Council Award | Armenian Rhapsody | Cassiana Der HaroutiounianCesar Gananian, Gary Gananian | Brazil | |
| Armenian Filmmakers Union Award | With Fidel Whatever Happens | Goran Radovanovic | Serbia | |
| Hrant Matevosyan Award | Bad Father | Tigrane Avedikian | France | |
| Category | Award | Film | Director | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Feature Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Feature Film | Circles | Srdan Golubović | Germany, Serbia,France, Croatia, Slovenia |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Feature Film | Parviz | Majid Barzegar | Iran | |
| Jury Special Mention | Araf – Somewhere In-Between | Yeşim Ustaoğlu | Germany,Franc, Turkey | |
| International Documentary Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Documentary Film | The Last Black Sea Pirates | Svetoslav Stoyanov | Bulgaria |
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Documentary Film | A World Not Ours | Mahdi Fleifel | United Kingdom | |
| Armenian Panorama Competition | Best Armenian Fiction Film - Golden Apricot | I Am Going To Change My Name | Maria Sahakyan | Armenia, Russia, Denmark |
| Best Armenian Documentary - Golden Apricot | Saroyanland | Lusin Dink | Armenia,France,Turkey | |
| Apricot Stone | Golden Apricot | Welcome and… Our Condolences | Leonid Prudovsky | Israel |
| Jury Special Mention | The Mother | Łukasz Ostalski | Poland | |
| The Swing of the Coffin Maker | Elmár Imánov | Germany | ||
| Jury Diploma | Rhino Full Throttle | Erik Schmitt | Germany | |
| Parajanov's Thaler – Lifetime Achievement Award" | Charles Aznavour | France, Armenia | ||
| István Szabó | Hungary | |||
| Margarethe von Trotta | Germany | |||
| Jos Stelling | Netherlands | |||
| Nerses Hovhannisyan | Armenia | |||
| Special Prize Master | Ulrich Seidl | Austria | ||
| Award of the Apostolic Church of Armenia – "Let There Be Light" | Artavazd Peleshyan | Armenia | ||
| British Council Award for the Armenian Panorama Competition | Embers | Tamara Stepanyan | Armenia, Lebanon, Qatar | |
| Armenian Filmmakers Union Award | A Mere Life | Sanghun Park | South Korea | |
| Hrant Matevosyan Award for the best script in the Armenian Panorama Competition | Broken Childhood | Jivan Avetisyan | Armenia | |
| Category | Award | Film | Director | Country | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| International Feature Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Feature Film | The Tribe | Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi | Ukraine | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Feature Film | Blind Dates | Levan Koguashvili | Georgia, Ukraine | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International Documentary Competition | Golden Apricot for Best Documentary Film | The Stone River | Giovanni Donfrancesco | Italy, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Silver Apricot Special Prize for Documentary Film | [Domino Effect||[[Elwira Niewiera]], Piotr Rosołowski||Poland, Germany|-| rowspan="4" |Armenian Panorama Competition|Golden Apricot|Milky Brother|Vahram Mkhitaryan| Armenia Poland|-|Golden Apricot||Tevanik||Jivan Avetisyan|| Armenia, Lithuania|-|Silver Apricot||Romaticists||Shoghik Tedevosyan, Areg Azatyan|| Armenia|-|Jury Diploma|Please Be Normal|Haik Kocharian|United States|-| rowspan="2" |Apricot Stone|Golden Apricot|Though I Know the River Is Dry|Omar Robert Hamilton|Palestine, Egypt, Qatar, United Kingdom|-|Jury Special Prize|Red Hulk|Assimina Proedrou|Greece|-| colspan="3" rowspan="4" |Parajanov's Thaler – For outstanding artistic contribution into world cinema ||Jia Zhangke||China|-|Kim Ki-duk||South Korea|-|Amos Gitai||Israel|-|Otar Iosseliani|Georgia,|-| colspan="3" |Parajanov's Thaler – For outstanding contribution into world festival movement |Marco Müller|Italy|-| colspan="3" |Special Prize Master|Christian Berger|Austria|-| colspan="3" |Award of the Apostolic Church of Armenia – "Let There Be Light"|Krzysztof Zanussi|Poland|-| colspan="2" |FIPRESCI Jury Award|The Tribe|Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi|Ukraine|-| colspan="2" |EcumenicalL Jury Award|The Abode|Lusine Sargsyan| Armenia|-| colspan="2" |Special Commendation |Blind Dates|Levan Koguashvili|Georgia,|-| colspan="2" rowspan="2" |Armenian Filmmakers Union Award||Ruben Giney| Armenia, China, Russia, India|-|Please Be Normal|Haik Kocharian|United States|-| colspan="2" |Hrant Matevosyan Award for the best script in the Armenian Panorama Competition|Milky Brother|Vahram Mkhitaryan| Armenia Poland|-| colspan="2" |Armen Mazmanian Special Award|Resurrection|Alain Manoukyan| Armenia|-|}Awards GAIFF 2015
Awards GAIFF 2016
See alsoExternal links
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