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- Actress
- Producer
Angela Sarafyan is an Armenian American actress. She has appeared as a guest-star in several television series such as Judging Amy (1999) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997).
Sarafyan has acted in the feature films: On the Doll (2007), Kabluey (2007), The Informers (2008), A Beautiful Life (2008), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012), A Good Old Fashioned Orgy (2011), and Lost and Found in Armenia (2012).
In 2016 she starred as Clementine Pennyfeather in HBO's Westworld (2016).- Producer
- Executive
Arthur Sarkissian was born on 11 May 1960 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Gyumri, Armenia]. He is a producer and executive, known for Rush Hour (1998), Last Man Standing (1996) and The Foreigner (2017).- Svetlana Svetlichnaya was born on 15 May 1940 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Gyumri, Armenia]. She is an actress, known for The Diamond Arm (1969), The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed (1979) and Day of Wrath (1985).
- Jacqueline Antaramian was born on 7 October 1962 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR. She is an actress, known for The Siege (1998), Side Effects (2013) and Jessica Jones (2015).
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Roman Mitichyan was born in Vanadzor, Armenia and started training at the age 8 in free style wrestling. He then went on to train in the art of Sambo-Judo with Baxshik Saroyan. Roman was a natural at the sport and soon became a Champion in Armenia. In 1997 he and his family moved to the United States and he started training at the Hayastan Judo Club under world renown grapplers Gene Lebell and Gokor Chivichyan.
In 2006 Roman won 1st place in the USJI National Championship. Roman is a world Bronze medalist in Sambo, and an active MMA fighter with a 15-3 record.
Roman's approach to fighting (and life) is grounded in his hard work ethic and relentless attacks. It is this tenacity that has propelled him to the top of his sport.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Born in 1984 in Yerevan, Armenia, by the age of 29, Sarik Andreasyan became a top-3 highest grossing Russian directors according to Variety Russia.
Directing a successful remake of the Russian cult classic "Office Romance" at the age of 23 puts him on the map and the widely beloved box office hit "Moms" cements his positions as one of the most talented and profitable directors in his country. The sequel to "Moms" - "Happy New Year, Moms!" sees Sarik working with the ensemble cast studded with the legend himself - monsieur Alan Delon.
In 2013 the American chapter of Sarik's career begins. In the summer of the same year his creative collaboration with the incredible talents of Adrien Brody and Hayden Christensen results in highly-anticipated dramatic action "American Heist".
In 2014 Sarik produces and directs a highly anticipated sci-fi thriller "Mafia" based on an international hit social game. Employing the top Russian talent and sensational CGI the film proved to be the biggest opening upon its release.
2016 sees Sarik take on one of the most dreadful and tragic natural disasters that has ever occurred to the humanity - Spitak earthquake - in a form of an epic drama "Earthquake" filmed on location. Passionate approach, unique style and immense desire to depict honest human suffering has earned Sarik's film to be selected by the National Armenian Film Committee to represent his country of birth in seeking an Academy Awards nomination.
Later that year Sarik breaks the boundaries with the most ambitious project from that part of the world to date - The Guardians (2017), described by a Rotten Tomatoes critic as "The plot is bone-headed and the quality of the visual effects is terrible, but there is a pure, unironic sense of purpose in this film that is utterly charming and, at times, unintentionally hilarious." - first of its kind superhero film that, according to The Hollywood Reported, The Guardian and many more, proves to become the most anticipated international release of 2017.
With four more projects in development as of the end of 2017 (among which are sci-fi thriller "Coma" and post-apocalyptic epic "Station 88"), Sarik Andreasyan is set to establish himself among the hottest directors chased by Hollywood producers and a cinematographic visionary of our time.- Costume Designer
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mikael Sharafyan, originally from Yerevan, Armenia, is an award winning costume designer. Born into a family of artist, he is part of a lineage of entertainers, spanning back several generations. Of the artists, writers, musicians, and actors of his family tree, Levon Sharafyan stands out as a theater and movie actor. Sharafyan's mother, Ruzan Muradyan, is a pianist accompanist for ballet performances.
Sharafyan immersion into the arts began early. He would begin attending art academy at the age of seven. There, he learned to paint and sculpt. Patrons of theatre, his parents would work to advance Sharafyan's cultural and artistic palette by taking him to theatrical performances on a regular basis. There, the costume-designer-to-be found his passion as he was often introduced to performers and ushered through their dressing rooms. In 2001, Sharafyan settled in Glendale, CA. After graduating from Glendale High School, he participated in fine arts competitions, receiving awards and ranking highly amongst his peers. Thereafter, Sharafyan graduated from the Fashion Design Institute of Design (FDIM), receiving his degree in Fashion Design, taking an additional year to finish the Advanced Study Program in Theater Costume Design. His completion of the advanced studies program earned him a Warnaco Scholarship, which was presented to him by renown fashion designer Randolph Duke.
While acquiring his degree, Sharafyan also completed a six-month internship at Mon Atelier for couturier Ali Rahimi and another three-month internship working for Center Theater Group, in Downtown L.A. The competitions, internships, and academic training helped Sharafyan to acquire and advance his knowledge of the essential skills required of costume designers: sketching, dyeing fabrics, and constructing period and contemporary costumes. After his diploma, Sharafyan worked for eight years as a cutter and digitizer at Silvia's Costumes, Inc, in Hollywood. While there, he had the opportunity to work with Academy Award winning costume designer Colleen Atwood and Emmy Award winning designers Peter Menefee, Ray Aghayan, and Mona May, providing Sharafyan with the opportunity to cut the wedding dress from the movie "Enchanted". His debut as a costume designer was in 2008, when he worked for a Moulin Rouge ensemble that would go on to perform at President Obama's inaugural ball in Washington, D.C.
In 2011, Sharafyan became a recipient of the Best Costume Design award at the L.A. Cinema Festival of Hollywood for the music video "Disasteroid." Sharafyan's passion for costume design stems from a history of immersion into the arts. He considers costume design as a craft akin to sculpting and painting, where the artist is handcrafting individual works of art, meticulously drawing out the details and creating his works with the same strokes of inspiration that would motivate a painter to paint and taking his needle to thread with the same precision a sculptor would take a chisel to marble. In short, Sharafyan considers himself both as a dedicated professional and artist.- He studied in Leninakan Art College and Theatre Studio, then finished at the Acting Department of Yerevan Institute of Fine Arts and Theatre. Since 1953 he has performed in the Sundukyan Drama Theatre of Yerevan. He also directed many successful productions, best of them Maxim Gorky's "The Lower Depths". His cinema career began in 1955. His famous roles in Aybolit-66 (1967), Kidnapping, Caucasian Style (1967), Mimino (1977) earned him the reputation of one of the leading comedy actors in the Soviet Union. But that reputation sometimes overshadowed his real talent and emotional deepness which he put in such classics of Armenian cinema as Yerankyuni (1967),_Menq enq, mer sarere (1970)_, Hayrik (1973), Life Triumphs (1977), Hin oreri yerge (1982), Tango of Our Childhood (1985). Certainly he was the most famous and internationally recognized Armenian artist of the 2nd half of 20th century.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Armen Dzhigarkhanyan was awarded the Armenian Republican State Prize in 1975 for "Triangle" and again in 1979 for "Snow in Mourning." He was named People's Artist of the Soviet Union in 1985. Dzhigarkhanyan began his acting career in 1955 at the Russian Stanislavsky Theatre in Yerevan, and in 1967 moved to the Lenkom Theatre in Moscow. In 1969 he joined the Mayakovsky Academic Theatre. Born in Yerevan, Armenia, Dzhigarkhanyan worked as assistant cameraman at Armenfilm studios in 1953-1954.- Director
- Writer
- Editor
Creator of the "distance montage," Artavazd Peleshian, one of the key Soviet documentary makers, removed the boundaries of feature and documentary films, editing both sequences as a real poetical unity. His "distance montage" was a new step in the development of film editing.
Even his student works [The Earth of the People (1966) and the Beginning (1967)] shot at VGIK, the oldest film school in Moscow, were awarded numerous prizes and he gained recognition among filmmakers. In 1975, he petitioned the Soviet authorities to allow the blacklisted cinematographer Mikhail Vartanov to film his ambitious next project and together they created the masterpiece Four Seasons (1975). It was Pelechian's first film without any archive footage, thanks to Vartanov's exquisite black and white cinematography.
Alongside his very successful solo career, Peleshian was invited to direct archive footage by such masters as Lev Kulidzhanov for Zvyozdnaya minuta (1973) and Andrey Konchalovskiy for Siberiade (1979). Mikhail Vartanov directed Osennyaya pastoral (1971) from Peleshian's screenplay.
Artavazd Peleshian is the author of a range of theoretical works, including his 1988 book "Moyo kino" ("My Cinema"). Some of the most important works of Armenia's documentary cinema include Sergei Parajanov's Hakob Hovnatanyan (1967), Mikhail Vartanov's Parajanov: The Last Spring (1992) and Artavazd Peleshian's Four Seasons (1975).- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Born in Armenia and raised in Los Angeles, Eric Nazarian is a graduate of the University of Southern California's (USC) School of Cinematic Arts where he earned a B.A. in Film Production.
"The Blue Hour," his first feature film as writer-director, is composed of four stories about working-class lives near the Los Angeles River, starring Alyssa Milano, Clarence Williams III, and Emily Rios. The film's World Premiere took place at the 55th San Sebastian International Film Festival and was nominated for the Altadis-New Director's Award. "The Blue Hour" went to screen at the 25th Torino Film Festival in the Official Selection and was named "Film of the Day" by the European Network of Young Cinema. The film premiered in the U.S. at the 10th Arpa International Film Festival where Nazarian was presented with the Best Director award. At the 5th Golden Apricot International Film Festival, "The Blue Hour" received the Golden Apricot for Best Film in the Armenian Panorama, the Ecumenical Jury Award and the Prime Minister's Award.
Nazarian received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences® prestigious Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting for his screenplay, "Giants." In 2010, Nazarian made "Bolis," a short film about a descendant of a Genocide survivor in Istanbul as part of the European Union's Capital of Culture Program. Nazarian adapted Chris Bohjalian's New York Times bestselling, critically acclaimed novel, "The Sandcastle Girls" that he is also attached to produce and direct. "Three Christs," his adaptation of Milton Rokeach's "The Three Christs of Ypsilanti" with director Jon Avnet premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), starring Richard Gere, Peter Dinklage, Julianna Margulies and Walton Goggins.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Grigor Danielyan was born on January 11, 1984 in Yerevan. In 2000 he graduated from "Quantum" college. In 2000-2005 he studied at the Yerevan State Institute of Economics. During his student years he played in the "Nar-Khoz" Joke show team of the university. In 2003-2005 he assumed the position of the Chairman of the Culture Committee of the Student Council of the University.
In 2005-2007, being a member of the "Ararat" team, he played in the "Premier League" of the Moscow Joke show and represented Armenia. He is one of the founders of the Armenian Student Joke show. He has worked as an editor in the league since 2004.
IIn 2006-2008 he worked at "Ararat FM" radio station, hosted the "Morning Yerevan" program. He performs mainly in the humorous genre. He has been working for Armenia TV since 2006. He is the author, actor, screenwriter and producer of a number of projects.
He is married to singer Hripsime Elinyan, has two sons, Alberto and Roberto.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Serge Avedikian was born on 1 December 1955 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Armenia]. He is an actor and director, known for Paradzhanov (2013), Lost in Armenia (2016) and Barking Island (2010).- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Vaz Andreas is an actor who's appeared in TV shows like NCIS, Lucifer, Chasing Life, The Shield, Hit The Floor and others. He started his training in theater and studied under prestigious acting coaches in Hollywood. Vaz has starred in several films and soap operas and published his first novel called 'Fade', which is available on all platforms. His short film "Dark Senses" which he wrote, directed and also acted in, has been officially seleced in eighteen film festivals and is a winner of two awards. The film still continues its run in the festivals around the world.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Vigen Chaldranyan was born on 20 December 1955 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR. He is a director and writer, known for Ter voghormya (1997), Dzayn barbaro... (1991) and Symphony of Silence (2001).- Alla Tumanian was born on 17 March 1950 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR. She is an actress, known for Tangerine (2015), The Men (1973) and Znak Vechnosti (1978).
- Director
- Producer
- Actor
Karen Oganesyan was born on 27 June 1978 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Armenia]. He is a director and producer, known for I'm Staying (2007), Klim (2016) and Domovoy (2008).- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Aik Karapetian was born on 10 July 1983 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Gyumri, Armenia]. He is a director and writer, known for The Man in the Orange Jacket (2014), Bezkaunigie (2023) and Riebums (2007).- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Hovhannes Babakhanyan is an American-Armenian actor and singer who enjoyed a successful career in theater, cinema and television as an actor, producer and singer. He speaks Armenian ,Russian and English which helped him to be in many international projects in London,New-York, Moscow, Beirut etc. In 2010 he moved to Los Angeles and joined "Victor Kruglov & Associates International Talent Management"- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Edmond Keosayan was born on 9 October 1936 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, TSFSR, USSR [now Gyumri, Armenia]. He was a director and writer, known for Neulovimye mstiteli (1967), Novye priklyucheniya neulovimykh (1968) and The Men (1973). He died on 21 April 1994 in Moscow, Russia.- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Garik Martirosyan was born on February 14, 1974 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union. In 2002 he graduated from Yerevan State Medical University with a degree in neurology. Worked three years in a psychological hospital. From 1993 to 2002 was a member (captain from 1997) of the New Armenians team of the Russian TV show KVN (1961). In 2003 with the help of fellow New Armenians Artur Djanibekyan and Artash Sarksyan he founded Comedy Club. Together with Larisa Dolina he won the Two Stars TV show. He hosted the first two seasons of "Minuta Slavy", Russian version of America's Got Talent on Channel One. He and his wife Zhanna Levina met in Sochi, Russia and have a daughter Jasmine, who was born in 2004. In March 2007 his brother Levon Martirosyan announced that Garik Martirosyan intends to participate in the pre-election campaign of the United Liberal-National Party of Armenia. The idea to establish the party belonged to Garik.- Director
- Producer
- Editor
Arman Marutyan was born on 14 October 1978 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Armenia]. Arman is a director and producer, known for Siro Gortsakic (2015), Manyunya v kino (2022) and Simon.- Actor
- Producer
Aleksandr Khachatryan was born on 1 January 1947 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR. He is an actor and producer, known for It's Spring... (2022), Betrayal (2013) and Prey of Wrath.- Anastasiya Ivanova was born on 24 July 1958 in Adler, Armenian SSR, USSR. She was an actress, known for U popa byla sobaka... (1993), Malchiki (1991) and Dykhanie grozy (1983). She was married to Boris Nevzorov. She died on 3 June 1993 in Moscow, Russia.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Albert Mkrtchyan was born on 27 February 1937 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Gyumri, Armenia]. He was a director and writer, known for Tango of Our Childhood (1985), Hin oreri yerge (1982) and Dykhanie (1989). He died on 28 February 2018.- Art Director
- Director
- Actor
Valentin Podpomogov was born on 29 April 1924 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR. He was an art director and director, known for Karine (1969), The Legend of Lake Parvana (1970) and Mi katil meghr (1968). He died on 18 July 1998 in Yerevan, Armenia.- Nikol Pashinyan was born on 1 June 1975 in Ijevan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Armenia]. He is married to Anna Hakobyan. They have four children.
- Luiza Nersisyan was born on 23 July 1977 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR. She is an actress, known for Tangerine (2015), Operation Honorable Beggars (2023) and Anniversary Client (2012). She is married to Hrant Tokhatyan. They have one child.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
One of the leading Armenian directors, Frunze Dovlatyan has started as actor in Armenian provincial theatres since 1941 and then Sundukyan Drama Theatre of Yerevan where he was awarded Stalin Premium (major award of that time) for the role of Hrair in the play "These Stars are Ours." After graduating the Directing Department of VGIK (master class of Sergey Gerasimov , he directed movies at Gorky Film Studio then at Mosfilm Studio. Since 1964 he was working at Haifilm Studio. His movie Barev, yes em (1966) became a milestone and turning point in the history of the Armenian cinema.- He has graduated from the Yerevan Fine Arts and Theatre Institute in 1954. From 1954 he performed at the Sundukyan Drama Theatre of Yerevan. In 1992 he established and headed "Hamazgain" Theatre. Since 1997 he is the rector of Yerevan Institute of Theatre and Cinema. Besides Armenian films has starred in a number of Russian films, most notable of which is Solaris (1972), directed by Andrei Tarkovsky.
- Eduard Iloyan (born January 31, 1983, in Yerevan). Graduated from PFUR with a PhD in Economics.
General Producer of Yellow, Black and White Studio, one of most prominent Russian film studios, as well as Co-founder and General Producer of START - a subscription-based streaming service available worldwide.
As a producer, he participated in making the film 'The Challenge' - the first feature-length drama shot on the International Space Station (ISS). "The mission also adds another superlative to Russia's spaceflight record over the United States: beating Hollywood to orbit", wrote The New York Times about this project.
Producer of 'Son of a Rich' - Russian biggest box office hit to date (chinese film company Alibaba Pictures acquired the remake rights), as well as 'The Last Warrior' trilogy, created in collaboration with Disney Russia. 'The Last Warrior' trilogy was sold to more than 20 countries around the world, including Italy and Italian speaking Europe, Germany, French-speaking territories, Japan and etc.
'Hotel Belgrade' had its theatrical release in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Israel, Spain, Canada, Cyprus, USA and Switzerland. It was also sold to all rights distribution to Bulgaria. The festival life of the film includes screenings in Florida (USA) and in Poland.
Among the numerous projects he has produced are the first Russian series in the 'Netflix Originals' category - 'Better Than Us', as well as the first Russian series in the Amazon Exclusives category - Russian Affairs/Gold Diggers. '257 reasons to live' became the Winner, Best Performance Award on Canneseries 2020 and shortlisted by the prestigious Rose d'Or Awards in the category 'Best comedy drama' alongside with global hits as 'Sex education' and 'Feel good'. 'Container' - the participant on MIP DRAMA 2021.
According to the results of 2020, Eduard is in the top 3 major film producers in Russia. - Harout Ghukasyan is the author of several highly popular TV shows which right after release had unprecedented success and exceeded all expected view ratings, becoming the most viewed TV serial in the history of local production. The Trap criminal drama, released on Shant TV, became a turning point in the Armenian TV serials production thus forming a new culture and shaping new high level quality standards. Shortly after that, Russian leading film production company Central Partnership in cooperation with Ukrainian Film UA company obtained the rights for The Trap and released it in 2013. Russian leading channel NTV has screened Harout Ghukasyan's Abyss serial, also Russian Enjoy Movies and DT Production companies screened a number of other feature films and serials based on the ideas and scripts by Harout Ghukasyan. Soon after acquiring BA in Economy from Yerevan State University of Economy Harout Ghukasyan became passionate with cinematography and took screenwriting master classes in Russia and the US. Has authored popular sitcom series Topsy Turvies, and criminal drama serial Full Moon, as well as criminal serials Ransom, American story, Out of the Game on Armenian Public TV and feature films Dead Valley and No Way Out.
- Writer
- Director
- Cinematographer
Levon Minasian was born on 7 July 1970 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Gyumri, Armenia]. He is a writer and director, known for Le piano (2011), Bravo Virtuoso (2016) and À l'aube du printemps (1997).- Sound Department
- Additional Crew
- Actor
Manvel Barsegyan was born on 19 November 1973 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Armenia]. He is an actor, known for Unearthed (2007), Abominable (2006) and Dangerous Pleasures (2001).- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Agasi Babayan was born on 21 December 1921 in Chigdamlu, Armenian SSR [now Armenia]. He was a director and writer, known for Propal drug (1990), Tropoy beskorystnoy lyubvi (1972) and Dersu Uzala (1961). He died on 17 November 1995.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Iveta Mukuchyan was born in Yerevan, Armenia on 14 October 1986. Her family moved to Germany in 1992. She went to school in Germany and from 1998 to 2006, she attended the Catholic Sankt-Ansgar-Schule in Hamburg. She returned to Armenia in 2009. Mukuchyan started studying jazz-vocal at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory. She has a sister, Marianna, who is a stylist. In 2009, Mukuchyan auditioned for the fourth season of talent competition Hay Superstar, where she came in fifth place. In 2010, Mukuchyan received the Discovery of the Year award at the Armenia Awards.
In 2012, she participated on the second season of The Voice of Germany reality talent show. In December 2012, El Style named her "Sexiest Armenian" and featured her on the magazine's cover. In October 2015, Mukuchyan released the single "Simple like a Flower", along with a music video. In the same month Public Television of Armenia announced that Iveta will represent Armenia at Eurovision Song Contest 2016 in Sweden. The song "LoveWave" was announced as the Armenian entry on 19 February 2016. Mukuchyan also starred alongside Mkrtich Arzumanyan in the adventurous comedy Run Away Or Get Married.- Actor
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Talented actor, director, and musician, Ashot Adamyan, is known not only in Armenia but also in many other countries. He has had a major impact on the art of cinema and theater, bringing a new specific artistic style to his field. He is a winner of many prestigious international film festivals, has been a member of the judging panels of said prestigious film festivals several times, and is recognized as one of the most beloved Armenian actors. Ashot Adamyan was born in 1953 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR, which is now the Republic of Armenia, to Karlos Adamyan (geologist) and Olga Hakobyan (chemist). From a very early age, he displayed exceptional artistic talent and embarked on his legendary career, playing in the school theater. After graduating from the Alexander Pushkin school in Yerevan, he attended the Yerevan Construction and Architectural College from 1968-1972. He graduated with honors from the college's architectural department, presenting his thesis on theater building design, which amazed the academic jury and was published by several newspapers. In his youth, he also played in many of the famous Armenian rock bands of that time, including Spiders, Apostles, and 1+2, and was known as a recognized rock singer and guitar player. From 1975-1979, Adamyan studied directing at State Pedagogical Institute under the wing of Henrik Malyan, one of the greatest Armenian film directors of a ll time. Later he attended Moscow High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors with Rolan Bykov as his professor (1987-1990). During his years as a student, Ashot Adamyan managed to juggle both his studies and his blossoming career. His cinematic debut was in Bow to the Coming Day (1977) by Vilen Zakaryan. Following this, director Arman Manaryan invited Ashot Adamyan to play the main character, Hovik, in his feature film, Another Five Days (1978). His next significant, leading role was as Captain Danielyan in "Silent Witness" (1980) by Anatoliy Mokatzian. However, his breakthrough performance was his role as Torik in the film "A Piece of the Sky" (Ktor me yerkinq (1980)) otherwise known as "A Slap" by translated versions, by Henrik Malyan. "A Piece of the Sky" (Ktor me yerkinq (1980)) was, and still is, considered one of the top classic Armenian movies of all time with a stellar cast, director, and ahead of its time screenwriting, and because of its fame, Ashot Adam yan became a household name. For this role, he received "The Most Charming Actor" award at the All-Union Film Festival in Vilnius in 1981. Seeing Adamyan's exceptional talent, director Henrik Malyan founded The Actor's Theater adjacent to the "ArmenFilm" Studio in 1980, where Ashot Adamyan worked as an actor, director, and later, artistic director of the renamed Henrik Malyan Theater. He took to the stage "Nazar the Brave" by Derenik Demirchyan, "Orchestra" by Jean Anouilh, and "Divine Comedy" by Isidor Stock, and also played in "The Decameron" by Giovanni Boccaccio, "My name is Aram" by William Saroyan, "Autobiography" by Branislav Nusic, and "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" by Neil Simon etc. Along with his theater performances, Ashot Adamyan was continuing his acting career on the big screen. He starred in Little Love Story (1981), Mi katil meghr (1982), and Hin oreri yerge (1982) by Albert Mkrtchyan, where Ashot Adamyan portrayed the main character, Oberon, for which he received three diplomas from The Lenin Komsomol Central Committee, The Union of Cinematographers of ASSR, and The Ministry of Culture of ASSR. Since 1982, he became a member of The Union of Cinematographers of Armenia. Later, Adamyan starred in more movies, including Daily Routine of a Young Man (1983), Master (1983), "The Price of Return" (Tsena vozvrata (1983)), We Shall Meet Again (1984), Path to the Sky (1984), "Where are You Going, Soldier?" (Ur es gnum, zinvor? (1986)), and "The Deadline: Seven Days" (Zhamkete yot or (1991)). In 1992, a renowned Canadian filmmaker, Atom Egoyan, visited Armenia and started shooting his new film, Calendar (1993), starring Ashot Adamyan and Arsinée Khanjian. The film was presented in several international festivals and got great feedback from critics and audiences alike. In 1996, Ashot Adamyan, his wife, Armine Geghamyan, and their two children, Gohar and Mariam Adamyan, released his musical album, "Dle M'konde", which consisted of old Armenian folk songs with new developments and arrangements by Ashot Adamyan himself. The album was well accepted with Armenian, European and American-Armenian audiences. The live version of this project was later presented in Vienna, Austria in the "Troubadour" festival in 2002, within the "Armenian Folk Music: Before and After Sayat Nova" program. During this festival, Ashot performed "Tamam ashkharh ptut eka" by Sayat-Nova, cooperating with a famous jazz musician, Christoph Cech. In 2001, Adamyan was awarded by The Best Song Pan-Armenian Award for the song "Back to Yerevan" in the Sayat Nova 2001 festival. In 1998, Ashot Adamyan was invited to Los Angeles to perform in Khoren Aramouni's play "Uncle Poghos's visit." Here, Ashot appeared both as a director and an actor. In 2003, director Adamyan was awarded "The best cognitive, cultural, and educational project" award for his film series "Javakhk: We are living here". The award was given by the "Television and Radio Association of Development" NGO. Later in 2005, Adamyan portrayed the main role of Tigran in Ruben Kochar's film, Arahet (2005). This film was shot in Armenia and the USA in cooperation with the National Cinema Center of Armenia and Blue Lion Entertainment. In the same year, Adamyan put on the play by Bernard Slade, "Same Time, Next Year" in the Hakob Paronyan Musical Comedy Theater stage. The following year, Adamyan starred in Black and White Rainbow (2006) by Khachik Chalikyan, and in 2006, portrayed the main character, Yusuf, in Enemies (2006) by David Matevossyan in collaboration with "Focal" Swiss company. In 2008, Ashot Adamyan was an honorable jury member of the Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival. On top of this, Adamyan organized artistic master classes in Tehran and directed "Like it or not - We are Armenians": a play dedicated to the 100th anniversary of William Saroyan. In 2009, Ashot Adamyan starred in "Metsamor", a mono-play based on the essay of a great writer, Hrant Matevosyan, for which Adamyan received The Best Actor "Artavazd" award by the Theater Workers Union of Armenia. After the turn of the decade, Ashot Adamyan, in cooperation with David Matevossyan, directed the film "We are...", dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the famous movie Menq enq, mer sarere (1969). The next year, by the invitation of Radio Liberty, Adamyan starred in "The Writer and the Reality" by the Radio Liberty Armenian Service production where he portrayed the infamous Armenian writer, Hovhannes Tumanyan. In 2012, he appeared in "The Pheasant Hunter", a segment of Half Moon Bay (2014) by Parallels Film production LLC supported by National Cinema Center of Armenia. In the same year, Adamyan presented his documentary film, "Snapshots", ordered by the women's' NGO, "Shahkhatun," in Armenia. Following this project, he reunited with Canadian filmmaker, Atom Egoyan to create, "The Invisible World" (Invisible World (2012)), their second collaboration. This film was brought to life by 12 directors (Theodoros Angelopoulos, Guy Maddin, Marco Bechis, Manoel de Oliveira, Laís Bodanzky, Gian Vittorio Baldi, Maria de Medeiros, Beto Brant, Cisco Vasques, Jerzy Stuhr, Wim Wenders, Atom Egoyan) and is presented in 11 short segments combined to become "The Invisible World" (Invisible World (2012)). The Yerevan part of the film was directed by Atom Egoyan with the addition of Ashot Adamyan as the leading actor. In 2012 Ashot Adamyan participated in the Genoa Poetry Festival, introducing several songs from his "Dle M'konde" music album, which were warmly welcomed by the Italian audience. In 2013 Adamyan appeared in A Hermit with No Tail (2013) by Khachik Chalikyan, for which Adamyan received the "Hayak" National Film Award by the National Cinema Center of Armenia as the "Best Actor for Secondary Play." In 2014, he was the leading actor in the film, "The Illuminator", by Atom Egoyan. In the same year, Ashot Adamyan was the head of the international jury of the One Square Meter Theatrical Festival in the Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art (ACCEA). In 2015, Ashot Adamyan received Salento Cinema Actor Award from Salento International Film Festival in recognition of his work, achievements, and input in Armenian and International Cinematography. Recently, Ashot Adamyan starred in the feature films, Mariam's Day Off (2017) by Arshak Amirbekyan, And on the Seventh Day... (2015) by Arman Chilingaryan, and 28:94 Local Time (2015) aka Hot Country, Cold Winter (2016) by David Safarian.- Composer
- Music Department
Manuk Kazaryan was born on 23 October 1983 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Armenia]. Manuk is a composer, known for Zhizn po vyzovu (2022), Manyunya v kino (2022) and Robo (2019).- Actor
- Producer
Hrant Tokhatyan was born on 10 January 1958 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Armenia]. He is an actor and producer, known for Our Yard 3 (2006), 3 Weeks in Yerevan (2016) and Our Yard (1996).- Sofi Devoyan was born on 8 July 1949 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR. She is an actress, known for Kamoyi verjin skhranqe (1974), A Millionaire Wanted (2010) and In the Camp (2014).
- Actress
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Laura Gevorkyan was born on 28 January 1939 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Armenia]. She is an actress and assistant director, known for The Men (1973), Vozneseniye (1989) and Moratsvatz heqiatneri kirtche (1975).- Ani Yeranyan was born on 4 February 1991 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR. She is an actress, known for Full House (2014) and A Millionaire Wanted (2010).
- Director
- Editor
- Additional Crew
David Petrosyan was born on 9 July 1980 in Kafan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Kapan, Armenia]. He is a director and editor, known for MULT v kino. Vypusk # 108 (2019), Mult V Kino. Vol 129 (2021) and Russian Cyberhospital. Part 1 (2021).- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Arno Arutyunovich Babajanian (Babadzhanyan) was born on January 22, 1921, in Erevan (now Yerevan), Armenia. His father, named Arutyun Babajanian, was a mathematician and also an excellent flute player of the Armenian folk music. At the age of 5, he was noticed by composer Aram Khachaturyan, who recommended that Babajanian must study music seriously.
In 1928 he was admitted to the group of gifted children at the Yerevan Conservatory. At the age of 9, Babajanian wrote his first composition, 'Pioneer's March'. He was very good at sight-reading and had a remarkable memory. His piano playing at the young age was already marked by unusual power of expression and technical finesse. At the age of 12, Arno Babajanian became the winner of the First Prize at the Armenian Republic National Competition of the Young Musicians. There Babajanian performed the piano sonata No. 4, by Ludwig van Beethoven and 'Rhondo Capriccioso' by Felix Mendelssohn.
Babajanian continued his music studies under the tutelage of the notable Armenian composer Sergei S. Barkhudaryan (Barkhudarov) from 1936-38. In 1938 Babajanian moved to Moscow and was admitted to the graduate level at the Gnesin School of Music, where he studied piano with Yelena Gnesina and composition with Vissarion Shebalin. His talent was noticed by many intellectuals in Moscow. He continued his studies at the Moscow Conservatory. There he studied piano under the famous concert pianist Konstantin Igumnov, who guided Babajanian through the wisdom of the 'Well Tempered Clavier' by Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as the piano works by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Ludwig van Beethoven and Frédéric Chopin. He also studied composition under the notable ethnomusicologist 'Heinrich Litinsky' at the House of Armenian Culture in Moscow. Babajanian graduated as a concert pianist and as composer in 1948. He was a professor at the Yerevan Conservatory from 1950-1956. While in Armenia Babajanian composed his most celebrated concert works such as the 'Heroic Ballade' for piano and orchestra (1950), the 'Armenian Rhapsody' for two pianos (1950), and the acclaimed 'Piano Trio' (1952).
Babajanian became famous with his title song for the film 'Song of the First Love' (1958). It became a popular radio hit and a best-selling record in the former Soviet Union. At that time the cultural "Thaw" was initiated by Nikita Khrushchev and that allowed some degree of artistic freedom of expression. Babajanian wrote many popular songs in collaboration with the leading poets such as Yevgeniy Yevtushenko, Robert Rozhdestvensky, Andrei Voznesensky, Bella Akhmadulina and others. In partnership with the popular singer Muslim Magomayev Babajanian produced many successful recordings. He also composed a large-scale 'Cello Concerto' (1959) dedicated to Mstislav Rostropovich, and important music for piano, especially his innovative 'Six Pictures for Piano' (1965).
Arno Babajanian created a successful cross-cultural style of his own. His original style absorbed a variety of influences including jazz, rock'n roll, classical music, and the traditional Armenian folk-music. Babajanian's original style is immediately recognizable by everyone who once heard his classical compositions and popular hits. He dedicated himself to teaching and concertizing instead of becoming a prolific composer. He died on November 11, 1983, in Moscow.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Suren Babayan was born on 18 September 1950 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Armenia]. He was a director and writer, known for Mi nayir hayelun (2010), Trinadtsatyy apostol (1988) and Ararman Uterord Ory (1980). He died on 4 December 2023.- Music Department
- Composer
- Additional Crew
Jivan Gasparyan was born on 12 October 1928 in Solag, Armenian SSR, Transcaucasian SFSR, USSR [now Armenia]. He was a composer, known for The Siege (1998), Blood Diamond (2006) and Syriana (2005). He died on 6 July 2021 in Armenia.- Donara Mkrtchyan was born on 20 April 1941 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, USSR. She was an actress, known for Kidnapping, Caucasian Style (1967), Khatabala (1971) and Adam i Kheva (1970). She was married to Frunzik Mkrtchyan. She died on 15 July 2011 in Sevan, Armenia.
- Mikael Dzhanibekyan was born on 12 September 1973 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Armenia]. He is an actor, known for Morskoy patrul 2 (2009), T-34 (2018) and Sem par nechistykh (2018).
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Michael Poghosian was born on 31 May 1965 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Armenia]. He is an actor and writer, known for Lorik (2018), If Only Everyone (2012) and Thank You, Dad (2014).- Arpi Gabrielyan was born on 18 November 1989 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR. She is an actress, known for Super Mother (2015), Once upon a time in the school (2021) and Scotch & Whiskey (2015).