Our History
Since 2016, the "Filmadaran" Film Culture Development NGO has been actively engaged in the cultural sphere, both in Armenia and abroad.
"Filmadaran" is a unique organization in the Armenian film scene, organizing a variety of year-round events, including festivals, film screenings, workshops, publishing books, and producing films.
Our Activities
Film Screenings
Apart from the "Apricot Tree" Film Festival, "Filmadaran" NGO has organized hundreds of screenings in Yerevan, the regions of Armenia, and abroad:
- From 2018-2022, in collaboration with the Goethe-Zentrum in Yerevan, we organized a German film club, translating and screening over 60 classic and new films.
- Since 2022, in partnership with the French Institute in Armenia, we have been organizing the Ciné-club at the National Library, where over 60 classic and new French films have been translated and shown.
- In October 2021, an Armenian film program was organized within the framework of the International Festival of Ethnological Film in Belgrade.
- In November 2023, the "Cinema of Belonging" program dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Armenian cinema was organized at the MACA cultural center in Amsterdam, with proceeds going to the needs of forcibly displaced Armenians from Artsakh.
- In November 2023, a retrospective program dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Armenian cinema was organized within the framework of the CineMistika International Film Festival in Granada.
- In November 2024, a retrospective, exhibition, and international conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Parajanov was organized within the framework of the CineMistika International Film Festival in Granada.
Film Production
Since 2016, "Filmadaran" NGO has produced or co-produced about a dozen documentary and feature films:
Publishing
"Filmadaran" has published about a dozen books:
- In 2019: "My Yerevan" book-album.
- In 2020: The second edition of the "Parajanov: Letters from Prison" collection.
- In 2021: The "Parajanov: Intermezzo" book.
- In 2023: The exclusive collection "Armenian Cinema: Materials and Documents (1909-1936)".
- In 2024: The book "The Color of Pomegranates: A Documentary History of the Film" (in Russian).
- In 2026: The collection "Armenian Cinema: Materials and Documents (1937-1957)" (Armenian/Russian/English).
Workshops
Since its foundation, "Filmadaran" NGO has implemented numerous educational programs:
- Since 2019, a film school program has been implemented in various villages of Armenia, where village children learn to create and produce their own films. As of 2025, about 25 short films have been created within the framework of the program, some of which can be viewed here.
- In March 2019, 15 film students from the Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography and the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University participated in the "Black Field" film workshop organized by "Filmadaran" NGO and the Goethe-Zentrum in Yerevan, led by the renowned German director, cinematographer, and educator Fred Kelemen.
- In April 2019, "Filmadaran" and the German company High Art Bureau organized an exchange program for film students from the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University and the Berlin DFFB in Yerevan.
- In the summer of 2022, with the support of the "Hanguyts" Foundation for Folk Arts, a film workshop was organized, led by the President of "Filmadaran" NGO, film critic and director Garegin Zakoyan.
- In 2025, within the framework of the "Apricot Tree" Film Festival, a workshop was organized by film director and artistic director of the Millenium Film Festival in Brussels, Zlatina Rousseva, for 8 beginner directors from Armenia and the EU, implemented with the support of the EU Delegation to Armenia, EUNIC Armenia, and the Goethe-Institut.
- In 2025, within the framework of the "Apricot Tree" Film Festival, a film workshop for village children was organized by Italian director and educator Marta Violante, implemented with the support of the Embassy of Italy in Armenia.
International Cooperation
On the international stage, "Filmadaran" implements programs aimed at promoting Armenian cinema abroad.
Partner Organizations
- Millenium International Film Festival in Brussels
- CineMistica International Film Festival in Granada
- International Festival of Ethnological Film in Belgrade
- Cinedoc-Tbilisi International Documentary Film Festival
