Overview
The Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival (GAIFF) is Armenia's only internationally recognized film festival. The 22nd edition took place July 13 to 20, 2025, opening with Jafar Panahi's Cannes-winning film "It Was Just an Accident" and closing with the Armenian classic "Last Station" (1994) by Harutyun Khachatryan and Nora Armani. The 23rd edition is scheduled for July 12 to 19, 2026.
The festival is the most significant cinema event in the South Caucasus region. Its stature has grown since the FIAPF suspended the Moscow International Film Festival's accreditation following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, leaving Golden Apricot as the primary competitive festival in the post-Soviet space. The 2025 edition programmed films that premiered at Cannes, Berlin, and other major festivals, and welcomed guests including Iranian director Amir Naderi and Armenian-American actor Karen Karagulian.
Canadian-Armenian director Atom Egoyan has served as the festival's honorary chairman since 2005. The general director is Harutyun Khachatryan, with Susanna Harutyunyan as artistic director and Mikayel Stamboltsyan as program director. The festival is supported by Armenia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture.
Submission Details
Golden Apricot accepts submissions through FilmFreeway. Key details for the 23rd edition (2026):
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Submission Platform | FilmFreeway |
| Submission Fee | $30 USD |
| Feature Film Deadline | April 15, 2026 |
| Notification Date | June 15, 2026 |
| 2026 Festival Dates | July 12 to 19, 2026 |
| Eligible Films | Features 60+ min, any genre (narrative, documentary, animation, experimental) |
| Premiere Requirement | None (no premiere requirement) |
| Screening Format | DCP or 35mm |
| Subtitle Requirement | English and Armenian subtitles required for competition films |
Films must have had their first public screening after July 15, 2025. All competition films screen in their original language with English and Armenian subtitles. Submissions must be made online via FilmFreeway.
Competition Sections and Awards
The festival operates four main competition categories:
- International Feature Film Competition - narrative features 60+ min competing for the Golden Apricot (Best Feature) and Silver Apricot (Special Prize)
- International Documentary Competition - documentary features competing for the Golden Apricot (Best Documentary) and Silver Apricot
- Apricot Stone Short Film Competition - short films competing for the Golden Apricot (Best Short) and Silver Apricot
- Regional Competition - films from the South Caucasus and neighboring regions
Additional awards include the FIPRESCI Prize (awarded by international critics), the Parajanov's Thaler Award for lifetime achievement, and the Gennadi Melkonyan Special Award for short films.
2025 Award Winners
- Golden Apricot (Best Feature): "Fiume or Death" (dir. Igor Bezinovic, Croatia)
- Silver Apricot (Feature): "Holy Electricity" (dir. Tato Kotetishvili)
- Golden Apricot (Best Short): "Mayrenik (Motherland)" (dir. Gor Arushanyan)
- Silver Apricot (Short): "Snake Soup" (dir. Zakar Demirchyan)
- FIPRESCI Prize: "Ayesha Can't Fly Away" (dir. Morad Mostafa, Egypt)
- Regional Competition Golden Apricot: "Hold Your Heart and Walk" (dir. Sepideh Farsi)
- Regional Competition Silver Apricot: "Tehran: An Unfinished Story" (dir. Saeed Nouri)
- Parajanov's Thaler (Lifetime Achievement): Amir Naderi
Past Winners
Recent winners of the Golden Apricot for Best Feature:
| Year | Edition | Best Feature | Director | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 22nd | Fiume or Death | Igor Bezinovic | Croatia |
| 2024 | 21st | The Gospel According to Ciretta | Caroline von der Tann | Germany/Italy |
| 2023 | 20th | Black Stone | Spiros Jacovides | Greece |
| 2021 | - | Pebbles (Koozhangal) | Vinothraj P.S. | India |
| 2006 | 3rd | Three Times | Hou Hsiao-hsien | Taiwan |
| 2005 | 2nd | The Sun | Alexander Sokurov | Russia |
| 2004 | 1st | Ararat | Atom Egoyan | Canada |
The 2025 winner Fiume or Death also won the Tiger Award at IFFR Rotterdam 2025. The 2024 winner The Gospel According to Ciretta was a documentary that beat narrative features for the top prize. The 2021 winner Pebbles also won the IFFR Tiger Award and was India's Oscar submission.
What Filmmakers Should Know
The $30 submission fee is among the lowest for an internationally competitive festival. The absence of a premiere requirement is a significant advantage for filmmakers whose films have already screened at other festivals but who want access to the South Caucasus audience and regional industry contacts.
Golden Apricot has built relationships with the international film press. The FIPRESCI jury has awarded prizes at the festival, which means selected films receive attention from critics who can influence subsequent festival bookings and distribution interest. The 2025 FIPRESCI prize went to "Ayesha Can't Fly Away" by Egyptian director Morad Mostafa, a film that had also screened at Cannes.
For Armenian and diaspora Armenian filmmakers, the festival provides the primary domestic platform. The festival's programming explicitly includes films by Armenian descent filmmakers, and the regional competition section focuses on South Caucasus cinema. Films addressing Armenian cultural identity, diaspora experience, and regional political themes find particularly engaged audiences.
The festival has historically maintained close ties with Indian cinema. In 2021, the Tamil indie "Pebbles" (Koozhangal) won the top prize. In 2024, the regional jury was headed by Indian-American filmmaker Tarsem Singh. The International Film Festival of Kerala paid tribute to 100 years of Armenian cinema in 2024 with a special program.
Festival History
Golden Apricot was established in 2004 by the "Golden Apricot" Fund for Cinema Development and the Armenian Association of Film Critics and Cinema Journalists, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture of Armenia. The first edition awarded the Golden Apricot for Best Feature to Atom Egoyan's "Ararat."
In its early years, the festival operated with limited resources. There was no infrastructure for Armenian subtitles, and early screenings were accompanied by live voiceover translation. The festival has since grown in scale and technical capability, now screening films in DCP format with proper subtitle systems.
Over 22 editions, the festival has welcomed guests including Alexander Payne, Paul Schrader, Carlos Reygadas, Radu Jude, Claire Denis, and Sean Baker. The 2025 edition paid tribute to David Lynch, who had passed away in January 2025, screening "Mulholland Drive" and featuring his image on an official poster.
The main venue is the Cinema House (Moscow Cinema complex) at 3 Moscovyan Street, Yerevan.
Practical Information for Attendees
Yerevan is served by Zvartnots International Airport. Visa requirements vary by nationality; many countries can obtain a visa on arrival or e-visa. Accommodation ranges from $40 to $200 per night. Book in advance for the July peak season. The festival offers accreditation for invited filmmakers and industry professionals.
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
- Fiume or Death (Igor Bezinovic, Croatia) - IFFR Rotterdam 2025 Tiger Award winner, then Golden Apricot 2025 Best Feature. A documentary/theater hybrid about Gabriele D'Annunzio's occupation of Fiume (Rijeka). Also selected at New Directors/New Films 2025 at Lincoln Center.
- Holy Electricity (Tato Kotetishvili, Georgia) - Locarno 2024 Golden Leopard (Cineasti del Presente), then Golden Apricot 2025 Silver Apricot. A Georgia/Netherlands co-production. Also screened at Sarajevo, Thessaloniki, and Lux Film Festival.
- Pebbles / Koozhangal (Vinothraj P.S., India) - IFFR Rotterdam 2021 Tiger Award winner, then Golden Apricot 2021 Best Feature. India's official Oscar submission for Best International Feature Film. Streaming on SonyLIV.
- Aisha Can't Fly Away (Morad Mostafa, Egypt) - Cannes 2025 Un Certain Regard premiere, then Golden Apricot 2025 FIPRESCI Prize. First Egyptian film in Cannes' Un Certain Regard in nearly a decade. MAD World handling sales.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
The $30 submission fee is among the lowest for an internationally competitive festival. The absence of a premiere requirement is unusual and makes Golden Apricot accessible to films that have already premiered elsewhere. This means you can screen at a major A-list festival first and still compete at Golden Apricot.
The festival's programming taste leans toward films that blend documentary and fiction forms (the 2025 winner Fiume or Death is a docu-theatrical hybrid), politically engaged cinema from the Global South and post-Soviet space, and formally distinctive first features. Films addressing Armenian cultural identity, diaspora experience, and regional political themes find particularly engaged audiences.
The Regional Competition focuses on South Caucasus and neighboring regions. Films from Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Turkey, and the broader region should target this section for the most relevant audience and industry connections.
English and Armenian subtitles are required for competition films. Plan for subtitling costs in your submission budget. The festival does not accept physical delivery formats for submission screeners.
Industry Reputation Notes
Golden Apricot is the most significant cinema event in the South Caucasus. Since FIAPF suspended the Moscow International Film Festival's accreditation following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Golden Apricot has become the primary competitive festival in the post-Soviet space.
Compared to the Tbilisi International Film Festival (Georgia), Golden Apricot has a longer competitive history and stronger international jury composition, having hosted Alexander Payne, Paul Schrader, Carlos Reygadas, Radu Jude, Claire Denis, and Sean Baker as guests. The FIPRESCI jury at Golden Apricot means selected films receive attention from international critics who can influence subsequent festival bookings and distribution interest.
The festival does not operate a film market. Its industry value is in regional networking and the Parajanov's Thaler lifetime achievement award, which attracts high-profile international guests. The 2025 Parajanov's Thaler went to Iranian director Amir Naderi.
Watch
See Also
Calculate your total festival submission costs and projected return using the Festival ROI Calculator. Estimate your acceptance probability with the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For festival circuit strategy and planning, see Film Festival Strategy. For understanding the South Caucasus film market, see International Film Markets. Submit through the Golden Apricot FilmFreeway page. For the Tbilisi Film Festival, see Tbilisi International Film Festival.
